A streamlined take on enchiladas
Enchiladas can be a bit of a project, but the process has been streamlined here, making them a truly possible weeknight endeavor. Begin by sautéing peppers, onions and garlic until charred in spots, then blend half of the vegetables with canned tomatoes and chili powder for the sauce and combine the rest with black beans, shredded cheese and cumin for the filling.
If you’re short on time, you could use store-bought enchilada sauce (you’ll need three cups), but quality varies, so taste it and add whatever you think is missing: chipotle in adobo or chili powder for smokiness, hot sauce for heat, dried oregano or fresh cilantro for complexity, salt for overall flavor.
Makes: 4 servings
Total time: 40 minutes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, finely chopped 1 red bell pepper or poblano chile, stemmed, seeded and cut into ¼-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced Kosher salt and black pepper
1 teaspoons ground cumin
1 (15-ounce) can fire-roasted tomatoes, preferably crushed (see note)
2 teaspoons chili powder
teaspoon hot sauce or 1 chipotle chile in adobo, chopped (optional)
cup sour cream, plus more for serving (optional)
2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed 5 ounces mild cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese, grated (about 1 cups)
10 to 12 (6-inch) soft corn or flour tortillas
Fresh cilantro leaves and stems, for serving
1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees. 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.
2. 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 cup sour cream and blend again until smooth.)
3. Add the black beans and cup 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.
4. 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 cups) into a medium casserole dish or a 9-by-13-inch baking pan and spread it to cover the bottom of the dish.
5. Line up filling, tortillas and baking dish in a row. Place a little more than cup of bean mixture in center of one tortilla. Roll up tortilla and place in the casserole dish, seam-side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas.
6. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle with the remaining
cup cheese. Bake until the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Top with sour cream and cilantro and serve immediately.
Note: 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. Avoid diced canned tomatoes. They are mixed with calcium chloride to help them retain their cube shape, so they won’t break down as well in the blender. The sauce will taste fine, but it will be noticeably chunkier.