Big batch of enchiladas...

On Wednesday, I was an Enchilada Factory. It was my husband’s birthday, and also my night to cook for the Wednesday Supper Swap. We’d already done the pseudo-birthday celebrating over the long weekend. So, I let him pick what I was going to cook on Wednesday. He chose (my amazing, if I might say so myself) Chicken Enchiladas. Every time I make them they’re a little bit different, depending upon what I have on hand (or remembered to buy). Here’s what was in this week’s batch. As you can see in the photo above, I made enough to feed a small army (or us + 3 other families in the Supper Swap, one friend on bedrest's family, and two smaller dishes for the freezer so my dad and husband don’t starve while my mom and I are at a spa in a couple weeks…). I will post a recipe here for 6 servings, but if you find yourself cooking for many, just double or triple it, as I did:

This Week's Chicken Enchiladas

Sonoma Corn tortillas (my new favorite, which I got at Walter Stewart’s)
Hatch Enchilada Sauce (which I find at Whole Foods)
Shredded Cheddar
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 onions, diced
1 Bell & Evans rotisserie chicken, meat removed/shredded by hand
1 jar medium salsa
1 packet of Nueva Cocina Chipotle Taco Seasoning (found at Whole Foods)
1 brick low-fat organic cream cheese
2 cans organic black beans, rinsed and drained

In a large pan, sauté the bell peppers and onions in a bit of olive oil. Add the shredded chicken, taco seasoning, salsa, and cream cheese and black beans. Stir until blended, and cream cheese melts to create creamy sauce.

Preheat oven to 350.

To assemble the enchiladas, pour a bit of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Then simply scoop filling into corn tortillas and roll them, placing them seam side down in the baking dish. If they crack or unroll that is ok, since it’s all going to be smothered in sauce and cheese (mmmmm). Once baking dish is full of enchiladas, pour enchilada sauce over the top, sprinkle with cheese and bake for 30 minutes, or until warmed though and cheese is golden. If you like your cheese a little crispy, you can briefly broil the dish at the very end.

Freezes beautifully, so make a big batch. You can freeze them cooked or uncooked. Either way, package them in an oven-proof dish so you can cook them from frozen (about 1 hour if uncooked, and 45 minutes if cooked).