{Recipe} Black Bean Enchiladas

Once you have a baby, everything changes. But I didn’t realize that how I approach cooking would also drastically change. There’s definitely a mental shift of how I spend time in the kitchen now.

When I look for recipes nowadays, I look for recipes that can be prepared ahead of time, can be made in bulk and that is freezable.

This black bean enchiladas recipe is one of our favorites. It has a permanent place in our dinner rotation and I make it every month. The ingredients are simple and includes pantry staples. I found this recipe a few years ago from Can You Stay For Dinner blog and have adapted it to our taste.

Chris loves meat and usually eats some type of protein in the form of meat or fish for dinner. Me? I can eat vegetarian meals and not even notice if meat is missing. The husband loves these enchiladas and is satisfied with this meatless meal.

I have been making the enchilada mix ahead of time, then freeze half of it. The other half I keep in the fridge so I can just assemble the enchiladas for a quick dinner. It’s really easy and quick.

Sometimes I make a big batch.

or just two.

I love serving it with all the usual toppings, cilantro, sour cream/greek yogurt and more cheese. I also make roasted broccoli to round out our dinner.

Black Bean Enchiladas

12 flour tortillas (I use medium size, 6″)

2 cups cooked brown rice

1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed (I use cuban black beans from TJs)

1 – 16 oz bag frozen bell pepper strips, cooked and drained

1 or 1/2 packet taco seasoning (depends on your taste)

2  1/4 cups medium salsa, divided

1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese

****I love Trader Joe’s brand for the taco seasoning and bell peppers. I only use 1/2 packet of taco seasoning to cut back on the sodium and it still has great flavors.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread 1/2 cup of salsa over the bottom. Lay your tortillas out on a clean work surface.

In a large bowl, mix the rice, beans, peppers, taco seasoning, and 3/4 cup salsa. Divide evenly among the tortillas. Roll each tortilla tightly and place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.  Pour the remaining 1 cup salsa evenly over the tops of the rolled tortillas in the baking dish. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Serve with hot sauce and sour cream.