Ingredients
- 1 small yellow onion (or 1/2 large onion), diced small
- 1 sweet bell pepper, diced small
- 1 (16-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack, colby, or other melting cheese, divided
- 2 (16-ounce) jars salsa, any kind
- 12 to 15 medium (6-inch or so) flour tortillas
- Optional: 1 cup leftover meat or extra veggies — chicken, pork, hamburger, beef, baked tofu, or roasted vegetables
Instructions
- Place the onion, bell pepper, black beans, corn, chili powder, cumin, salt, 1/2 cup of the cheese, and meat (if using) in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Spread about 1 cup of the salsa over the bottom of a 6-quart (or larger) slow cooker, enough to evenly coat the bottom with a bit of sauce.
- Fill each of the tortillas with about 1/3 cup of the filling, roll them up as tightly as you can, and pack them seam-side down in a single layer into the bottom of the slow cooker. Don’t worry if some filling falls out — just tuck it back in once you’ve set the tortilla down.
- When you complete the first layer (you will make 3 layers), spread about another cup of salsa over the top and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of the remaining cheese. Continue rolling the remaining tortillas with the remaining filling to make one more layer; if you have leftover filling, sprinkle this over the top. Finish by pouring the 1 cup of the salsa evenly over the top of the enchiladas. Reserve the last 1/2 cup of cheese to add later.
- Cover and cook on HIGH the setting for 2 to 4 hours. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of cheese over the top, re-cover the slow cooker, and finish cooking. Serve the enchiladas with any remaining salsa.
Recipe Notes
Gluten-free enchiladas: Use gluten-free corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas. These tortillas tend to fall apart a bit more during cooking, but I’ve tried them and the dish is still just as tasty!
Cooking on LOW: You can cook the enchiladas for longer (6 to 8 hours on the LOW setting), but I find that the tortillas in the middle start to get very mushy while the ones touching the sides of the cooker get crispy. Still tasty, though!
Oven-baked enchiladas: To cook these enchiladas in the oven, layer the rolled tortillas in a 9×13-inch baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese, and bake uncovered for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the dish is bubbling.
Smaller slow cookers: To make this recipe in a smaller (3-quart or so) slow cooker, halve the recipe and make 3 layers instead of 2.
Doubling the recipe: If your slow cooker is large enough, you can also double the recipe. Just continue creating layers in the slow cooker and bake as usual.
Storage: Leftovers will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.
