VEGETARIAN BEAN & CHEESE ENCHILADAS

PSA: enchiladas don’t need to be unhealthy! AND enchilada sauce is actually not too difficult to make. All it is is essentially garlic, bell pepper, chili, onions, tomatoes, hot sauce and cumin cooked together and blended. It has tons of flavor and if you have extra, it is amazing on a lot of things (like taquitos or tacos).

THE SAUCE:
1 poblano chili (usually in a can in the supermarket)
1 red bell pepper
2 yellow or white onions
4 garlic cloves
1 can fire roasted tomatoes
1 tsp Franks Red Hot Sauce
2 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili pepper

THE REST:
Tortillas corn or flour (I find that flour holds together better, but I prefer the taste of corn)
1 can black or pinto beans
1 cup cheddar cheese (grated)
Sour cream for topping
Cilantro for topping

The sauce: In a medium sauce pan, sauté onions, bell pepper and garlic in olive oil, until they get soft (about 10 min). Add in cumin until evenly coated. Remove from heat and divide in half. Transfer 1/2 to a blender. Add chili powder, tomatoes and hot sauce and blend. For a little bit of a creamier sauce you can add a few tbsp of sour cream to the mixture. Tastes great both ways. Keeping the other in the pan, add your beans to the mixture and cook for about 2-3 min.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 and warm up your tortillas for a few min. Line a casserole dish with half of the enchilada sauce and reserve the remaining sauce for later.

Assembly: In each tortilla, put about 2 tbsp scoopfuls of the veggie mixture in. Top with a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and roll. Place rolled tortilla in corner of the casserole dish with the seam facing down. Repeat until you have tortillas down the entire length of the dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and remaining cheese. If you feel like you need a little more cheese, add it. Bake for about 10 min and then top with another sprinkle of cheese. Broil for another 3 min until the cheese has a little crisp.

Serve with sour cream and cilantro and enjoy! If you reheat, throw a couple in a cast iron skillet and top with more enchilada sauce (this recipe should leave you with some extra). Reheat on 350 for about 15 min or so. A cast iron skillet is great for reheating and getting some added crisp on the tortillas.