Ground Beef and Black Bean Green Chile Enchiladas

Earlier this year a friend of ours organized a virtual trivia night for a group of us. He put a lot of work into writing the questions and devising various categories that would stump us and make us laugh. I’m proud to say that my husband and I took first place and, since the organizer lives in New Mexico, our prize was a jar of green chiles from a company called Monroe’s. They were some of the best jarred green chiles I’ve ever tasted and I wanted to make something with them that would make them shine and thus, these enchiladas were born.

Unlike many recipes for green enchilada sauce (Enchiladas Verdes), these don’t use any tomatillos. While I love tomatillos, this variation lets the green chiles shine and makes this a very quick blender sauce. The sauce itself can be made ahead and stored in the fridge for a few days and in the freezer for a few months and it also makes a great marinade for flank steak, pork tenderloin or chicken thighs.

Sauce adapted from Gimme Some Oven

Yield: 4 servings

Green chiles shine in this pantry-staple friendly enchilada sauce recipe.

 2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
 1 small yellow onion, diced
 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and diced
 4 cloves garlic, smashed
 ½ cup vegetable or chicken stock (I like Better than Boullion)
 14 oz canned green chiles, drained
 1 tsp ground cumin
 juice of 1 lime
 kosher salt
 1 lb ground beef (85% lean recommended)
 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
 16 small corn tortillas (warmed in advance, see note)
 8 oz Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (or a mix), shredded
 1 cup cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

1

Preheat oven to 425F.

2

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add onion and jalapeño and sauté until softened. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

3

Transfer onion mixture to a blender or food processor. Add vegetable or chicken stock, green chiles, ground cumin, lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed. Set sauce aside.

4

Use a paper towel to wipe out skillet of any residual onion mixture. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add beef in an even layer and cook, undisturbed until beef starts to brown and some edges are beginning to caramelize and get crispy. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Stir beef and cook until meat is cooked through and has some crispy bits.

5

Off heat, add black beans and ¼ cup of reserved sauce to beef. Stir to combine.

6

In a 9x13 baking dish spread 2 spoonfuls of the reserved sauce to line the dish.

7

To assemble enchiladas, fill warmed tortillas with about ¼ cup filling. Do not stuff enchiladas too full or they will not roll well. Roll enchiladas and place in pan seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas. When all tortillas are assembled, sprinkle any extra filling on top of the enchiladas. Pour sauce over top, ensuring that all tortillas are covered. Sprinkle cheese on top.

8

Bake, covered with foil, until cheese bubbles, about 20 minutes. Remove foil, turn on broiler and broil until cheese is browned, about 1-2 minutes.

9

Sprinkle with cilantro leaves if desired.

Ingredients

 2 tbsp neutral oil, divided
 1 small yellow onion, diced
 1 jalapeño, stemmed, seeded and diced
 4 cloves garlic, smashed
 ½ cup vegetable or chicken stock (I like Better than Boullion)
 14 oz canned green chiles, drained
 1 tsp ground cumin
 juice of 1 lime
 kosher salt
 1 lb ground beef (85% lean recommended)
 1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
 16 small corn tortillas (warmed in advance, see note)
 8 oz Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese (or a mix), shredded
 1 cup cilantro leaves, for serving (optional)

Directions

1

Preheat oven to 425F.

2

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add onion and jalapeño and sauté until softened. Add garlic and cook until aromatic, about 30 seconds.

3

Transfer onion mixture to a blender or food processor. Add vegetable or chicken stock, green chiles, ground cumin, lime juice and ½ teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth. Taste and add salt if needed. Set sauce aside.

4

Use a paper towel to wipe out skillet of any residual onion mixture. Return skillet to medium-high heat. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until shimmering. Add beef in an even layer and cook, undisturbed until beef starts to brown and some edges are beginning to caramelize and get crispy. Season with 1 teaspoon salt. Stir beef and cook until meat is cooked through and has some crispy bits.

5

Off heat, add black beans and ¼ cup of reserved sauce to beef. Stir to combine.

6

In a 9x13 baking dish spread 2 spoonfuls of the reserved sauce to line the dish.

7

To assemble enchiladas, fill warmed tortillas with about ¼ cup filling. Do not stuff enchiladas too full or they will not roll well. Roll enchiladas and place in pan seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas. When all tortillas are assembled, sprinkle any extra filling on top of the enchiladas. Pour sauce over top, ensuring that all tortillas are covered. Sprinkle cheese on top.

8

Bake, covered with foil, until cheese bubbles, about 20 minutes. Remove foil, turn on broiler and broil until cheese is browned, about 1-2 minutes.

9

Sprinkle with cilantro leaves if desired.

Ground Beef and Black Bean Green Chile Enchiladas

Photos by Brianna Coleman.



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