Spicy Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce

Hi! It’s been a while and I apologize for not blogging as frequent. My site has been having issues lately, but just know that we’re working hard to get all of the kinks fixed, so hopefully it will be running faster soon!

Besides that I think we should catch up. You know, just chat about life and such.

Lately I’ve been trying to get back into eating oatmeal for breakfast (I act like it takes effort to eat healthy?), working up to a faster mile, teaching myself new cooking techniques, baking fall goodies, and of course, organizing my life. I’ve been really wanting to get better at blogging more and I have a million recipes written down; it’s just  that writing and editing tends to always take up more time then I expect it to.

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Anyway this recipe has been just waiting for you, begging to be cooked. Like for an entire week! I mean, now that it’s October, I feel like I can really break out the pumpkin recipes, comfort food, and oh my goodness… all of the delicious treats involving brown butter just scribbled on my chocolate-stained notebook.

Last week I was craving comfort; warm; ooey-gooey goodness that would make me sink into a food coma in a very good way. But what was it going to be?

I searched around the kitchen. There was a roasted chicken in the fridge, canned pumpkin that was begging to be used, and those million dollar mexican spices (garlic, cumin, chili powder, etc).

It’s a bit obvious what happened, right?

I shredded the chicken to bits and pieces.

It was fun. Delicious too, since I shoveled it into my mouth along the way.

Shred, eat, shred, eat… remind self to stop eating.

But this is when things got really good! I heated up my pan with a little of that heart-healthy olive oil, and added a bit of onion and garlic. I inhaled the smells for several minutes. Is it possible to get food high? Because I think that happens every time I’m cooking. It’s a weird thing, but I sort of love it.

Anyway, next I added black beans, a classic canned tomato sauce, red pepper flakes, and that million dollar chili powder. Ohhhh baby.

Eat, stir, eat, stir…

Annnnnd drink wine! Having a glass of wine, listening to good music, and cooking is my favorite way to unwind. That and dancing to Hot Cheetos and Takis.

But let’s get back to this delicious little enchilada project because it’s not quite finished yet!

It was time to make that lovely and creamy pumpkin sauce you’re probably wondering about. I placed pumpkin, sour cream, a bit of tomato sauce, garlic, chili powder, then salt and pepper into my food processor (you could also use a blender).

I am now referring to that sauce as magic: a bit sweet, a hint of spice, and all things good.

I continued on my enchilada journey by thinly spreading the magic sauce on the bottom of the pan.

I think I was drooling by the time I warmed up corn tortillas and stuffed them with some shredded chicken, my black bean mixture, cheese, and the pumpkin sour cream sauce.

Look, just look! Freaking awesome is what these are. You can’t understand it unless you make them and eat half the pan in one sitting.

Which is exactly what my roommate did when he got home from work. Then he ate them the next morning for breakfast with a fried egg on top. 

These combine my two favorite things: pumpkin and mexican food. I can’t even begin explain how delicious and comforting these enchiladas are. They’re both sweet and savory and completely worth the time it takes to put them together. Another thing that’s great is that these can be made ahead of time and kept in the fridge (or freezer!) until you are ready to cook them. Men LOVE them. I LOVE them. And I know you’ll LOVE them too.

I enjoy topping mine with a bit of sour cream and avocado which helps to cool the little bit of heat that these bring. Oh and if you’re vegetarian, simply leave the chicken out!

More fall recipes coming soon. Swoon!

5.0 from 2 reviews

Spicy Black Bean Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sour Cream Sauce

 

Author: Monique

Recipe type: Dinner, Entree

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep time:  20 mins

Cook time:  30 mins

Total time:  50 mins

Print

Incredible black bean chicken enchiladas with a slightly sweet pumpkin sour cream sauce. Irresistible!

Ingredients

• For pumpkin sour cream sauce:
• 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
• 1 cup good quality tomato sauce
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
• salt and pepper to taste
• For filling:
• 1 small roasted rotisserie chicken (purchase from grocery store), shredded OR 2-3 cups shredded chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 (15 oz) cans of black beans
• 1 jalapeno, deseeded and minced
• 2 cups good quality tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1-2 teaspoons red pepper flakes (add more or less depending on desired heat)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 16-20 corn tortillas
• 2-3 cups reduced-fat Mexican or Colby Jack cheese

Instructions

1. Begin by making the pumpkin sour cream sauce: In your food processor or blender combine pumpkin puree, tomato sauce, sour cream, chili powder, and garlic and puree until smooth. Taste and season with salt and pepper; set aside.
2. Place 3 cups of shredded chicken in large bowl and add about a little less than half of the pumpkin sour cream sauce to it, toss chicken to coat; set aside remaining pumpkin sauce.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray 9x13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and spread a thin layer of pumpkin cream sauce on the bottom of pan.
4. Heat large non-stick pan over medium heat and add olive oil. Add onion and minced garlic and cook until onions begin to soften. Add black beans, jalapeno, tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Stir and bring to a slight boil, then reduce heat to medium low, stir consistently and let simmer for 5 minutes while sauce thickens.
5. Next warm tortillas in microwave for about 30 seconds so they are easier to roll. Then, place about 1/4 cup of black bean mixture on each tortilla. Next take about 1/4 cup of chicken and pumpkin cream mixture and place on top of beans. Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of Colby jack cheese in each tortilla. Roll each tortilla and place seam side down in baking pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce and sprinkle additional cheese on top.
6. Bake for 20-30 minutes until cheese is melted and edges of tortillas begin to turn golden brown. Top with sour cream, greek yogurt, avocado, or cilantro.
7. Makes about 8 servings -- 2 enchiladas each.

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