This post is brought to you by Frontier Co-op.

Last Wednesday, I drove straight from hot yoga, sweaty and all, to girls’ night. My girls love me, so they didn’t complain. Lately, girls’ night has turned from dinner together to a more casual snacks-and-wine-after-the-kids-go-to-bed affair, which is just as much fun, anyway.

Margaret poured us each a drink and we sat down around her dining table, which she had decked out with an impressive assortment of appetizers. Hummus, crackers, chocolate-covered almonds and a cheese plate were in attendance, and my offering of candied nuts fit right in.

We celebrated good news together and I showed Tessa how to use the puppy dog Snapchat filter. In between the laughs, I remembered how fun sharing food with loved ones can be. It fills in the pauses between conversations as we pass food around the table and comment on it. I’ve been so caught up in the nitty-gritty cookbook details and making sure everything is just right that I’ve almost forgotten the point of it all.

I’m so determined to get the recipes just right because I want them to turn out beautifully in your kitchens, with minimal stress along the way. I want you to be able to trust my recipes and relax with your family and friends, or have a fun evening making yourself nourishing food to last through the work week. That’s the whole point, and sometimes it escapes me during late nights. At girls’ night, I fell in love with food again.

Which brings me to my partners at Frontier Co-op and their #cookwithpurpose campaign. I’m continuing to share how I cook with purpose. This time, it’s by making recipes that you can share with your family and friends. These enchiladas are a casual, hearty entree that will be met with delight as you pass it around the table. When the dust settles from the cookbook, I’m going to invite friends over for an enchilada party.

These enchiladas are somewhat similar to the spinach artichoke enchiladas you all have enjoyed so much, but with no artichoke and half as much beans. I covered them with my go-to homemade enchilada sauce, of course. They’re just cheesy enough, with a filling of sautéed bell pepper, broccoli, onion, spinach, black beans and some warming spices.

This recipe isn’t the quickest option around, but it is totally worth the effort. If you love it, be sure to check out the roasted sweet potato enchiladas in my cookbook.

Veggie Black Bean Enchiladas

• Author: Cookie and Kate
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 45 mins
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4 servings
• Category: Entree
• Cuisine: Mexican

Amazing vegetarian enchiladas stuffed with black beans, broccoli, bell pepper and spinach, topped with homemade red sauce. My favorite enchilada recipe! Recipe yields 8 enchiladas, enough for about 4 servings.

Ingredients

• 2 cups homemade enchilada sauce
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped red onion (about 1 small red onion)
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 1 bunch of broccoli or 1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 pound), florets removed and sliced into small, bite-sized pieces
• 1 teaspoon Frontier Co-op Ground Cumin
• ¼ teaspoon Frontier Co-op Ground Cinnamon
• 5 to 6 ounces baby spinach (about 5 cups, packed)
• 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed, or 1 ½ cups cooked black beans
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
• ½ teaspoon salt, to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 8 whole wheat tortillas (about 8” in diameter)
• Handful of chopped cilantro, for garnishing

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit with one rack in the middle of the oven and one in the upper third. Lightly grease a 13 by 9-inch pan with olive oil or cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until simmering. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onions are tender and translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the broccoli and bell pepper, stir, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover the skillet (I don’t have a lid for mine, so I just placed a cookie sheet on top). Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 8 to 9 minutes, or until the broccoli is brighter green and just starting to turn golden on the edges.
3. Add the cumin and cinnamon to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, stirring until it has reduced in size. Repeat with remaining spinach and cook until all of the spinach has wilted.
4. Transfer the contents of the pan to a medium mixing bowl. Add the drained beans, ¼ cup cheese and a drizzle of enchilada sauce (about 2 tablespoons). Season with ½ teaspoon salt and some freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
5. Assemble the enchiladas: Pour ¼ cup enchilada sauce into your prepared pan and tilt it from side to side until the bottom of the pan is evenly coated. To assemble your first enchilada, spread ½ cup filling mixture down the middle of a tortilla, then snugly wrap the left side over and then the right, to make a wrap. Place it seam side down against the edge of your pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
6. Drizzle the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas, leaving the tips of the enchiladas bare. Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese evenly over the enchiladas.
7. Bake, uncovered, on the middle rack for 20 minutes. If the cheese on top isn’t golden enough for your liking, carefully transfer the enchiladas to the upper rack of the oven and bake for an additional 3 to 6 minutes, until sufficiently golden and bubbly.
8. Remove from oven and let the enchiladas rest for 10 minutes (they’re super hot!). Before serving, sprinkle chopped cilantro down the center of the enchiladas. Serve immediately.

Notes

Recipe adapted from my spinach artichoke enchiladas.
Make it vegan: I believe you could just skip the cheese altogether and still end up with awesome enchiladas. You might top them with sliced avocado for some extra creaminess.
Make it gluten free: Substitute certified gluten-free “flour” tortillas, or use corn tortillas (they’re smaller than my 8″ tortillas, so you might need more than 8 tortillas). If you use corn tortillas, you’ll need to gently warm them before you try to roll them up, or they might break.
Serving suggestions: These enchiladas are great with a green side salad or my simple seedy slaw!
Storage suggestions: I just covered my enchiladas with plastic wrap and reheat enchiladas as necessary. If you want to warm them in the oven, cover the top of the baker with parchment paper or foil to prevent them from getting too browned.