One of our favorite go-to comfort foods during the winter are enchiladas with Mexican rice. They’re spicy, gooey, flavorful, and hearty – all combined in one dish! I think it’s such a hit in our house because the flavors are so similar to ones in Indian food 🙂 The filling can be used for either enchiladas or burritos, if you wanted to change things up. If I’m in a crunch, I use ready-made Enchilada sauce, but otherwise I just make it at home. Sometimes I make the filling with chicken or ground turkey instead of beans, but my family’s favorite is this vegetarian version! 

I prefer using boiled red kidney beans (either boiled at home or from a can) over using refried beans. Trust me, there is a huge difference in the taste! By doing this, you also have complete control over the meal: how much fat there is, how much sodium, etc. Once you make the filling, you’ll notice that the mixture is gooey even without adding tons of cheese. You can certainly add some if you want, but I never add it in the mixture and don’t miss it. The only cheese I add is on top of the enchiladas at the end before baking. I usually also add a cup of cooked Mexican rice to the filling to absorb some of the moisture from the salsa so that the burritos don’t become soggy. Whenever I make this bean burrito mixture, I end up making enough for about 12 enchiladas, so I actually make only 6 so that I can save (or freeze) the other half of the mixture for another day!

Ingredients for the Bean Burrito mix:

Onions – 2 medium, diced

Green bell pepper – 1 large, diced

Extra virgin oil – 1 Tbs

Cumin – 1 tsp

Dried red kidney beans — 2 cups (which become 4 cups when cooked)

Garlic – 2 cloves, minced

Mushrooms – 3 or 4, diced

Salsa – 8 Tbs

Taco seasoning – 3 tsp

Salt – ½ tsp

Red chili – ¼ tsp

1 cup cooked Mexican rice (see recipe below)

Coriander – ¼ cup, chopped

Ingredients for Mexican Rice : 

Rice – 1 ½ cups

Extra virgin oil – 1 ½ Tbs

Cumin – 1 tsp

Onion – 1 small, diced

Green bell pepper – 1/2, diced

Black beans – ½ cup cooked

Salsa – 3 Tbs

Salt – 1 tsp

Red chili – ½ tsp (optional)

Taco seasoning – ½ tsp

Makes about 6 cups cooked

Enchilada sauce:

Crushed tomatoes – 1 ¼ cups

Salt – ½ tsp

Oregano – ½ tsp

Red chili – ¼ tsp (optional)

Roasted ground cumin – ¼ tsp

Milk – ½ cup

Honey – 1 tsp (optional if tomatoes are too tart)

 

Tortillas – 12 (you can buy pre-made or make chapattis at home)

Grated Mexican/cheddar Cheese – ½ cup or 1 cup (your choice)

Directions:

• First we will cook the Mexican rice.
• Warm the pan, add oil and then cumin. Once the cumin crackles, add the onions and the green bell peppers.
• Cook till onions are translucent. Add the black beans. Stir for a bit.

• Then add the rice after washing and rinsing.
• After that add the salsa, salt, red chili and taco seasonings. Add 3 cups water. Cover with lid and wait till it boils. Then lower the heat with the lid slightly open and cook till water is dried and rice is cooked. Makes approximately 6 cups.

• While rice is cooking make the Enchilada Sauce if not using ready made from can.
• Add the crushed tomatoes and dried seasonings with ½ cup water in a saucepan. Cook for 5 minutes and then add the milk.

• Add honey only if tomatoes are too tart. Cook at low heat for 10-15 minutes or till the sauce is slightly thickened.
• Now we can make the Bean Burrito mix.
• Heat the pan. Add the oil, add cumin and once it crackles add the onions, peppers, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté till the onions are translucent.

• Then add the red kidney beans.
• Add the salsa, taco seasonings, salt, and red chili. Cook for 5-7 minutes only.

• After shutting heat, add 1 cup of the cooked Mexican rice and the cilantro. Mix well.

• Put ½ of enchilada sauce at bottom of a large baking dish. My dish is 13 x 9 x 2 inches.

• Now we will assemble the enchiladas.
• Warm a tortilla on a griddle, put ½ cup of bean burrito mixture in each warmed tortilla.

• Roll it and put seam side down in baking dish. 6 burritos fit in this dish.

• Once all are done, pour rest half of enchilada sauce and sprinkle the grated cheese.

• Bake for 20 min at 350 F, covered with aluminum foil till cheese melts.
• Bake another 10 min at 350 F without foil so that the melted cheese can turn slightly brown.
• Garnish with chopped cilantro and enjoy with some Mexican rice and taco sauce!

Enjoy!

Nutritional Content: Since the nutritional value of the entire dish depends upon what kind of tortillas you use and how much cheese you end up using, I am providing the nutritional info of just the bean mixture.

Total Servings: 12

Per Serving: 107 cal, Fat 1.4 g, Sodium 281 mg, Potassium 244 mg, Carbs 22.3 g, Fiber 4.2 g, Protein 5.6 g, Iron 10%