Chicken & Black Bean Enchiladas with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce
Enchiladas are a craving that shows up like clockwork in my life. During pregnancy, enchiladas always sound good. A stressful season of life, enchiladas are the answer. I’ve been rushing around and not taking time to slow down and fully nourish myself, a big plate of enchiladas sound just right. These enchiladas in particular, covered with a creamy, tangy, pumpkin enchilada sauce and stuffed with chicken and black beans are so comforting this time of year. I feel so satisfied after a serving and always look forward to leftovers. I can usually coax my children into eating them for one dinner, but the leftovers are all for the parents’ lunches, much to our delight. I can see so much growth in our children over the years, with repeated opportunities to try foods they “didn’t like” once upon a time. Each invitation to explore new flavors as a family is met with a more adventurous spirit, each bite taken with more relish. It’s truly been a joy to watch their tastes expand and their appreciation for food grow. To those of you slogging through the “picky years,” don’t give up! Offer more challenging meals with a smile and a side of tortilla chips and fruit. One day, they will scarf it down with a YUM. I promise!
Ingredients:
Makes 8 servings
Creamy pumpkin sauce:
1 can pumpkin puree
1 14.5 oz. can of tomato sauce
½ cup greek yogurt
⅓ cup bone broth
2 cloves garlic
½ teaspoon chipotle
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon salt
pepper to taste
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Filling:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, diced
4 cooked chicken breasts or 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
1 can black beans
2-3 cups cheddar or jack cheese, shredded
about 16 tortillas, flour or corn
Directions:
First, let’s make the sauce. All you need to do is combine all of the ingredients in a blender and you’re done!
Now, let’s get the rest of the filling ready. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Grab a 9x13 baking dish. Pour about ½ cup of sauce on the bottom of the dish and spread it out. In a large skillet, saute the diced onion and garlic in the olive oil until fragrant. If you can’t quite muster the energy to do that, you can leave the garlic and onions out altogether. It will still be delicious. Mix the shredded chicken in with the sautéed garlic and onions (use the same pan but take it off the heat to save a dish!), black beans, and half of the remaining sauce.
Get your enchilada rolling station ready. You’ll need a stack of your tortillas, the shredded cheese, and the bowl of chicken and black bean mixture. Take a tortilla and scoop about ¼ cup of mixture on the middle, sprinkle some cheese over top and roll it as tightly as you can like a stuffed taco . Lay it seam side down in the pan. Repeat until all your tortillas are full and laying snug in the pan. Pour the rest of the pumpkin sauce over top and sprinkle the remaining cheese over. Pop it in the oven for about 30-40 minutes, until bubbling and getting browned bits of cheese. Enjoy!
