Slow Cooker: Vegetable Enchiladas

So it's not the best picture in the world, but these warm, satisfying, and healthy enchiladas are absolutely delicious and come together super quickly. Best of all? You can mix and match, using any vegetables you like to get a variety of tastes without having to come up with original meals.

To me, the beauty of a slow cooker is little effort. If a slow cooker recipe involves a lot of prep or steps throughout the process, it defeats the purpose. I want something I can mix up in 15 minutes or less in the morning, pop into the slow cooker, and head to work. I want to come home and be able to play with my daughter, knowing that dinner is done and all I have to do is unplug and scoop. This recipe fulfills that and more. Once you realize how incredibly easy, delicious, and healthy this is, you'll be making it day after day.

Prep Time: 10 mim
Cook Time: 4 hrs


Vegetable Enchiladas
Ingredients:
2 c mild salsa
12 6-inch corn tortillas
1 can low-sodium black beans, drained
1 package (10 oz) frozen spinach
1 package frozen corn
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp black pepper

1 c low-fat cheddar cheese, shredded

Enchiladas are typically rolled up in tortillas, placed side by side in a pan, topped, and baked. The first time I tried this slow cooker recipe, I tried to duplicate that, carefully filling, rolling, and placing each tortilla. However, I quickly realized that I had far more ingredients than I needed so I stacked multiple layers. Then I had extra filling and so I just dumped it on top. By the time they had finished cooking and I went to eat it, I could no longer recognize the rolls. Everything was soft, mushing together, into a delectable meal. I quickly realized I'd spent time and effort on something that made little difference. Since then, as you'll see in my instructions below, I skip those steps. I assemble these enchiladas lasagna style. They turn out wonderfully and the prep is way faster!

Spray your slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread about 1/2 c of salsa on the bottom to avoid sticking. Place four corn tortillas on top of the salsa and add another 1/2 c of salsa on top of them.

In a large bowl, mix together your black beans, spinach, corn, cumin, black pepper, and about 2/3 of the cheddar cheese. Toss well to mix. Although this is the "classic," I have used many other types of vegetables instead of spinach and corn. Simply head to the frozen veggie section of your supermarket and grab whatever 2-3 bags suit you that day - I've done butternut squash, edamame, cauliflower, and more.

Layer half of the black bean-veggie mix into your slow cooker. Then repeat - add another 4 corn tortillas, 1/2 c of salsa, and the rest of the veggie mix. Add the remaining 4 corn tortillas and the remaining 1/2 c of salsa. Sprinkle the remaining 1/3 c of cheddar cheese evenly over the top.

Cook on the low setting for 4 hours. Enjoy!