Black Bean and Sweet Corn Enchilada

We love Mexican food at our place. Enchilada in particular is a crowd favorite - served hot, bubbling with freshly baked melting cheese, it's quite a treat! And much less messier to eat for the little ones compared to tacos or burritos.

The only hindrance to making Mexican feasts often is time, or the lack of it. It takes a while to put together Spanish rice, black beans, guacamole, salsas and for enchilada, the enchilada sauces and baking is additional time on top of it. It just doesn't fit my dinner time budget - which on most days is no more than 20-30 minutes. 

But that's where this new line of Mexican sauces and condiments I found from chef Rick Bayless comes in so handy! We have tried their red chili enchilada sauce, green chili enchilada sauce and roasted tomatillo and poblano sauce - and all were great! None of that pre-cooked and packaged taste but instead brimming with fresh flavors and no-one could tell sauces were not home made. I bought ours from Whole Foods but I believe many other grocery chains like Target carries the brand.

I use the roasted tomatillo and poblano sauce to make green salsa or spoon over as a cooking sauce. To make green salsa from this sauce just add some freshly chopped onion, coriander and season with salt & lemon juice per taste. I also find heating the sauce once and then letting it cool brings more umpf in the sauce.

The red chili enchilada sauce is a personal favorite - it's perfectly mild making it good for kids but at the same time rich in flavors. I have tried many enchilada sauces but with this one, I don't miss making sauce at home. It's just as good or may be better.

So this was our dinner on a lazy Saturday when we skipped doing groceries and fridge was looking bare.

Photos are not great, but that's only because we couldn't wait to dig in!
Spanish rice: 1.5C rice, 1Tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves of garlic minced, 2 small tomatoes chopped, 1tsp tomato paste, 1/4tsp oregano dried, salt & pepper, 2.5C water. Recipe here.

Enchilada filling: 1 small can black beans - rinsed, kernels of one white corn, handful of edamame, 2Tbsp of roasted tomatillo and poblano sauce, Mexican shredded cheese per taste (we put just a little bit), salt & some salsa seasoning (optional). Mix together, using the back of your spatula crush some black beans so the filling holds together better. And set aside. 

Green salsa: roasted tomatillo and poblano sauce, finely chopped onion, coriander, salt & lemon juice (per taste).

Guacamole: 3 small avocados, finely chopped 2Tbsp green onion, chopped coriander, salt, lemon juice. Recipe here.

Assembly: pre-heat oven to 375F. Brush an oven-safe large casserole dish with oil. Warm up 8 corn tortillas in microwave or on a skillet. Fill 1Tbsp filling in each tortilla in the middle, roll, add it to the casserole pan. Keep adding until the tortillas are snuggled to each other. Then drizzle red enchilada sauce over the tortillas. Sneak in any remaining filling. Add some shredded Mexican cheese on top. Bake for 15 minutes on a middle rack until cheese is bubbly and sides of enchilada look cooked well.

Remove and serve with Spanish rice, guacamole and green salsa. Enjoy! 

Comments

Nupur said…
Mexican(ish) food is a favorite in my home too- being hearty and full of flavor. I'll have to stock up on these sauces! Your meal looks fantastic.
PJ said…
Thanks Nupur - I am a fan of Rick Bayless' recipes on PBS, so was happy to try out these sauces.