There is so much to be said about these enchiladas. About their cumin and chili spiced centers. About tender beef and earthy black beans. About the sweetness of crushed tomatoes and the way the tortillas turn soft and slightly flaky when baked, like pastry dough. About gooey melting cheese bubbling across their rolled backs. About more cheese. About even more cheese.
I’d really like to tell you all about the enchiladas. I’d even like to invite you over for a frosty, salt-rimmed margarita and spoonfuls of caramel flan. But unfortunately I cannot, largely because of this predicament that I’ve gotten myself into:
Oh hey! That’s my bathtub!
And that, dear friends, is also my sink, my dish washing center, and the place I scald myself with nearly boiling water each day.
My kitchen sink is clogged. Now, I’d like to think that most decent, self-respecting human beings would take that as a cue to maybe order take out, make a few easy, no-cook dinners. To really cut back. I unfortunately am not one of those wise individuals, as I’ve taken to making the most elaborate, use-every-dish-you-can-find meals and desserts. It’s almost masochistic, really. It’s as if the anxiety of not being able to prepare any damn dish I please causes me to lash out and consider cracking open Mastering the Art of French Cooking for my own production of Julie and Julia. Because I think Julie Powell got herself in a bind like this once. Only she ended up with a book deal and a movie…and I…well I’ll likely end up with a hernia and an eviction notice.
But anywho.
Enchiladas.
They’re satisfying in the way that all oozing cheese casseroles can be. They remind me quite a bit of meat lasagna, actually. But that could just be due to lack of sleep and a strange recurring dream where Snoop Dogg takes me to soccer practice. I don’t take him for a soccer mom, though.
These beef and black bean stuffed enchiladas are so flavorful. So pleasing. Daniel remarked that they’re one of his favorite meals I’ve made, right after “that pizza you make with the olives, ham, and mushrooms.” That pizza, friends, is Domino’s.
I love to remake comfort foods in a lighter, more wholesome and healthy way. It’s almost the best challenge you could give me. Try these and let me know what you think! And then please come over and help me wash the dishes in my bathtub.
Beef and Black Bean Enchiladas
Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Add olive oil, swirling to coat. Add the peppers and onions and saute for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
Add ground beef and use a fork to crumble it. Cook for about 4-5 minutes, or until the mixture is no longer pink.
Stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, black beans, and ¼ cup of the salsa. Mix well.
Now preheat your oven to 350º F. Spread half of the remaining salsa over the bottom of a 13×9” baking pan.
Lay your tortillas on a clean work surface and spoon a heaping ¼ cup onto the center of each. Roll tightly and line them up, closely packed into the baking pan, seam side down.
When all of the tortillas have been filled and placed into the pan, evenly pour the remaining salsa over the top.
Sprinkle the pan with the cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes. Allow the enchiladas to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with sour cream and fresh cilantro.
Healthy Beef and Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cups sliced bell peppers any color
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ pound lean ground sirloin
- 1 15- ounce can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- pinch cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 6- inch whole wheat tortillas I used La Tortilla Factory Low Carb tortillas
- 1 16- ounce jar hot salsa divided
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a large nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the peppers and onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds. Add ground beef and cook, crumbling it as it browns, until it’s no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chili powder, cumin, paprika, cayenne, salt, black beans, and ¼ cup of the salsa. Mix well.
- Preheat the oven to 350º F. Spread half of the remaining salsa over the bottom of a 13-by-9-inch baking pan.
- Lay your tortillas on a clean work surface and spoon a heaping ¼ cup onto the center of each. Roll tightly and line them up, closely packed into the baking pan, seam side down. When all of the tortillas have been filled and placed into the pan, pour the remaining salsa evenly over the top. Sprinkle the top with the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Allow the enchiladas to cool for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with sour cream and fresh cilantro if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Those look AMAZING. Not just filled with gooey, beefy goodness, but health to boot!
Thanks Heather!!
YUM. I’ve had a hankering for black bean enchiladas lately but I usually stop at just filling the tortilla and just eating it right there. Maybe I should branch out a bit and put them back in the oven smothered with cheese – these look unreal.
Look at that gooey melty cheese! These look so great!!
Haha holy cow I can’t believe you’ve had to resort to cleaning your dishes in the bathtub! You would never know with the caliber of dishes you’ve been posting. You’re a better woman than me, that’s for sure. :)
I heart Mexican food. I haven’t made one with beef in a while…I’ll put that on the to-do list!
Hello, I just wanted to say I love your blog!!
Im a student at Mt. Mary college in Wisconsin and for the class im in we were to start a blog. For this weeks assignment I need to interview a successful blogger and I was wondering if you could answer some questions for me. If you wanted to, Ill post the questions on my blog if you could answer them for me. Thanks much!!
What a great assignment! I’d love to do the interview Sophia! And to be honest, I’m really flattered that you’d consider me the kind of blogger for the gig! Email me at canyoustayfordinner@gmail.com
I’m diggin the nutritional stats you’ve been putting on your recipes!
Delicious! Mexican food makes my heart sing and I love the idea of incorporating black beans into an enchilada. I think I’ll have to try this recipe stat.
Oh my goodness, our ktichen sink clogged too at our old apartment and I did the exact same thing in the bathtub!!! This makes me feel so much better because I seriously thought I was outta my mind for continuing to cook but sounds like I’m not alone – love it! These enchis look fantastic.
Well, don’t you have a way with words?! I need them for lunch right now. Too bad I’m using my lunch break to run today….maybe dinner next week. :)
Oh lord, I’m drooling.
