Slow cookers are such a blessing to a busy cook! Whether you don’t like cooking, don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen, are feeding just one or an army, slow cookers can make healthy, quick meals a snap. With a small amount of planning, you can have dinner ready and cooking in 10 minutes or less before you run out the door, and come home to a hot, home-cooked meal at the end of the day.
Enchiladas are a favorite in my house, because they are customizable, economical, and delicious! Tortillas are cheap, and can even be made at home, corn or flour, for pennies. You can use chicken, beef, or keep it vegetarian with tofu or beans. And beans are great money savers! Especially if you buy dried, and cook them at home (another thing slow cookers are great at!).
In this recipe, I used burrito-sized flour tortillas, because they happen to be the exact size of my slow cooker. You can use smaller corn tortillas and layer them, or even roll individual enchiladas and pile them up in the sauce. Whatever makes you happy!
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef or turkey
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 can diced tomatoes (or diced whole tomatoes)
- 1 cup frozen corn (or canned)
- 1 can black and/or pinto beans, drained
- 3-4 tortillas
- 1 jar enchilada sauce
- Shredded cheese to taste
Step 1: Brown your ground meat in a frying pan, and drain. Add the pepper and onion, saute until softened. You can add any spices you like here, such as cumin, taco seasoning, chili powder…
Step 2: Spray the crock pot with cooking spray, if you like. Line the bottom with a tortilla. Layer on the meat, tomatoes, corn, and beans. Top with sauce, cheese, and another tortilla.
Step 3: Continue layering 2-3 times, until the crock is full. Top with some more cheese, and the enchilada sauce.
Step 4: Set to low for 4-6 hours, or high for 1-2 hours. A programmable crock pot is best to ensure you don’t burn it. Cut yourself a nice slice, and enjoy!
Sidenote: If you don’t have a slow cooker, or just want to try something different, do the same thing but in a pie pan or 8×8 pan. Layer all the ingredients, cover with foil, and then bake at 350 for 1 – 1.5 hours. Still an enchilada casserole! You can also then freeze this for re-heating easily later.
Good stuff. That’s a great post. Keep up the good work.