Slow-Cooker Bean and Spinach Enchiladas
Marcus Nilsson
Feeling a bit bored with standard taco night? Or maybe you’ve revisited your go-to enchilada recipe one too many times. Our Slow-Cooker Bean and Spinach Enchiladas boast a hearty, vegetarian filling, and while they might look labor intensive, they actually couldn’t be easier. You’ll mix the filling (no cooking required) before rolling your enchiladas and placing them over a layer of salsa in the slow cooker. Top with a bit more salsa and cheese, turn the slow cooker on low, and you’re good to go. The side salad provides a great crunch, fresh counterpoint, with romaine, radishes, grape tomatoes, cucumber, and a zesty lime dressing.
How to Make It
Step 1
In a medium bowl, mash half the beans. Add the spinach, corn, cumin, 1 cup of the Cheddar, the remaining beans, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper and mix to combine.
Step 2
Spread 1 jar of the salsa in the bottom of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker. Dividing evenly, roll up the bean mixture in the tortillas (about ½ cup each) and place the rolls seam-side down in a single layer in the slow cooker. Top with the remaining salsa and Cheddar.
Step 3
Cover and cook until heated through, on low for 2½ to 3 hours.
Step 4
Before serving, toss the lettuce, radishes, tomatoes, and cucumber in a large bowl with the lime juice, oil, and ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the enchiladas and sprinkle with the scallions.
Chef's Notes
wls89d755ccde16
2015-10-14T10:08:11-04:00
I made this recipe last night and it was easy, yummy, and filling. I popped them in the oven in a casserole dish as well instead of using the slow cooker. I will probably modify this next time to use enchilada sauce in place of salsa and flour tortillas instead of corn because they soaked up all juice from the salsa and fell apart when serving. I've made enchiladas in the oven several time using corn tortillas and always have that problem so I should have learned my lesson! The salad accompaniment was wonderful. I'm not sure why I've never thought of something similar in the past but I will definitely be making it as a side for all our mexican dishes in the future.
TheLazyVeggie
2014-04-21T23:03:45-04:00
This was great! I baked in 9x13 dish instead of using the slow cooker (350 x 50 mins) and my only ingredient changes were - flour instead of corn tortillas (this was all I had at the time this evening) and I added some chili powder (not the hot stuff) on top with the final cheese to give this more of an 'enchilada' taste as opposed to a baked burrito taste. Turned out delicious and I thought they held their shape well and looked quite appetizing. Only thing I would offer on the side is sour cream as a topping, and I wouldn't add any salt AT ALL when making the dish because the salsa, cheese and canned beans have plenty already.
shenr1
2014-03-18T05:20:18-04:00
Recipe was very flavorful, but not nearly as pretty as the picture. As others mentioned, there is no way to fit 8 enchiladas in a single layer in most slow cookers. Also, I'm not quite sure what happened but my corn tortillas pretty much dissolved. End product would have made a tasty dip with chips, but not a good dinner entree.
foodtry
2013-04-04T13:19:19-04:00
I enjoyed this recipe when I made it a second time and reduced the salt. In fact, I wouldn't add any to this recipe, there is enough in the jarred salsa. This is coming from a self proclaimed salt-a-holic. I find most of the slowcooker recipes are unnecessarily heavy handed with salt. You can always add salt at the table if you need more.
KKroener
2013-01-23T06:51:29-05:00
There is more sodium in this one dish than is recommended for a whole day!
justlaura
2012-04-14T11:31:23-04:00
Love everything about this recipe, except for the fact that it doesn't fit in a crockpot in a single layer. At least not the crockpot I own (5.5 qt oval.) Otherwise, very flavorful and very easy. Next time I will just cook them in the oven.
DGMomma
2012-04-11T08:12:09-04:00
I made these last night -- delicious! Really easy to do in a casserole dish in the oven -- would not have fit into my old vertical crock pot. They passed the husband test. Will definitely make these again!
sweethoneytrtle
2012-03-23T11:17:34-04:00
I love this recipe! I make it exactly how it is, minus the salad and plus some extra corn, and it is great. I agree it is hard to squeeze it into the crockpot. I use my 6 qt oval, and have to do 4 or 5 across the short end and then 1 or 2 perpendicular to the rest. I tried taking them the long way across the pot, but it is hard to separate them into individual enchiladas. Other than spacing, these are amazing.
rpgarcia
2012-03-02T12:11:54-05:00
I really enjoyed this recipe because it was simple and filling. I do agree with other reviews that not everything fit in the crock pot. I simply put everything in a Pyrex dish and did it in the oven. 400 until heated through. Didn't take long at all! I also did a batch in my slow cooker and put the heat on high and cooked for 1 hour. Turned out great both ways. And yes, the spinach is more flavorful when you use fresh and wilt it down, but the frozen was just fine. This one's a keeper for me!
Karekin
2012-02-09T15:18:21-05:00
I have a 6.5 quart crockpot and it still wasn't a large enough surface bottom to layer the enchiladas in one layer. Mine also overcooked when I cooked it for the prescribed time, so next time I might reduce the cooking time 30-40 min. My main issue, however, is that the spinach gave the dish a grassy taste that did not mix well with the other flavors. Perhaps my frozen spinach was bad, but I agreed with my family that if we made this dish again, it would be without the spinach.
