Veggie Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada sauce

Enchiladas are a really easy dinner to make and much of it can be done in advance. It’s a great option for a group because you can make it in a large tray and serve several people at once. I had a girl friend over for dinner on Tuesday and we decided to make enchiladas and margaritas. I often dislike store bought enchilada sauces, so I also made this super easy sauce from scratch! (This recipe makes 8 enchiladas)

Ingredients:

1 can tomato sauce (8 oz)
2 t. cumin
2 t. salt
2 t. chili powder
1 T garlic minced
1 T AP flour
1/4 C olive oil
8 oz water
1 diced onion
miscellaneous diced veggies: 1 bell pepper and 1/2 C mushrooms
1 can black beans
2 jalapeños diced or a 2 oz can of diced jalapeño
8 Tortillas
Shredded cheese
cilantro to garnish

Recipe:

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees

2. Start by heating olive oil, garlic, 1/4 of the diced onion, and flour in a pot. Mix thoroughly to make a paste, but do not allow the flour to stick. This will only take about 2 minutes to combine without browning.

3. Add in tomato sauce and water and mix thoroughly. Try to avoid any clumping by mixing quickly or using a wire whisk.

4. After 2 minutes add in salt, cumin, and chili powder (my spice holy trinity, seriously!) To increase the spice add extra chili powder and cumin (but up to your personal taste!)

5. Heat for 10 minutes until the sauce thickens.

6. During step 5, sauté remaining onions in a skillet on medium heat. When softened, add in bell peppers, mushrooms, and jalapeños.

7. After mushrooms have slightly cooked, add in the black beans and heat through (for approx 3 mins). It does not need to be too hot. Add in 4 T of the enchilada sauce into the mixture, to lightly coat the filling.

8. Place a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.

9. Take each tortilla and fill the vegetable mixture in the middle.

10. Top with mixed shredded cheese (amount is up to your discretion, but I suggest about 1/8 of a C) and roll. Repeat until the baking dish is full of rolled enchiladas.