15 Bean Enchiladas

Original Recipe HERE

Don't let the thought of buying or preparing 15 separate varieties of beans scare you.  These 15 come all together in one handy-dandy bag.  This is an easy-to-prepare meal that's also easy-to-assemble.  Better than that, everyone in my family really, really liked it.  Even *J*, who is going through a picky, I-don't-need-to-eat-dinner phase, asked for seconds.

I used the recommended "15 Bean Soup, Cajun Style" from Hurst (which was conveniently recommended because the company sponsored the creation of the original recipe; I assume any other bean mixture would work as well).  I didn't soak the beans ahead of time, so I had to give them 90 minutes to boil that afternoon - which was fine because they were low maintenace.  I did use the provided seasoning packet and am glad I did.  I made the entire bag, which left me with plenty of leftover beans.  Not sure what to do with them; will probably toss them with some feta and salad dressing or something equally uninspired and lazy.

The only change I made was to use eight 10" tortillas which required using two casserole dishes to fit everything.  Next time I'll skip the packet of taco seasoning and just give some generous shakes of cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, cayenne, etc.  I might throw in some cream cheese to change the consistency and mellow out the spiciness a bit (though no one complained about the flavor).

Ingredients

* For sauce:

1 can (15 oz) tomato sauce

1 Tablespoon taco seasoning

* For enchiladas:

3 to 4 cups cooked beans [15 Bean Soup, Cajun Style by Hurst]

1 can (15 oz) petite diced tomatoes, well drained

1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 Tablespoons taco seasoning
8 10" or 12 8" tortillas
1 to 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese

Directions

(1) Cook the beans.  Drain.
(2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 9×13" glass baking pan.
(3) Prepare sauce by whisking taco seasoning into tomato sauce.
(4) In a medium bowl, combine cooked beans, diced tomatoes, cheddar cheese, and taco seasoning.
(5) Spoon bean mixture into tortillas. Roll; lay seam side down in prepared baking dish. Repeat for all tortillas.
(6) Pour tomato sauce on top of enchiladas, being sure to cover edges of tortillas. Sprinkle Mexican blend cheese over the top.
(7) Cover with foil.  Bake 20 minutes.  Remove foil; bake an additional 5-10 minutes or until sauce is bubbling and cheese has melted.  Let cool slightly before cutting and serving.

Kid Participation:
* Whisk sauce and seasoning
* Stir bean mixture together
* Scoop bean mixture into tortillas
* Spread sauce on enchiladas
* Sprinkle cheese on enchiladas