Black Bean & Chard Enchiladas

If you follow us on Facebook, you’ll know that we like to ask everyone which recipe they prefer, to determine what our featured weeknight meal should be. (And if you don’t follow us on Facebook, you can still join in on the fun here!) One of these ‘Which would you rather have’ questions put two of our favorites against each other, because we just couldn’t decide which one we liked better – Black Bean & Chard Enchiladas or Broccoli & Sausage Orecchiette?

We shouldn’t have asked everyone to make such a difficult decision, though . . . How can you choose between bubbly, cheesy goodness, and a classic pasta dish chock full of sausage, broccoli, and Italian flavor?

In the end, it was a tie. No surprise there. But instead of having to choose one, we’re going to post both recipes! So make sure to visit us here next week for the Broccoli & Sausage Orecchiette recipe, because today, we’re going cheesy and meatless. (That’s right. This recipe may be vegetarian, but the heartiness of this dish more than makes up for the lack of meat.)

“One of my very favorite recipes! Husband, who is a self-proclaimed bean hater even went back for seconds. Will definitely make this one again!”

– Mandy

There’s a bit of a pro and con to casserole dishes. The pro is that once everything goes in the oven, you can let the oven do the work. All you have to do is kick back and enjoy the wonderful smells that sneak out of your oven and dance around your house. The con is that there is a bit of prep work required before it goes in the oven.

To cut back on some of the prep time for enchiladas, we rely on a very quick and easy enchilada sauce. Sure, you can buy your favorite canned enchilada sauce, but it’s also very easy to make your own. That way, you can control the heat level as well.

For a quick sauce, we add garlic, shallots, cumin, and Ancho chile to crushed tomatoes, and then puree it so that it’s smooth. For an even quicker shortcut, skip the chopping and add spices to crushed tomatoes. That way, you can skip the blending part as well (unless you want it even smoother, that is).

“This is awesome! It’s guilt-free for the most part and very tasty. With meat it would be 5 star plus (if that were possible), but keeping it healthy with chard and black beans was still a 5 star dish. Loved it!”

– Angela

You can consult our Spice Chart for ideas on how to flavor with spices, and then tailor it to your liking. Garlic powder and onion powder can be used instead of chopping fresh garlic and shallots. Cumin, coriander, oregano, and chili powder will give the sauce a Mexican flavor. Instead of chopping a chile, add a pinch of cayenne for a spicy kick!

The important thing is to taste. Too tangy? Add a bit of sugar or cinnamon. Want to kick it up a notch? Try adding some smoked paprika.

And just like that, you can have a flavorful enchilada sauce in less than 10 minutes. Of course, you’ll still have to wait for the enchiladas to bake and the cheese to get all melty and goozy, but . . . good things come to those who wait, right?

Serving Suggestion:
This recipe calls for some creamy guacamole to go alongside. Try it with our favorite Guacamole with Sriracha recipe!

Prepping Smarts:

As you know, practice makes perfect, so get the hang of these dicing and prepping techniques, and future meals will come together quickly:

Equipment Smarts:

Always use the right tool for the right job to cook efficiently! There are 3 steps to making enchiladas – 1) enchilada sauce, 2) make filling, and 3) bake – and each step calls for a tool to make it easy and efficient.

• Use an immersion blender for a smooth sauce and easy clean-up.
• A saute pan is used to make the filling. It’s also used for many of your cooking adventures!
• Lastly, bake your enchiladas in a rectangular baking dish. It’ll keep the enchiladas, sauce, and cheese all together.

For more kitchen and equipment and tool smarts, visit our Essential Kitchen Cookware and Tools