Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

Happy Meatless Monday! While I can’t say every Monday is meatless over in our household, I can say I appreciate a good vegetarian meal no matter the day of the week. Especially when it’s one likes these enchiladas that still pack a hefty protein punch with plain Greek yogurt, cheese, and black beans.

The other thing that I really appreciate about a good meatless meal is that they’re generally more frugal than meat entrées. My husband is a teacher and I’m a dietitian with a government salary, so frugality is definitely appreciated around here. Actually, almost all the ingredients that I used for this recipe can be purchased with the supplemental nutrition benefits that the program I work with provides eligible women and children.

It’s a great recipe to involve kids with preparing as well. Kids are so much more likely to eat a greater variety if you involve them in the cooking process. Let your kids take paper towels and blot moisture off the thawed frozen spinach. Or heck – let them squeeze the excess moisture out of the spinach with their bare hands! They can scoop the Greek yogurt and dump the beans into a bowl. They can stir the ingredients, help you roll the enchiladas, and the real fun part – sprinkle that delicious cheese on top! Speaking of cheese – that gooey, melted cheese won’t have anyone in your family running away from this meatless Monday dish.

Spinach and Black Bean Enchiladas

Yields: 6 enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 6 tortillas (100% whole wheat, gluten free, etc.)
• 2 (5.3 oz) containers of plain, fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 (15.25 oz) can of black beans
• 1 (9 oz) package of frozen, chopped spinach
• 1 ½ cups reduced fat finely shredded Mexican blend cheese
• ¼ teaspoon each: salt, pepper, garlic powder, cumin, chili powder, oregano

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Prepare a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Thaw spinach, then remove all excess moisture. This can be done by literally squeezing out the excess moisture, blotting it with paper towels, etc.
3. Drain and thoroughly rinse the canned black beans.
4. Combine the Greek yogurt, spinach, beans, spices, and half the cheese in a bowl. Set aside the other half of the cheese.
5. Lay out the six tortillas and evenly distribute the filling between them. Roll and place seam-side down in the prepared 9x13-inch dish.
6. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the enchiladas.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until enchiladas are warmed through and cheese is melted and bubbly on top.