I'm excited to share this quick enchilada dinner recipe with you because I changed the way I normally prep the corn tortillas and it only took 35 minutes to get it to the table. The after dinner clean up was super easy, too!
When making enchiladas, I was taught to heat a little oil in small pan, place one corn tortilla in the oil, wait a few seconds, flip, a few seconds more, then remove and drain on stack of paper towels.
To me, this is messy work, it wastes towels, and it's tricky to get the timing right so as not to make the tortillas chewy. I needed another way; a cleaner and faster way to prep the corn tortillas.
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED
Serves 6
- 12 corn tortillas
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
- 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup green pepper, finely chopped
- 2 (14.5-ounce) cans or 4 cups cooked black beans with a liquid
- 1 teaspoon cumin (optional)
- your favorite salsa
- sour cream
- sliced jalapenos
Heat oven 400ºF degrees. Grease a 13x9x2-inch casserole dish with oil.
Cover bottom of dish with one can or 2 cups of black beans and stir in the cumin. Using roughly about 1/3 cup of bean broth under and over the enchiladas will keep the meal from drying out. Toss both cheeses together into one bowl. Create an assembly line with the cheese, onions, and green pepper to build the enchiladas.
Now for the BIG TIME SAVER,
Place a paper towel on a small plate, stack the tortillas on top, cover with other half of towel, then cover with microwave safe bowl that will fit over tortillas. Microwave on high for 50 seconds to 1 minute. Tortillas will be hot, soft and pliable, be careful not to burn yourself.
Work quickly to fill tortillas with approximately 2 tablespoons of cheese, a little onion, a little green pepper then roll up and lay in dish seam side down.
After you fill the dish, pour the next can or 2 cups of black beans with another 1/3 cup bean broth over the enchiladas, use any leftover cheese, onions & peppers to garnish.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until hot. Serve with salsa, sour cream, and jalapenos.
KID FRIENDLY TIP
Fill half the dish with cheese only enchiladas and the other half with the works. Be careful to remember which side is kid friendly. I usually lay the enchiladas perpendicular to each other and garnish the grown up side with the extra onions and peppers.
Try it out, then come back to tell me how it turned for you..
This sounds yummy! I don’t usually do anything but pull my corn tortillas out of the fridge and use them – no prep at all. They still seem to work fine.
Hi Anna!
I’m so glad to see your face here.
Maybe it’s the brand of tortillas I buy, mine tend to break apart as I try to roll them. That’s why I prep them first.
Please come back & let me know how your family like the enchiladas.
Hi Jill! SO glad I stumbled upon this site and this recipe. I wanted to surprise my boyfriend when he comes home with a good meal. (I NEVER do the cooking…but I want to learn.) Problem is, I had an hour to do it and get ready for work. This was fast and easy! I filled half the tortillas with shredded chicken, by the way. I cheated and took an already cooked rotisserie chicken and tore it up in little pieces to put in the tortillas. So far it’s yummy! The tortillas are slightly crispy, which adds a nice touch. I think you should maybe try making a tomato sauce to put over it, and definitely add more cheese on top! Thanks again!! ps – the chicken ones taste better than my cheese ones. No offense.
We loved them! I was looking for something quick and meat-free. Perfect!
I finally figured out the art to pressure cooking black beans without destroying them. Now, I have a lots of black beans put up in the freezer.
I haven’t made these in a long time. I happen to have a little leftover grilled chicken I could add to it and try Ashley’s version.
I don’t know about the tomato sauce…I can’t imagine that taste together.
Teresa, you know my kids, they’re bean eaters through and through! This is one of their favorite meals.
You don’t need to hurry the rolling process, if you heat 2 tortillas at a time between paper towels for 25 seconds in the microwave. This is how I do it and I have great success.