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Fresh not frozen Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas have a spicy filling with tasty fresh spinach, beans, and tender rice with a kick from my favorite fajita spice.

Have you ever craved Mexican food?  Heck, if you’re MY readers then of course you have.  Cause y’all are just like me, right?  No?  Mkay.

Well, I crave Mexican food.

Cheesy, rice-y, bean-y Mexican food that just fills your tummy with hearty, comfort food goodness.  But, our schedule just doesn’t allow me to cook chicken or even beef before assembling enchiladas and then baking them.  If we’re lucky, it’s four hours before bed when we get home.

That’s where #meatfree enchiladas come in so handy!  Especially these enchiladas.  They don’t even use frozen spinach that you have to wait to thaw (or microwave because you’re like me and forgot to take the box out of the freezer the night before or even the day of so it can thaw).  Yup!  This spinach is fresh!  Not frozen and definitely NOT canned.

The hubs says, “Fresh spinach?  Not frozen?  How’s it gonna cook?”  Um…in the oven?  With the rest of the ingredients?  Sometimes he’s not the brightest bulb, but he caught on quickly when I served them up for dinner.

I wanted to make spinach enchiladas.

I headed to the frozen foods aisle and then stopped short.  We’ve been buying fresh spinach for our smoothies and it got me thinking.  “Why can’t I put fresh spinach in these enchiladas?”  So, that’s just what I did.  And it was delicious.

These have everything you expect from a good enchilada.  They have a nice kick from the fajita seasoning.  The cheese is melty and gooey and melds perfect with the rice, spinach, and beans.  After eating two of these, you’re not going to miss the meat.  Heck, I only had one and a half and I was plenty full!!

That’s one of the most misleading things about eating a #meatless meal; you’re going to miss the meat or you’re not going to feel full.  Actually, you don’t need to feel full.  You just need to no longer be hungry.  That’s a difficult lesson for someone who was in the clean plate club.  So, there’s plenty of goodness in these enchiladas and in a lot of #meatless meals.  You won’t miss the meat.  Trust me.

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Yield: 8 servings

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Fresh not frozen Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas are spicily filling with tasty fresh spinach, beans, and tender rice with a kick from my favorite fajita spice.

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Ingredients

• 2 cups hot, cooked rice
• 3 cups chopped, baby spinach
• 14 ounces black beans, rinsed and drained
• 2 ounces Velveeta cheese, diced
• 2 ounces cream cheese, diced
• 1/2 cup half and half (or milk)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Fajita seasoning
• 2 1/2 cups shredded, cheddar cheese, divided
• 20 ounces red enchilada sauce
• 8 flour tortillas

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Combine the rice with the spinach and black beans. Set aside.
3. Combine the Velveeta cheese, cream cheese, and cream in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on high 1 minute. Stir and, if needed, heat an additional minute until the mixture is completely melted and creamy.
4. Pour the cheese mixture over the spinach mixture. Sprinkle the fajita seasoning over top and stir until well blended. Fold in 1/2 cup of cheddar cheese and 1/8 cup of enchilada sauce.
5. Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of 9 x 13 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Set aside.
6. Spread 1/3 cup of mixture down the center of a tortilla. Roll the tortilla up and place, seam side down, in the bottom of the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
7. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas making sure to coat the ends of the enchiladas. Sprinkle with the cheese (spritz lightly with cooking spray if you’re using fat free cheddar). Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.

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