I've been in kind of a culinary rut lately. That happens. The desire to cook comes and goes depending on how hectic the rest of my life is and how much homemade enchiladas would be the problem or resolve the problem. It might be because I grow a lot of peppers. So, I spend the entire summer carefully tending something that doesn't flower until right before the Midwest drops into an arctic tundra. Which I do also enjoy. But it is finally pepper season! And I'm definitely catching the spark to cook before first frost. Hence, the Enchiladas w/ Pinto Beans, Mexican Rice, & Roasted Potatoes.
Now, this might be a little overkill. I've gone ahead and made six different components to this dish:
While none of these are particularly difficult and can be (and definitely were) made across multiple days? It's still quite a lot of work for one dish. Although, I do intentionally make extra of things like beans, rice, and crema to eat with other dishes throughout the week. If you're not feeling quite as optimistic as I am, you can omit or substitute any of them to more fit with the amount of time and energy you have.
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Variations of Mexican Rice Enchiladas
I absolutely adore enchiladas. Although, if you want something that's looks more impressive than it is to make, fajitas are a great option. It's really just julienned peppers sautéed to a light char with tortillas and lime wedges. If you can scramble an egg, you can fry fruits and vegetables. If you want something that's a little bit more of an adventure, I had a lot of fun making tamales this spring.
These Enchiladas consist of habanero pinto beans, flaming jade & mariachi pepper Mexican rice, sautéed potatoes, homemade crema, and tomato salsa. This recipe is also vegetarian and gluten free. You can add or subtract meat or seafood. As well as omit or substitute the cheese and crema for a vegan alternative. They're a great recipe to set out all of the ingredients and then let people assemble their own.
In order to make this entire recipe from scratch, you'll need to assemble a couple of things! If you're planning on making all of this, I would recommend starting with the beans (because they need to soak overnight) and ending with the corn tortillas right before you're planning on dinner (because they're more pliable warm). The entire process done at once would take about 3 hours, but all of these recipes can be made ahead of time over the course of a couple of days and you will have leftover beans and rice for future meals!
Cook Slow Cooker Pinto Beans w/ Habaneros & Garlic. I like this recipe better than opening a can of refried beans or actually having to go through the process of frying them! This does require some forethought, though, and takes 8 hours in a crock pot.
Mexican Rice w/ Flaming Jade & Mariachi Peppers takes about an hour and requires a rice cooker or stove. You can also easily create a different flavor profile or utilize the produce that you have on hand. I almost always keep a batch of rice or quinoa in the fridge for exactly this purpose.
Sautéed Potatoes w/ Cumin & Coriander take about a half hour to toss together. I'd highly recommend a cast iron skillet with a lid. You can mix and match the flavor profile, though, and add peppers, if you like.
For the hot sauce on this, I also used Salsa w/ Tomatoes, Red Onion, & Garlic. This recipe takes about half an hour and requires a food processor (optional) and a skillet on the stove.
Corn Tortillas w/ Masa Harina. This takes about an hour and only really requires masa harina and water. It's helpful to have a tortilla press, but you can use a rolling pin or even squish the tortillas between two baking dishes to flatten.
I also used Crema w/ Sour Cream, Heavy Whipping Cream, & Lime. This takes about 5 minutes of active preparation and then a couple of hours of sitting on the countertop. It's easy to substitute sour cream or Greek yogurt. Although it is also the simplest part of this dish and is absolutely worth it for just being sour cream, heavy whipping cream, and lime juice!
Assemble the Enchiladas
Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Lightly oil a medium or large-sized baking dish.
Fill the tortillas about halfway with rice and beans.Make sure not to overfill, or they won't roll! It's also easier to do this while the tortillas are still warm. If they aren't pliable enough, wet them slightly and heat for about 30 seconds in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove over medium heat.
Roll into cylinders and place seem-side down in the baking dish.
Cover with enchilada sauce.
Optionally top with cheese and crema.
Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the enchiladas are heated throughout. Serve immediately.Everything is already cooked, so you're more warming the enchiladas than actually cooking them!
Tips, Tricks, & Notes
Beware if you're substituting store-bought beans and rice, they aren't necessarily vegan. One of the key ingredients to a lot of restaurant and canned Mexican food is lard. I like to substitute vegetable broth to achieve a similar taste without adding animal products.
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