When lifestyles get frenetic, midweek dinners can regularly be my undoing. During these instances, I discover myself digging deep into my repertoire for a smooth one-dish bake to satisfy all the mouths around my table.
This recipe is my cutting-edge midweek savior—an enchilada-inspired bake featuring layers of corn tortillas mingling with black beans, corn from the freezer (though use fresh if you have it), toddler spinach, a highly spiced tomato sauce, and gooey cheese.
This recipe is flexible because of its layout. Use components in your pantry for the filling: chickpeas or cannellini beans might complement the dish nicely; black olives might add a hint of saltiness. In the spinach location, opt for kale or Swiss chard. I want to feature a layer of roasted candy potato for a clean, heartier dish.
An additional but very beneficial shortcut is to use a very good, pleasant shop-offered passata or pasta sauce—if you try this, you’ll need about 1 liter of sauce.
Black bean, corn, and spinach layered enchilada bake
Serves 4-6
Gluten-extra virgin olive oil
One pink onion, more or less chopped
three cloves garlic, kind of chopped
1.2kg (3 cans) diced tomatoes
1-2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce (or ½ – 1 tsp ground chipotle powder)
Four green onions, finely chopped
One bunch of coriander, finely chopped
100g baby spinach
One can (275g) black beans, tired
250g frozen corn kernels (use clean if you have), thawed
10 x 15cm corn tortillas
500g grated cheddar cheese
sea salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 200C. You will need an ovenproof baking dish about 25cm x 30cm, although a dish a piece larger will include paintings, too.
In a massive frypan on high heat, add a drizzle of oil, along with the onion and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes until the onions have softened and are starting to caramelize.
Add the tomatoes at the side of 1 cup of water (you can additionally use vegetable stock) and the chipotle pepper in adobo sauce. I use simply one pepper as I don’t need it too spicy for my children, but experience unfastened to apply greater if you want it warm.
Reduce the heat to low, season with sea salt and black pepper, and simmer for 8-10 minutes. When ready, flip off the heat and mix until clean.
Take your ovenproof dish and drizzle it with olive oil. Add three to four dollops of tomato sauce. Spread the sauce with the back of a spoon, then begin layering.
First, lay out three tortillas, breaking them up (if you want to) so that they don’t overlap excessively. Add the black beans, green onions, three to four spoons of tomato sauce, and two to three handfuls of grated cheese. Season with a little sea salt and black pepper.
Now we can begin the subsequent layer—lay out three tortillas, then top with spinach, three to four spoons of tomato sauce, a scattering of cheese, coriander, and corn, and season with sea salt and black pepper.
And now, the last layer—lay out the previous four tortillas, pinnacle with the tomato earlier sauce, spread it out with the back of a spoon, and top with the cheese earlier. Bake in the oven for 20-25 mins, till the cheese is melted and golden.
Hetty McKinnon’s black bean, corn and spinach layered enchilada bake recipe
