This week, we’re introducing a series called Double & Freeze. It’s something I do often in our house in order to get more bang for my buck in the kitchen. The concept is simple: when you cook dinner, you make twice as much. You serve half and freeze half (often after assembly but before baking). This series will include meals that cater well to that idea – that freeze gracefully and don’t get mad when you stop them mid-process.
Our first Double & Freeze is bean and cheese enchiladas! I knew this would be our first as soon as I thought of sharing this concept. I double and freeze this meal pretty much every time I make it for our family. It makes life much easier.
So here we go! Let’s get started.
Here are all the things you will need:
- 1 cup uncooked brown rice
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 yellow onions
- 2 jalapeño peppers
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 (15 oz) cans black beans
- 16 ounces Monterey jack cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 (28 oz) can red chili enchilada sauce (I use mild)
- 16 tortillas (flour or wheat are fine)
- cilantro
- 2 – 9×13″ pans
- aluminum foil
First, cook your rice according to package instructions and set aside. Preheat your oven to 400°F. Chop up the yellow onions and jalapeños. Watch out for seeds! I wear gloves if I have them.
Heat your olive oil (3 tablespoons) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté your onions and peppers until browned, 5-7 minutes. Sprinkle the cumin (2 teaspoons) over your veggies and cook a few minutes longer. (YUM already!)
Remove your veggies to a large bowl. Time to make the filling!
Drain and rinse the beans. Add them to the bowl.
Add the brown rice. Throw some salt and pepper in there, too!
Half the cheese. Add it! (you’ll need the other half for sprinkling on top!)
Stir stir stir!
YES! Looks so good. Time to assemble. Open your can of enchilada sauce and cover the bottoms of your pans. No need to be particular; we’ll drizzle the rest of the sauce on top later.
Filling → tortilla → pan. I do 8 tortillas per pan.
Then, the rest of the sauce goes on top. Drown those babies!
Lastly, sprinkle the remaining cheese on top (is there any worthwhile meal without this step?!).
Pan #1 goes into the oven for 15 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted. Garnish with cilantro before serving warm. Pan #2 gets covered in aluminum foil and goes into the freezer! When you want to prepare it for dinner later on, I recommend thawing it (freezer → fridge) overnight. Bake as usual: 15 minutes at 400°F.
Oh, I love you, Enchiladas. I hope Double & Freeze serves you as well as it serves me. These babies don’t last long in our house, and they are wonderfully hearty and kid-friendly. Here is a printable PDF. Margaritas not included (though encouraged).
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