Slow-Cooker Cheesy Black Bean Enchiladas

Slow-Cooker Cheesy Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe

• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1 can (16 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2 tsp. chili powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 3 c. of your favorite shredded cheese (Monterey jack, colby, cheddar, etc.)
• 2 jars (approx. 16 oz. each) salsa
• 1 package corn tortillas, warmed according to instructions on pkg.
• 1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, or chicken), browned and drained
• optional toppings: sliced olives, sour cream, salsa, guacamole, jalapenos, etc.

In a medium bowl, mix together the filling: onion, beans, spices, meat, and approx. 1/2 to 1 c. of the cheese.

Spread approximately 1 c. of salsa over the bottom of slow cooker, enough to evenly coat the bottom with a thin layer.

Fill each of the tortillas with about 1/3 c. of filling, roll tightly, and pack seam-side down into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Spread another cup of salsa over the top and sprinkle with more (but not all) of the remaining cheese. Continue rolling the remaining tortillas with the remaining filling to make one more layer; sprinkle any leftover filling on top. Finish by pouring another cup of salsa over the top of the enchiladas.

Reserve the last part of the cheese to add later.

Cover slow cooker with lid and cook on HIGH for 2 to 4 hours. For the final 15 min. of cooking, sprinkle remaining cheese over the top, re-cover, and finish cooking.

Serve enchiladas with optional toppings.

recipe adapted from thekitchn.com

Freezer Fest! Shop once, make 10 recipes to freeze

As you can tell from this blog, I looove me some freezer meals. Our basement freezer was almost empty (gasp!) so I made 10 freezer-friendly recipes to stash away for our weekend meals. It took A LOT of time, but I figured it was worth it since I could buy everything at once, make a big mess in the kitchen at once, and then not have to worry about weekend meals for a long time.

Don’t have a lot of room in your freezer? You could always give some of these to families with a new baby, someone who’s having surgery, or even invite some friends over for a prep party. Split up the ingredients so everyone buys what you need, then make a day of making all the recipes (optional: add some wine to your shopping list! 🙂 )

 

Here are the 10 recipes I made (and qty of batches I ended up with):

Creamy Onion Lasagna (2)

Fiesta Chicken (2)

Turkey Bratwurst & Sauerkraut Casserole (3)

Buffalo Ranch Chicken (1)

Individual Cheesy Bean & Turkey Burritos (15)

Cheesy Ranch Pork Chops (1)

Chicken Taco Soup (3)

Loaded Baked Potato Soup (5)

Best Ever “No Recipe” Recipe Chili (3)

Mother-in-Law’s Famous Meatloaf (2)

And here’s the ginormous list of ingredients and supplies I needed.

First I stopped at the dollar store and stocked up on freezer bags, foil pans for the casseroles, spices like chili powder, and a few canned veggies like corn, beans, and tomatoes. Then I went to the grocery store to finish up the rest of my shopping list.

10 Freezer Meal Shopping List

• Servings: -
• Time: -
• Difficulty: -
• Print

DAIRY

16 oz cottage cheese
16 oz French onion dip
3 packages of cream cheese
6 c. shredded cheddar cheese
4 c. shredded Swiss cheese
4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
1 1/3 c. milk

1 1/2 c. cream
2 sticks butter
6 eggs

SPICES/SEASONING
Kosher salt
chili powder
garlic powder
1 packet taco seasoning
2 envelopes dry Ranch dressing mix
cornstarch, if needed, to thicken soup

 

PRODUCE
minced garlic in a jar
4 cloves garlic (or just used minced jar)
2 onions
1 bunch green onions
7 large potatoes

 

MEATS
1 lb. ground turkey
2 lbs ground beef
5 turkey bratwursts
4-6 pork chops
approx 4-6 lbs. chicken breasts

 

BOXED PASTA
4 c. uncooked penne pasta
2 pkg no-boil lasagna noodles

 

CANNED GOODS
2 large jars (45 oz each) pasta sauce
1 can corn
1 can diced tomatoes
4 or 5 cans of tomatoes for chili (various types: stewed, diced, chopped, Italian-style, etc)
2 cans black beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can refried beans
3 or 4 cans of beans for chili (variety of black beans, kidney beans, chili beans, red beans, etc)
1 can enchilada sauce
1 can green enchilada sauce
16 oz sauerkraut, drained
1 can (10-12 oz) chicken breast
2 jars (approx 16 oz ea) of salsa

 

SOUPS
2 cans condensed cream of mushroom soup
4 cans Cheddar Cheese soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
11 c. chicken broth (or bouillon cubes to make broth)
2 envelopes onion soup mix

 

FOR STORING/FREEZING/LABELING
permanent marker

two 9×13 foil pans

three 8-in square foil pans

freezer-safe soup containers (I used 11 alltogether)
paper towels (I used 15 individual paper towels to wrap burritos),
roll of heavy duty foil
pop-up foil wrappers (for individual burritos) OR just use roll of heavy duty foil
gallon freezer bags (I used 20 alltogether)
jumbo 2.5 gal storage bags (I used 3 alltogether)

 

CONDIMENTS
2 Tbs. spicy brown mustard
2 Tbs. yellow mustard
12 oz bottle Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing sauce
1/2 c. ketchup

 

MISC

16 crushed saltines

15-20 flour tortillas (8-inch)

slow cooker liners

 

OPTIONAL IDEAS… for when you eat the recipes, so I wait to buy these (or get the non-perishables now and the fresh items later):

Individual burrito toppings: black olives, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes

For chili: bread bowls, toppings such as sour cream, crackers, shredded cheese, Fritos/corn chips

For loaded baked potato soup: bread bowls, toppings such as bacon bits, sour cream, crackers, shredded cheese, chives

For buffalo chicken sandwiches: buns, toppings such as provolone cheese, onions, lettuce, tomatoes, Ranch dressing, feta, blue cheese. For buffalo chicken salads: shredded lettuce, Ranch dressing, onions, tomatoes, feta, blue cheese.

