Beef and Bean Enchiladas Verde

There was a sale, so I canned up chuck roast and pork butt.  Same process as the ugly chicken.  It fell the same week that I was planning to make enchiladas.  I knew I could make them with a jar that failed to seal.  It's just pressure cooked meat.  The canning part is to make them shelf-stable, but you can use them as shredded whatever the minute they come out.  The kitchen started smelling like meat as soon as the canner started boiling, so I was pretty sure I'd be able to use something.  And as long as the canner was out and I was out of canned pintos and black beans, they happened the next day.

This was a really long way to go to use up the last jar of tomatillo salsa.  I'm not planning to make any more just yet, since it took a whole year to finish the last batch.  I don't make Mexican as often anymore, now that I've added more international cuisines to my repetoire.

If you're opening cans and jars of ingredients, enchiladas aren't as hard as they seem.  It's setting up the assembly line that takes a few minutes.  And then you have a do-ahead that can be frozen for later or put in the fridge before work and baked when you come home.

*2 C salsa verde or tomatillo salsa
8 6" corn tortillas
*2 C shredded cooked beef
1 15 oz can pintos, drained
1-1/2 C mozzarella cheese
1 2.25 oz can sliced black olives

1.  Preheat oven to 375º while you put the enchiladas together.

2.  Pour 1 C of the salsa in the bottom of a 9"x13" casserole.  Warm the tortillas in the microwave for 20 seconds to soften them.

3.  To assemble, place a tortilla or two on the salsa.  Place 2 Tb each of beef and beans down the middle, then carefully roll up the enchilada and place, seam side down, in the dish.  Repeat with the remaining tortillas.

4.  I always sprinkle any remaining filling on top and around the enchiladas.  Then, pour remaining salsa on top.  Scatter cheese on the tortillas, then drained olives.  Cover casserole with foil.  Up to this point, you can refrigerate or freeze as a do-ahead.

5.  Bake for 30 minutes.  Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes or so to toast the cheese.  Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Difficulty rating  π