Spinach and black bean enchiladas with homemade sauce

Sooo, remember my homemade red enchilada sauce recipe? Here's what I made with it - and it's no exaggeration to say that they were the. best. enchiladas. I've ever made. The sauce was perfect - just the right amount of spice, and the ideal consistency. The simple (but deliiicious) filling made these incredibly quick to make - the most time-consuming element was making the sauce, and even that only took five minutes.

These enchiladas probably took about 20 minutes to prepare from start to finish. The filling doesn't require any pre-cooking (unless you call microwaving some spinach for less than a minute 'cooking', but I don't), so all you need to do is whip up a quick sauce and assemble the enchiladas. After half an hour or so in the oven (during which time you could wash up your saucepan and mixing bowl, if you should have the urge) you can sit back to enjoy a meal that'll warm your belly - and the satisfaction of cooking something healthy from scratch so quickly will bring an even bigger smile to your face.

I lightened this dish up a touch by not using an excessive amount of cheese, but you could be more generous if you want to. I actually found my version pretty perfect - despite my intense love of all things cheesy, this was just enough for me (I knooow, right?). Plus, you can justify eating more if it's slightly more healthy.

Black bean and spinach enchiladas

Recipe adapted from The Garden Grazer

Serves 2-3 on its own, or 4 with a side (e.g. rice or salad)

1 quantity red enchilada sauce
6 spring onions
100g fresh spinach
3tbsp fresh coriander, chopped
400g tin black beans, drained (240g when drained)
100g cheddar cheese, grated
4 flour tortillas

Preheat the oven to 190°C (Gas Mark 5 / 375°F).

Place the spinach into a microwaveable bowl, and heat on full until lightly wilted (mine took 50 seconds). Set aside to cool.

Chop the spring onions into ½cm rounds, and combine with the drained black beans, chopped coriander, and half of the grated cheese.

When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess liquid, and add this to the filling mixture. Mix well.

Pour around 2tbsp of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a baking dish big enough to fit four rolled tortillas, and spread it around. Place a quarter of the filling into the centre of a tortilla, and spread it around so that it forms a band across the centre. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place it in the dish. Repeat with the other three tortillas. Pour over the rest of the sauce and top with the remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the ends of the tortillas are crispy but not burned. Top with more fresh coriander if desired.