Quick Enchiladas

by Melinda McMillan

1 lg or 2 sm cans of black beans or refried beans
1 8 oz pkg of a favorite kind of shredded cheese
1 pkg of your family's favorite tortillas (white, whole wheat, or corn)
1 container of salsa
1 lg can of enchilada sauce

opt: sliced or diced tomato, fresh basil, cumin, cilantro

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Gather your assembly line workers & set up their stations around the table! There will be a bean spreader, cheese sprinkler, salsa applier, & tortilla roller-upper.

Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9" x 11" cake pan.  You will place filled & rolled tortillas parallel to the short end of the pan. Set out your first tortilla, spread a 2" wide layer of beans in a stripe in the middle of the tortilla from one side to the other. Pass to the next assembly line worker who will sprinkle cheese on top of the line. (Our family is very generous with our cheese application.) The salsa worker does the same and then the tortilla worker will roll the tortilla up and place it tightly on the small end of the pan. Continue spreading, sprinkling & rolling until the pan is filled. Cover the pan of filled tortillas with the enchilada sauce and top with more cheese. At this point, let everyone choose a favorite garnish & make the enchiladas beautiful. Tomato slices, sprinkled cumin, cut basil & cilantro, more salsa, etc. Cover with aluminum foil & bake for 40 minutes. The time can be almost cut in half if you warm the tortillas, beans, & enchilada sauce. Take the foil off for the last 10 minutes. Let sit for 5-10 minutes.

Cut into 12 squares & serve with sour cream. To continue the theme, add a side green salad topped with broken tortilla chips & a dressing of ranch with taco seasoning added to it. This entree can be prepped the beforehand & stored in the refrigerator for several days--it's a great one to take to someone because they can cook it up at their leisure. The dish can also be frozen, but its best to add the garnish just before baking.