Pumpkin Black Bean Enchilada

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Fall is here and comfort food is my focus!! Try this healthy pumpkin black bean enchilada dinner tonight! They are simple to make, full of (hidden) veggies and oh so tasty! They are also perfect for leftovers, Dave literally had a leftover black bean enchilada for 3 days in a row, and is already asking for me to make them again! You know that’s a good sign when a healthy dinner is getting that kind of attention!!

The seasons is changing and along with the leaves changing, my cravings for warm, hearty meals is in full effect! That doesn’t mean that I”m going to be eating everything loaded in cheese and extra carbs and throwing away all that hard work from the summer! Quite the opposite actually, now is the time to add lots of (hidden) veggies in the form of canned tomatoes, pumpkin puree, frozen spinach and cauliflower rice! Yup this is seriously packing a nutritional punch! And no one has to know but you!

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I used Hunt’s No Salt Added Crushed Tomatoes to make my own enchilada sauce. It’s seriously so good, I kept catching myself eating it by the spoonful with some leftover black beans and cauliflower. Yup, didn’t even need the tortilla, it’s heavenly! I know traditional enchilada sauce doesn’t have tomatoes in it but I wanted to make this recipe easy enough that you could make it at home with ingredients you normally have on hand or could easily pick up at the store.

So I used Hunt’s crushed tomato, chili powder, cumin, red onion and a poblano pepper that I picked up at my local Wal-Mart and got to experimenting. Dave doesn’t love spicy food, so this was a great balance of flavors with just a touch of heat. If you love spicy food, I would recommend adding some crushed red pepper or a jalapeno to the mix! Trust me after you make this enchilada sauce, you won’t want to buy the store bought stuff again!

When I think of fall, I always think pumpkin. And it’s no surprise that I love the combination of pumpkin and black beans. These pumpkin black bean burgers would also be amazing with this enchilada sauce and an avocado on top! I think that might be my lunch tomorrow actually!

Black Bean Enchilada are so easy to make. Have you ever made them before? You can stuff them with whatever you love the most. For me it’s pumpkin, black beans, spinach and cauliflower rice. If you don’t have a food processor, then you can certainly use quinoa or regular rice. But Dave has a tendency to not eat veggies unless I put them in his food. So cauliflower rice has been an easy way to get more veggies in his diet without him even noticing!

Cauliflower rice is super simple to make. Break down a head of cauliflower into florets, then add it to a high speed food processor,  and process for a few seconds. Then put the cauliflower rice in a large bowl and microwave for 6 minutes while the enchilada sauce is cooking. See easy peasy right? Once the cauliflower rice is done in the microwave, just juice a lime over the top and add a pinch of salt! It can sit to the side while the rest of the meal is coming together!

Black beans are a great source of fiber, protein and vitamins and minerals. If you find that you or you family has a hard time processing black beans, you can replace them with shredded rotissary chicken or I would recommend soaking the black beans in water for at least 5 minutes before adding them to the recipe. This helps remove any of the lingering liquid from canning which is what I find upsets my stomach. Also be sure to buy organic beans, as conventionally grown beans are often sprayed with pesticides that are known to give stomach issues.

I had some frozen spinach in the freezer that I decided to add in at the last minute, but I would say it’s optional. I just quickly defrosted and sauteed the spinach in a small pan on the back burner while the enchilada sauce was cooking. This dish is ready to go into the oven with about 15 minutes of assembly and bakes up in 15 minutes, giving you the ability to have dinner on the table in just about 30 minutes!

Assembling a black bean enchilada is the simplest thing. Just makes sure all of the ingredients for stuffing the tortillas are close by and make a little assembly line. Note, after you assemble your first tortilla, you will get the hang of this really quickly and the rest will go so much faster.

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Pumpkin Black Bean Enchilada

Easy pumpkin black bean enchiladas with easy, homemade enchilada sauce! Gluten free, ready in about 30 minutes, these enchiladas are sure to please a crowd! The perfect fall meal!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: Enchilada

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 40 mins

Servings: 6

Author: Samantha Rowland

Ingredients

Enchilada sauce

• 1 28 oz can Hunts No Salt Added Crushed Tomatoes
• 3 tbs. dark chili powder
• 1 1/2 tbs. ground cumin
• 1/2 small red onion - diced
• 1/2 poblano pepper - chopped
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. organic vegetable broth

Pumpkin Layer

• 1/2 can - about 3/4 cup organic pumpkin puree
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp salt

Cauliflower Rice

• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 lime - juiced
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp salt

Spinach

• 2 cups frozen spinach
• 1/2 poblano pepper - chopped
• Juice 1/2 lime
• 1/8 tsp salt - pinch
• 1 1/2 cans black beans - drained, rinsed and soaked 5 minutes
• 6 Udi's Gluten Free Tortillas - vegan can use corn tortillas
• 1/4- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese - I used cheddar goat cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400F.

Enchilada Sauce:

• Place a medium saucepan over medium heat.
• Chop the red onion and poblano pepper. Add a spray of non-stick to the pan (I used coconut oil spray) and add red onion and poblano pepper. Allow to cook 2 minutes.
• After 2-3 minutes, add the remaining ingredients, stir and turn down to low. And cook 5-10 minutes.

Cauliflower rice

• While the enchilada sauce is simmering, remove the florets from the stalk of cauliflower and place in food processor. Process until the cauliflower looks like small grains of rice (about 5-15 seconds).
• Remove the cauliflower rice from the food processor into a microwave safe bowl and microwave 6 minutes. When the cauliflower s done, add the juice of a lime and a pinch of salt.

Black beans:

• Rinse and drain the black beans. Add fresh water to the can and allow them to sit for at least 5 minutes.

Spinach

• Place a small skillet over medium heat. Add frozen spinach, salt and remaining 1/2 of the poblano pepper, chopped.
• Cook for 5 minutes until the spinach has defrosted and water is cooked off.
• Add lime juice when done cooking. Stir to combine

Pumpkin

• Place 1/2 can or 3/4 cup of pumpkin puree in a bowl Add cumin and salt and stir.

Enchilada Assembly

• Now you have everything you need for assembly. Drain the black beans and get all the filling ingredients set up like an assembly line.
• Add a layer of enchilada to the bottom of a large casserole dish (about 1/2 cup), Spread it thin but cover the bottom of the pan
• Place a tortilla on the cutting board. Add a tablespoon or two of the pumpkin puree to the center of the tortilla. Add about 1/4 cup of black beans, 1/4 cup of cauliflower rice and a spoonful of spinach over the pumpkin puree, layering as you go. Top this all with 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce and then just roll it up, and place it seam side down in the casserole dish.
• Roll the remaining 5 tortillas the same way.
• Add 1 1/2 cups of the enchilada sauce to the top, covering all of the tortillas.
• Sprinkle up to 1/2 cup of cheese over the top and then place in the oven.
• Bake for 15 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Remove and enjoy!

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Nutrition Information

Nutrition Facts

Amount per Serving

Calories

155

Fat

 

6

g

Carbohydrates

 

20

g

Fiber

 

7

g

Sugar

 

8

g

Protein

 

9

g

Where does nutrition info come from? Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy, sourced from the USDA Food Database.

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What about you?

• The Homemade black bean enchilada, what’s your favorite flavor?
• What is your go to way to add more veggies to your dishes?