in the kitchen: easiest enchiladas ever

I can't remember where I found this recipe.  Somewhere online, I think.

But it's turned into one of our favorite meals around here.  I mean, how can you go wrong with meat, rice, and beans all smothered with cheese??

Please note that the enchiladas in the picture were made with soft-taco-sized tortillas because that's all I had on hand at the time.  I normally use burrito-sized, but I think any size will work if you want to go smaller.  Okay, here goes.


The Ingredients.

1 lb. ground beef or turkey
1 box black beans and rice mix (such as Zatarain's)
1 10-oz. can enchilada sauce
1 package burrito-sized tortillas
1 8-oz. bag Mexican-blend cheese

The Method.

Prepare the black beans and rice according to the directions on the package, leaving out the fat if desired (I don't add the oil that the directions call for, and it turns out fine).  Meanwhile, brown the ground beef or turkey and then drain.  Once the black beans and rice are done, stir in the cooked meat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 9X13 pan with nonstick spray.  Drizzle half the enchilada sauce along the bottom of the pan, and tilt the pan from side to side to get the whole bottom covered.

Take a tortilla and fill a line down the middle with the meat mixture.  Roll it up (be sure to tuck in the ends halfway through to prevent the filling from leaking out!) and place in the prepared pan, seam-side down.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas and meat mixture.  Depending on how big your tortillas are and how thick they end up being, you can probably fit six to eight enchiladas in the pan.  There's usually leftover tortillas with mine, and I always have some filling left, which I save to give to my toddler or maybe just make a quesadilla with it for tomorrow's lunch.  There's usually not enough leftover to make an additional smaller pan of enchiladas, in my experience anyway.  Maybe it's just the way I fill them!

Anyway, once all your rolled-up enchiladas are in the pan, drizzle the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top, and top with the cheese.  And though the original recipe calls for it, I don't use the entire bag of cheese.  I think it's overkill.  But do what you want. :o)

Cover the pan with foil and bake covered for 15 minutes, then uncovered for 10 additional minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

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