Slow Cooker Enchilada Casserole
I love this recipe for a quick family dinner!! It’s perfect during postpartum, toddler life, back to school, meal trains… any time!
This recipe cooks in the slow cooker for 4 hours, and then has a quick step followed by an additional 30 minutes of cook time. For me, I like to prepare it at lunchtime and it’s ready easy peezy for dinner! If you are working or away from home, you can also start it in the morning (ie have it cook longer). Just use the low setting, instead of high, and add an extra big splash of water to keep things moist.
This recipe feels like comfort food, but it actually delivers on nutrition as well! Use organic, grass fed or regeneratively raised ground beef if possible. High quality ground beef is nutrient dense in the vitamins and micronutrients our bodies need after carrying babies, like iron, zinc, and B vitamins. Organic, grass fed cheese brings calcium, protein and quality fat. Bell peppers and onion are very high in vitamin C among other nutrients, and black beans are full of fiber. Plus these all come together in one delicious pot!
Ingredients:
-1/2 onion, diced
-1 bell pepper, diced (use 2 if you’re feeding a crowd!)
-1 lb ground beef (or sub 1 lb any meat like chicken thighs or chicken breast)
-1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (or 1 cup dried black beans cooked fresh)
-1 jar enchilada sauce (I like Siete brand, red enchilada sauce in 15 oz jar)
-6 tortillas, cut into triangles (I prefer Siete brand, grain free tortillas, but corn works well too. Cut stack of tortillas like a pizza, yielding 8 triangles per tortilla)
-1 c shredded cheese (such as cheddar or Mexican blend)
-optional toppings: avocado slices, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole, hot sauce
Directions:
-Add onion, bell pepper, beef, cumin, garlic, salt, black beans, and enchilada sauce to slow cooker. Add a splash of water and mix ingredients with a spoon. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
-Stir all ingredients to combine. Break up ground beef more with a wooden spatula if needed. Sprinkle half of cheese into mixture and stir.
-Add tortillas on top of mixture to cover top layer. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Cover and cook for another 30 minutes until cheese is melted.
-Serve in a bowl with desired toppings. Enjoy!
Notes: if you use chicken thigh or breast etc. instead of ground beef, shred your meat inside your slow cooker using two forks before adding tortillas and cheese.
If you make this, let me know in a comment below! Enjoy!!!
