This recipe from the New York Times uses canned tomatoes, canned black beans, tortillas, cheese, onions, peppers, garlic and spices — items most of us have in the pantry, fridge and freezer these days. Cooks the onions, pepper and garlic and then add cumin. Transfer half the mixture to a blender or food processor, add tomatoes, chili powder and hot sauce (if using) and blend. Add black beans and cheese to the vegetables in the pan. Cover the bottom of a baking dish with sauce. Assemble the enchiladas and place them in a dish, top with sauce and more cheese. Bake and serve with your favourite garnish.
Avoiding Additives and Preservatives
Make sure the spices don’t contain colour and anti-caking agents. Unico or Blue Menu tomatoes are additive-free, as are Blue Menu black beans. Original flavour Tabasco is additive-free. Check the cheese to make sure it doesn’t contain colour and look for tortillas without preservatives, such as PC Original flour tortillas. No Name sour cream is additive-free.
Cook onion, pepper and garlic
Blend half the vegetable mixture with tomatoes
Add black beans and half of cheese to remaining vegetables
Assemble enchiladas and top with remaining cheese and sauce
Bake until cheese has melted
Vegetarian bean and cheese enchiladas
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper or poblano chile, stemmed, seeded and cut into ¼ -inch (0.64-cm) pieces
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) ground cumin
1 (15-ounce/443 ml) can fire-roasted tomatoes, preferably crushed
2 teaspoons (10 ml) chili powder
½ teaspoon (5 ml) hot sauce or 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped (optional)
¼ cup (60 ml) sour cream, plus more for serving (optional)
2 (15-ounce/443 ml) cans black beans, rinsed
5 ounces (142 g) mild Cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 1 ¼ cups/310 ml)
10 to 12 (6-inch/15-cm) soft corn or flour tortillas
Fresh cilantro leaves and stems, for serving
Preparation:
Heat the oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onions, bell pepper and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and charred in spots, 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the cumin and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove from heat.
Transfer half the vegetable mixture to a blender; add the tomatoes, chili powder and hot sauce. Blend until very smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (If your blender isn’t particularly strong and the sauce looks more like a chunky purée, add ¼ cup/60 ml sour cream and blend again until smooth.)
Add the black beans and ½ cup (125 ml) cheese to the remaining vegetables in the skillet and stir to combine. Some canned beans are already salted, so taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Spread out the tortillas directly on the oven rack and heat until warmed and pliable, 1 to 2 minutes, then wrap in a kitchen towel to keep warm. Pour half the enchilada sauce (about 1 ½ cups/375 ml) into a medium casserole dish or a 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33 cm)baking pan and spread it to cover the bottom of the dish.
Line up the filling, tortillas and baking dish in a row. Place a little more than ¼ cup (60 ml) of the bean mixture in the center of one tortilla. Roll up the tortilla and place in the casserole dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle with the remaining ¾ cup (180 ml) cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Top with sour cream and cilantro and serve immediately. The sauce and the black bean mixture, minus the cheese, can be made, covered in an airtight container and refrigerated up to 5 days in advance. Serves 4.
From the New York Times
