Written by Lyn Brooks, Staff Writer
Have you been searching for fast, easy, low cost recipes to help you celebrate Cinco de Mayo and stay within your budget? Or perhaps you need a quick recipe to help you use up some leftover soup beans? Look no further; we've got you covered with this simple, frugal and delicious recipe for homemade bean and cheese chimichangas in enchilada sauce!
Whenever I make soup beans, usually 1 to 2 servings remain. I hate to throw out anything, so this is the perfect "excuse" to make chimichangas from the leftovers! Generally I use pinto beans in this dish, but you can also use navy and northern beans as well.
Bean and Cheese Chimichanga Recipe
For the filling:
Drain off most of the broth from whatever soup bean you have on hand so that you have about 4 cups of beans.
Add the following to the beans, stirring after each addition:
Two cups of white or brown rice, already cooked.
Two cups of diced tomatoes - or one can of diced tomatoes if you don't use fresh ones from your garden. If using canned diced tomatoes, get the type that already comes with the diced green chillies for extra flavor.
A total of 3/4 of a cup of finely shredded cheese. Personally, I like to combine cheddar and pepper jack cheeses in this recipe.
2 to 3 tablespoons of taco seasoning, or 1/3 a packet of taco seasoning. (see below for a recipe to make your own seasoning blend for tacos and chili).
For extra heat, add some diced jalapenos, fresh or pickled, to the filling. About 3 Tablespoons full should do the trick.
Heat this mixture until bubbling. Place no more than 1/2 a cup of filling into a medium to large size flat flour tortilla. Remember to be careful and not overfill the tortilla. Fold each end over and then roll up.
Place tortillas, the seam side facing down, into a hot skillet with about 1/2 inch of cooking oil. Cook, turning when each side is crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful to not overfill your skillet with tortillas, as you want to be able to turn them easily.
Depending on the amount of filling and size of tortilla that you use, this will make between `10 and 15 fried chimichangas for under $5 if you use leftover homemade soup beans. In most parts of the country, you can get 4 pounds of dried beans for under $4, and you won't need anywhere near that many to make bean and cheese chimichangas!
Top with homemade enchilada sauce.
Refried beans, Rice, Salsa Verde and Guacamole are also great sides for this dish!
Taco and Chili Seasoning Recipe
Depending on where you live, you can normally buy commercial made taco seasoning packets for around $1 each if it's a name brand, and 2 for $1 or 3 for $1 if it's the grocery store brand. If you don't have any on hand and don't want to run out to the store, you can make your own and it can be a bit cheaper.
Combine, mixing well, each of the following dried spices:
4 Tablespoons Chili Powder
2 Tablespoons Cumin
2 Teaspoons Oregano
1 Teaspoon each: Paprika, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Salt and Black Pepper
You can also add in a few red pepper flakes for an extra spicy hot kick.
Store in a covered jar and use in recipes just as you would taco seasoning bought at the store.
One word of caution here, make certain that both the Chili Powder and Paprika are fresh when you make this mix. While some spices simply lose their power over time, these two spices tend to take on a bad flavor as they age and oxidize.
Medium Spicy Red Enchilada Sauce
In my area, a 15 ounce can of enchilada sauce goes for about $1.79 or more, so I normally make my own. This recipe makes about 2 cups of red enchilada sauce.
Heat 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a hot skillet. Add 1 whole chopped yellow or white onion and cook until translucent, stirring constantly. A 2 finely minced cloves of garlic and cook 1-2 additional minutes, stirring constantly.
To the onion and garlic mixture, add two cans of diced tomatoes, or 4 cups of fresh diced tomatoes or 1 can (2 cups) of tomato sauce or tomato soup.
Add 1 cup water or chicken stock.
Add 2 tablespoons flour, 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 3 tablespoons chili powder, 1 and 1/4 teaspoons cayenne powder and onion powder, 2 1/2 teaspoons cumin.
Cook on medium heat until mixture is bubbly and thickens, about 10 to 15 minutes.
There are two schools of thought on the next step. Some people like chunky enchilada sauce, if you are in that camp, the sauce is ready to serve once it thickens. Others prefer a smoother sauce. If you like less heft to your sauce, once it has thickened, gently pulse the mixture with a hand mixer for 2 to 3 minutes. Return and heat through and then its ready to serve.
If you prefer a milder version, just leave out the cayenne pepper.
Be certain to check back frequently for more low cost recipes that will set you back for $5 or less!
Photo Credit: Flickr, CC 2.0, Allerina & Glen MacLarty