Toppings for chicken taco soup: shredded cheese, tortilla chips, hot sauce, sour cream, avocado

recipebookandmore.wordpress.com

 

I split the preparations into two groups. The first day I made:

• Chicken Taco Soup and Loaded Baked Potato Soup (so they could simmer while I worked on the other recipes)
• Buffalo Ranch Chicken (just put everything in a freezer bag)
• Cheesy Ranch Pork Chops (just put everything in a freezer bag)
• Turkey Bratwurst and Sauerkraut Casserole
• Best Ever “No Recipe” Recipe Chili and Mother-in-Law’s Famous Meatloaf (since they both needed ground beef)

The second day I made:

• Creamy Onion Lasagna
• Individual Cheesy Bean & Turkey Burritos
• Fiesta Chicken (I just put everything in a freezer bag while the burrito mixture simmered)

 

Have any questions, comments, or suggestions? Feel free to let me know! This was a big project and I’m sure I left out something or need to tweak some instructions, etc! 🙂

Want more freezer inspiration? Here are some other make-ahead recipes:

Individual Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups

Braided Pepperoni Pizza

Cilantro-Lime Rice

Lemon Pepper Chicken

Greek Marinated Chicken

Ceddar Ranch Chicken

Ranch Parmesan Chicken

Crock Pot Garlic Ranch Chicken

Crock Pot Chicken Teriyaki

Kickin’ Buffalo Lime Chicken

Crock Pot Citrus Chicken

Crock Pot Garlicky Goodness Honey Mustard Chicken

Cream Cheese Banana Nut Bread

Chocolate Zucchini Bread

French Onion Crusted Pork Chops

Cheesy Pork Chops and Potatoes

3-Ingredient Slow Cooker Ranch Pork Chops

3-Ingredient Cheesy Ranch Pork Chops

Cheesy Bean and Turkey Burritos – Freezer Friendly

Part of my SHOP ONCE, MAKE 10 FREEZER RECIPES project.

Here’s a recipe I used to make some individual-serving burritos. They are great to heat up just one or two at a time. Just heat from frozen in the microwave, and add your favorite toppings!

Cheesy Bean and Turkey Burritos

adapted from tasteofhome.com

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 can enchilada sauce – here’s a recipe for homemade sauce
• 1 can refried beans
• 1 c. black beans, strained and rinsed
• 1/4 c. water
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 4 1/2 Tbs. chili powder
• 1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
• 3/4 tsp. Kosher salt
• 4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 15-20 flour tortillas (8-inch)
• Optional toppings: black olives, lettuce, sour cream, salsa, lettuce, shredded cheese, tomatoes, etc.
• For freezing: 15-20 paper towels (1 for each burrito), foil (I used a pop-up foil wrapper for each burrito), storage bags

WHAT YOU DO:

In a large skillet, brown the turkey over medium heat until cooked; drain.

Transfer turkey to a large pot, then mix in enchilada sauce, refried beans, black beans, water, onions, chili powder, garlic powder, salt, and cheese. Heat on med-high, until cheese melts then simmer for 20 mins.

Spoon the mixture on to tortilla shells, then roll into burrito shapes. Wrap each burrito in a paper towel, then in foil. Place in a zipper bag (I used a jumbo 2.5 gallon bag, which held all 15 burritos) and label with a permanent marker. Store in freezer.

To reheat, remove burrito(s) from freezer and remove foil. Heat in paper towel in microwave for 2-3 mins.

Makes 15-20 servings.

 

 

Want to make your own tortillas? Here’s an awesome recipe!

 

 

 

 Fresh homemade salsa recipe

Chili: The “No Recipe” Recipe

Ok, it’s time for my top secret chili recipe. Just kidding, it’s not much of a secret though it IS different each time I make it since I always switch up the types of beans and tomatoes I use. So it’s more of a “no recipe” recipe. But the basic ingredients are always there: meat, onion, garlic, tomatoes & beans.

I usually throw everything together in the slow cooker in the morning and let it simmer until lunch or dinner. It always tastes even better the next day, I swear! Not sure what it is about chili, but it gets more flavorful a day or two after I make it. Also, you can freeze the extras!

Part of my SHOP ONCE, MAKE 10 FREEZER RECIPES project.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 1 lb. ground beef OR turkey, browned and drained
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. minced garlic
• 4 or 5 cans of tomatoes (I use a bunch of different types: stewed, diced, chopped, Italian-style)
• 3 or 4 cans of your favorite beans (I usually end up with a mix of chili beans, drained black beans, and drained kidney beans)
• Chili powder, to taste (I probably use 1 or 2 Tbs., depending on the batch)
• Optional: bread bowl, toppings such as sour cream, crackers, shredded cheese, Fritos

WHAT YOU DO:

Combine meat, onion, garlic, tomatoes, beans, and chili powder in a slow cooker (or a pot on the stove). Heat until it just starts to boil then reduce heat to low, and simmer until you’re ready to eat it. Before serving, top with your favorite toppings.

To freeze: Ladle chili into freezer-safe containers, label, and freeze for up to 3 months.

ALSO… If you have cream cheese and shredded cheese, you could use this chili in an awesome 3-ingredient baked Chili & Cheese dip!