I have a bit of a thing for enchiladas. They are a comfort food, they are easy to customize and you can even make them healthy(ish) if you don’t overdo the good stuff (cheese, sour cream, guacamole). My favorite is a creamy white chicken version but when we had company last weekend, I decided to make a beefy take with a red sauce. One of our guests is a notoriously picky eater (like, if he sees a tiny onion speck in an otherwise fabulous dish, game over) and I had to do some convincing on this one but he not only cleaned his plate, he had extras. The red sauce is quick, flavorful and not too spicy, although you could add more heat to suit your tastes. The filling is a simply seasoned mix of ground beef and black beans and when you top all of that with a mound of melt-y cheese, you get total deliciousness. I served them with sour cream and avocado on the side and we were all happy campers. We also followed them up with a killer dessert that I can’t wait to show you on Friday. Give these a try!

Beef & Bean Enchiladas

Serves 4

 Ingredients:

 Sauce:

•  1 – 680 ml. can tomato sauce (I used a garlic version)
• 1 – 4  ounce can green chilies
• ½ pack taco seasoning
• Salt to taste

Enchiladas:

•  1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 small white onion, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• ½ can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tsp. seasoning salt
• 8 large tortillas ( I used whole wheat)
• 3 cups shredded cheese, divided (I used marble)

Garnish:

•  Sour Cream
• Diced avocado

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

For sauce:

In a medium pot over medium heat, mix together all sauce ingredients and stir occasionally until heated through. Turn to low heat and simmer.

 For enchiladas:

Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add onions and cook until soft, then add in ground beef. Cook until browned. Drain if desired. Add beans and seasoning salt to meat in pan and stir together until heated through. Stir in half of the red sauce. Remove from heat.

Spray a 9×13 casserole dish with cooking spray. Spread half of the remaining red sauce in the bottom of the dish. Pick up a tortilla and lay an 1/8 cup shredded cheese and 1/8 of the beef mixture in it. Roll up and place in the dish seam side down. Repeat with the other 7 tortillas. Spread remaining red sauce on top of the filled tortillas and garnish with remaining 2 cups cheese.

Bake for 20-25 minutes or until dish is bubbly and cheese is golden. Serve with sour cream and diced avocado on the side.