Sunday Dinner: Vegetarian Enchiladas (for one) Edition

It’s been a busy week both in terms of work and its associated stress (that’s a whole other story) as well as errands and other “life things” that need taking care of. I am going to be hosting a wedding shower for my friend Lauren next weekend (look for posts on that subject soon) and I have spent much of the weekend finalizing plans, running errands, and buying supplies. Jason has had a lot of things to do too—he’s been fairly preoccupied with an electronics project (one that is taking over our kitchen/dining room bar/counterspace) and today he’s at his parents’ house changing the breaks on his car (he’s so handy to have around!)

Even though Jason won’t be home in time for dinner tonight, I decided to go ahead and make Sunday Dinner for myself. Cooking on Sunday is always more relaxing than during the week and given that I’ll be driving to Baltimore tomorrow, it seemed like a good idea to have something that can be easily heated up ready to eat. I chose to make a vegetarian enchilada recipe that I got from my friend Lauren (yes, the same one who’s getting married). Lauren’s family is from Texas and she knows good Tex-Mex. She made this recipe for Jason and I last summer and we were big fans. She included ground meat but I decided to try it without this time around.

It turned out well. I liked the addition of the green chile enchilada sauce (the original recipe called for red enchilada sauce)—it added some good spice. Next time I make the vegetarian version, I think I would add some additional beans (maybe a can and a half total). But otherwise, it is a delicious and easy dish—perfect for any day of the week.

Vegetarian Enchiladas
Adapted from a recipe given to me by a friend

Ingredients:
1 can (15 oz) pinto beans (or more), rinsed and drained
1 cup corn (fresh, frozen, canned—whichever)
1 cup shredded cheese
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 can (14 oz) Hatch green chile enchilada sauce
½ cup salsa
8 flour tortillas (medium sized)

(If you want to add some meat, simply brown ground beef, turkey or even lamb, and add into the bean mixture before filling the tortillas—you might end up with more than 8 enchiladas though so plan accordingly.)

1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.In a medium bowl, partially mash the beans with a fork.
3.Add corn, ½ of the cheese, cilantro, and ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce.
4.In another bowl, combine remaining enchilada sauce with salsa.
5.Spray a 13x9 baking dish with cooking spray. Pour ½ cup of enchilada sauce/salsa mixture into the bottom of the dish.
6.Warm tortillas in the microwave (about 35 seconds—wrap in paper towels).
7.Spoon about ½ cup of the bean and corn mixture into the center of each tortilla and roll up. Place, seam side down, in the baking dish.
8.Top with remaining sauce and shredded cheese.
9.Bake for 20 minutes.