Spinach Black Bean Enchilada

This is a vegetarian version of the Skinny Chicken Enchiladas I posted in this blog last year.  One of the persons who commented in this past blog post in the slow cooker community wanted to know if she can skip the chicken.  I told her I would work on it.  I finally came up with the vegetarian version and ta da here it is.

I served it today at a potluck lunch and people loved it.  It has the authentic Mexican taste you get from dishes served in real Mexican restaurants.  It is the combination of the chipotle from a can not the powder, cumin powder and green chilies that give this flavor.

Some of the people during lunch never had it before and they fell for it and took home the leftovers.  Good sign you should try it. Promise you will not miss the chicken at all.

Spinach Black Bean Enchilada

For the sauce:

• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 can diced green chilies
• 1 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 inch piece chipotle in adobo sauce from a can, chopped (Note 1)
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup vegetable broth
• salt and fresh pepper to taste

For the filling:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 1 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1-14 oz can whole kernel corn, drained
• 1-14 oz can black beans, drained
• 1 red or yellow pepper, diced
• 5 stalks green onion, sliced and divided (set aside two stalks for topping) (Note 2)
• salt to taste
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1/3 cup salsa
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth
• 6 oz fresh spinach leaves, chopped coarsely
• 10 8-inch medium sized tortillas
• 2 cups shredded low fat Mexican cheese or cheese of your choice
• Nonstick cooking spray

The sauce: 

Place all the ingredients in a blender and pulse till well mixed. Set aside.

The filling:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat then lower the heat.  Saute onions and garlic on low until soft, about 2 minutes.  Add corn, black beans, red pepper, 3 stalks sliced green onions, salt, cumin, oregano, salsa, tomato sauce, vegetable broth and cook till most of the liquid is evaporated.  Add the spinach and continue heating till the spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and cool.

Assembly:

Spray a 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.  Place 1/3 cup vegetable filling into each tortilla and roll it.  Place each roll in baking dish seam side down.  Top with sauce and cheese.  Cover with foil and bake in the oven in the middle rack for 20-25 minutes.  Top with green onions.

 

Notes:

1.  You can freeze any leftover chipotles in the can as individual pieces placed in plastic bags for future use.

2.  You can substitute cilantro for the green onions.