Navy bean enchilada casserole

6 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Cooking Spray, to coat baking dish
15 ounces Cooked navy beans, (1 can) or any bean, rinsed and drained
1½ cup Chopped onion, (1 1/2 - 2 cups)
4 Garlic cloves
½ cup Beer
¼ teaspoon Ground red pepper, (1/4 to 1 tsp)
28 ounces Canned tomatoes, drained and chopped
Cooked potato, chopped
Cooked rice, (1/2 - 1 cup)
9 ounces Chopped green chiles, (2 - 4.5 oz. cans)
½ Roasted red peppers, (1/2 to 1) chopped
5 tablespoons All-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Ground cumin, (1/2 -1 tsp)
¼ teaspoon Ground coriander, (1/4 to 1/2)
2 cups Skim milk
2 larges Egg whites, lightly beaten or 6 tbls. egg substitute
½ cup Nonfat mozzarella cheese, with jalapenos *
9 Corn tortillas, (6-inch) cut in half
½ cup Yogurt, or sour cream
½ cup Salsa

Directions

FILLING

OPTIONAL

WHITE SAUCE

GARNISHES

* original called for ¾ cup cheddar cheese and ¾ cup Monterey Jack cheese (I may use more cheese next time, but it was rich and delicious without, too.)

Preheat oven to 350.

Saute onion and garlic for 5 minutes or until tender. Add beans, beer, red pepper, and tomatoes, and anything else you wish to include in the filling (such as a cooked potato or rice). Cook 10 minutes or until most of the liquid evaporates. Add the roasted red pepper and canned chiles. Remove from heat.

Combine flour, salt, cumin, and coriander in a medium saucepan. Gradually add milk, stirring with a whisk until blended. Place over medium heat; cook 7 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Gradually add hot milk mixture to egg whites, stirring constantly with whisk. Set aside.

(It would be easier to prepare the sauce in a microwave so you don't have to continuously stir.)

Place cheeses, if using, in a bowl; toss well. Set aside.

Spread ½ cup white sauce in bottom of a 2½ quart round casserole or souffle dish coated with cooking spray. Arrange 6 tortilla halves over sauce; top with 2 cups filling mixture, ½ cup white sauce, and ⅓ of the cheese mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with sauce. Set remaining cheese mixture aside. (This is so you can add it to the top at the last minute for a pretty presentation. I didn't bother with this; I simply put the last cheese underneath the cream sauce. It was still pretty!) Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 40 minutes or until hot. Sprinkle with remaining cheese mixture; bake an additional 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving. (And do let it stand! I didn't, and the first serving was like a soup. After standing, it into a quiche-like consistency.)

Serve with sour cream and salsa.

NOTE: You can assemble the casserole ahead of time; cover and chill in the refrigerator overnight, then bake at 350 for 1 hour or until bubbly. Or freeze casserole, thaw in refrigerator 24 hours, then bake for 1 hour or until thoroughly heated.

Per serving: 339 Calories; 3g Fat (7% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 61g Carbohydrate; 6mg Cholesterol; 725mg Sodium Food Exchanges: 2 ½ Starch/Bread; 1 Lean Meat; 2 ½ Vegetable; ½ Non-Fat Milk; ½ Fat NOTES : This was inspired by the Chicken Enchilada Casserole from Cooking Light, October 1996. Whether you use the original recipe with chicken, or this version with white beans, it is an excellent casserole! It is even good without cheese, and would be fine made with a light soy milk. As others have reported, this dish does take some time to prepare and assemble, but everything can be prepared ahead of time. It freezes well both before and after baking.

Recipe by: Ellen Rakes <ellen@...> (inspired by CL mag) Posted to Digest eat-lf.v097.n105 by "Ellen C." <ellen@...> on Apr 21, 1997

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