My tub looked like that in one of my first apartments, but that’s only because I didn’t have a kitchen sink :)
haa… I would be the same way… cooking with each and every THING in my kitchen! hope the sink is fixed soon!!
I love enchiladas… and while I have a “go to” assembly, I like to make them different each time… these look great!
I think I have made red sauced enchiladas exactly 3 times since being married.
Every time I bougth a jar of MILD sauce and we all scalded our tongues off.
I did the happy jig when I realized your “sauce” was hot sause and not ENCHILADA sauce.
it’s printing. right now. I guess I’ll have to risk impending divorce if I ever make a batch of burn your stomach lava-ladas again.
These M’Lady…are perfect!
I’m enjoying the nutritional stats as well. Thanks for posting them.
What a wonderful recipe! Hmm, no fun though doing dishes in your bathtub. That’s going to hurt your back so why not invest in a dishwasher ;-) until your sink is fixed.
:-) Mandy
Enchiladas are one of my FAVORITE meals. Love them. Yours look amazing.
And I really hope the sink gets fixed soon. That sounds like the biggest pain!
Pingback: Dishing in the New Year « Can You Stay for Dinner?
I made these for dinner to night and my kids LOVED them! I even snuck some chopped up spinach into the filling! Thank you so much for an enchilada recipe that’s actually healthy and good. :)
Just a tip I like to use. I stopped rolling my enchiladas years ago. Now I just layer the tortillas in a 13X9 Pyrex and made it like lasagna. Tastes the same and its so much easier. I havent made this yet, but I love your site and have copied many of your recipes. You do a great job and I especially like all the pictures of the steps in cooking.
Thanks! I think that’s a brilliant idea- just make the whole dish almost like a Mexican lasagna with the tortillas mimicking the noodles. Love it! Thanks!!
Pingback: What I’ve Been Up To… | The Tao of Me
I made these last night and they are yummy!
I reduced the amount of cumin to about 1 tsp, used medium salsa instead of hot, and used a Mexican blend cheese (and a bit more than what you listed ’cause I loooove cheese!).
Also, I had a hard time fitting 12 enchiladas in the pan, so I just did 10, which is how many come in the package of tortillas anyway.
I will say that if you are craving enchiladas, I would try using enchilada sauce instead of the salsa. But otherwise, these are really good!
Oh, and I love your sense of humor and the way you write. :)
I made these tonight just as you wrote it. I really wanted them to be good-2 enchiladas for under 400 calories? I NEEDED these to be good. They were FANTASTIC!!!
Please do this with more of my favorite meals. Pretty please!!!
Recently discovered your blog and these enchiladas – along with many of your recipes I have tried – were amazing. Thanks for sharing :)
I made these last night for dinner, and they were SO great. Most importantly, the hubby loved them and it was healthy!! :) Thank you SO much for the recipe!!
Pingback: Yes, I can most definitely stay for dinner! | Simple Moments
I just discovered your blog through Pinterest! You are an amazing writer which is saying a lot because I am not a lover of reading. Your words flow and leave me hoping for another paragraph! I am currently battling type II diabeties and want to thank you for the nutritional information. My body fights weight loss due to high sugar levels so knowing Carb count is critical. Thanks for your story!!
I know you posted this recipe a while back, but I just discovered your blog through Pinterest. I just wanted to thank you right away for this delicious recipe, I’m typing in between bites right now! I made a double batch to freeze some, but I don’t think the rest will make it to the freezer! Can’t wait to try some of your other recipes!
How did they come out after frozen? I just discovered this recipe but I’m cooking only for myself, so I’m wondering if I can make some freezer meals out of this.
Pingback: Craving Mexican? « Mojo Madness
I made these tonight for dinner.They were so easy to make and so delicious. My husband loved them.
Last night I made some exceptional pinto beans from a new recipe I found. This morning I mixed some with leftover rice and some shredded cheese in a tortilla and warmed them until the cheese was melted. They were even better that way. What I’m trying to get at is that these enchiladas would probably be great with pinto beans as well. Either way, I’m dying to make this recipe as it looks SOOOOO good!
Pingback: Menu Plan Monday - East 9th Street
Pingback: Healthy Beef and Bean Enchiladas - East 9th Street
Pingback: Weekly Menu Plan: June 11 – 17, 2012 « Half Size Me
Pingback: Healthy Beef and Bean Enchiladas «
I made these with green sauce, MJ cheese, and brown rice tortillas. They were YUM. Love them.
Pingback: Healthy Beef and Bean Enchiladas – The Way to His Heart
I divided the receive in half, as I was oohing for myself. I also used red kidney beans accidentally instead of black beans. Both cans of beans are of the same brand. So, by the time I opened the can and realized what I had done, it was too late to turn back. So, I went with the red kidney beans. I also added a bit of sugar to the mixture, and used regular flour tortillas. Very yummy!
How come you use salsa instead of enchilada sauce? Just healthier?
Hey Meghann,
No reason other than I didn’t have any enchilada sauce at home and I almost always have salsa on hand. I ended up really liking the chunkiness of the salsa, too.
Andie
This is the 3rd time that I have made this for my family. Being a Texas girl, I Love Mexican food and having it be healthy is a huge perk. Everyone loves them and even eats the leftovers. I also have made it with shredded organic chicken breast and it was amazing. THANKS!!!!!
Pingback: Freezer Cooking
Great recipe! I used ground turkey, added enchilada sauce to the salsa on top and omitted the salt.
I love black bean. It’s healthy.
This was awesome!! And we have left overs to have it again with makes it even better!