Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

I guess I never really knew that you could make your own enchilada sauce, but that's pretty naive, because you really can make most things from scratch. I've just always bought the green canned enchilada sauce because, well, it's easy & delicious. But then I found this recipe & now I am forever ruined.

Of course, we will still make our plain-Jane chicken enchiladas or our chicken enchilada pasta, probably with green canned enchilada sauce, but every now & then, I will "splurge" & take the extra 10 or so minutes it takes to prepare this sauce & I will oogle at the fact that it is both homemade & scrumptious.

These enchiladas are both (super) filling & very tasty. They are the perfect vegetarian meal, but still packed with protein from lots & lots of black beans & cheese. Plus, they are loaded--literally packed-- with spinach. Don't think they taste like you are eating a salad, though, because once they are doused with cheese & the sauce, they taste like something out of a dream.

I'm thinking that these babies would freeze quite well, too, for those lazy summer days when I hardly want to cook a piece of toast, let along gather together a whole meal. I would just freeze the sauce separately from the enchiladas & I think all would be well.

Enchiladas are kind of a big deal in our house (besides their taste, I kind of believe they helped make my labor begin). What are your favorite versions of enchiladas?

Black Bean Spinach Enchiladas

Ingredients 

(For the sauce)
3 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup all purpose flour
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder
Salt & pepper

(For the enchiladas)
15 oz. black beans, rinsed & drained
2 cups corn (I used frozen, thawed)
6 oz. fresh baby spinach
6 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cilantro, chopped
3 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
8 whole wheat or flour tortillas
Additional thinly sliced green onions & chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions
Preheat the oven to 375. In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add tomato paste, flour, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, & chili powder. Cook for 1 minute, continually whisking. Whisk in broth & bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, & cook until slightly thickened about 8 minutes. Salt/pepper to taste, & set aside.

Saute the spinach in olive oil over medium heat for 1-2 minutes until slightly wilted. In a large bowl, combine the beans, spinach, corn, green onions, cilantro, & 1 cup of cheese.

Pour a small amount of the enchilada sauce to coat the bottom of a 9x13 pan. Generously fill the tortillas with the spinach mixture, roll up tightly with ends tucked in, & place seam side down in dish.
Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, coating evenly. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake about 20 minutes & then broil on low for about 5 minutes until golden brown. Let sit for 5 minutes & then garnish with cilantro &/or green onions.

Adapted from The Garden Grazer