From Scratch to Savory: Homemade Enchiladas That Wow!

I have a passion for crafting homemade dishes, and I'm always up for the challenge of creating pantry staples from scratch. Not only is it an enjoyable endeavor, but it also puts the flavor entirely in my hands! Last December, we whipped up this delightful dish, and the reactions were priceless. With my husband exclaiming, "Wow!" and my kids asking for seconds and thirds, it was undoubtedly a win. To recreate this culinary triumph, prepare creamy refried beans in the Instant Pot, then whip up a savory enchilada sauce on the stovetop as your meat cooks. Finally, assemble everything into layers, generously smothered in that irresistible homemade enchilada sauce, resulting in a dish guaranteed to elicit smiles and satisfaction with every bite! 

Ingredients: 

• 2 lbs ground beef (you can use 1...but we needed 2 for it to be hearty)
• 10 ounces of red enchilada sauce, (or make homemade enchilada sauce)
• 1 16 ounce can refried beans (or make homemade in the Instant Pot using dried pinto beans)
• 12 soft corn tortillas, street taco size/individual taco size.
• 1 15 ounce can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 14.5 ounce organic petite diced tomatoes, undrained
• 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese,
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
2. Cook ground beef in a large sauce pan.
3. Spread half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.
4. Add the remaining enchilada sauce, black beans, spices, salt, ground beef, and undrained tomatoes to the large sauce pan with cooked beef.
5. Spread half of refried beans on 6 corn tortillas.
6. Place the first layer of tortillas, bean-side up, over sauce in dish, these will overlapping and I used 6 for each layer.
7. Spread half of beef enchilada mixture over the corn tortillas that are layered in the dish.
8. Then layer with 1 cup of cheese.
9. Repeat layering – take 6 more corn tortillas and spread with the rest of the refried beans and place as another layer in your 13X9 baking dish. Then layer with the enchilada mixture and remaining shredded cheese.
10. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until hot. The center should be hot and the casserole should be bubbly around edges. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting into 8-12 pieces.
11. Top off your dish with your favorite enchilada toppings – shredded lettuce, sour cream, avocado, etc.