It took me a really long time to embrace my slow cooker. I received it as a Christmas gift at least fifteen years ago (I'm old!) and for about ten of those fifteen years, I didn't really know what to do with it. So my slow cooker hung out all alone and sad in the back of a kitchen cabinet.
It wasn't until I started blogging and exploring recipes that my readers were into that I started to realize the slow cooker's potential. People really love these things! And I ignored mine for a decade. Were they on to something that I'd completely missed? Oh yes.
Seeing all the fuss that everyone made about slow cookers got me started with some slow cooker soups. And in addition to the obvious convenience of throwing a bunch of food in and having a meal ready at the end of the day, there's just something really nice and cozy about slow cooker meals. In the cooler months your dinner simmers away all day, filling your house with enticing aromas, and in the summer it does that too, but without heating up the house like the oven does. It's a win-win if you ask me.
I finally decided to branch out of the world of slow cooker soups and move on to some more substantial meals. Enter slow cooker enchiladas.
I'll be honest: I'm usually a bit fussy when it comes to enchiladas. I use corn tortillas. I sauté my fillings on the stove. I bake them in the oven. I had to let go of those attachments to make these slow cooker enchiladas, and while they're not anywhere near authentic, they're absolutely delicious and a total cake walk to throw together.
I did make my own sauce, just because I had all of the ingredients on hand, but it's just a basic red enchilada sauce, so feel free to use store-bought for maximum convenience. You can make the sauce a day or two in advance, and you can do the same with the fillings. If you go that route, all you need to do on the day of serving is assemble and throw everything in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
For the enchilada sauce:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons mild chili powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
For the enchiladas:
- 1 14 ounce can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup corn kernels fresh or frozen and thawed
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tablespoons diced green chiles from a can
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- Salt to taste
- 6 medium flour tortillas
For serving:
- Avocado slices
- Fresh cilantro
- Chopped scallions
Instructions
- To make the sauce, coat the bottom of a medium pot with oil and place it over medium heat. Whisk in the flour, and as soon as it starts to bubble, whisk in the chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. Once mixed, whisk in the water and tomato paste. Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a boil. Lower heat and allow it to simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until it thickens up a bit. Remove the sauce from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes while you prepare the filling.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the pinto beans, corn, onion, garlic, green chiles, cumin and oregano. Season the mixture with salt to taste.
- Ladle about half of the sauce into the bottom of your slow cooker. Place a tortilla onto a work surface and spoon ½ cup of the filling into the center. Roll the tortilla tightly and place it seam side down into the slow cooker. Repeat until all tortillas and filling are used — you might need to layer a few enchiladas on top of each other. Distribute the remaining sauce evenly over the enchiladas.
- Cook for 2 to 3 hours on high or 4 to 5 hours on low.
- Divide the enchiladas onto plates and serve with avocado slices, cilantro and scallions.
Nutrition
Patrick says
What do you do with the other half of the sauce?
Alissa says
It goes on top before cooking - thanks for catching that! Just fixed it. 🙂
Chris says
Is there a reason you aren't using corn tortillas? I would want to make these for a gluten-free friend.
Thanks!
Alissa says
Only because corn tortillas are more delicate, and with the long cook time they'd probably fall apart. If you don't mind that then feel free to use corn - it's already a pretty messy dish anyway! You could probably even just layer everything in the slow cooker and make it into an enchilada casserole. 🙂
Chris says
Yeah, makes sense. Was just wondering. 🙂
Katie says
I made these for supper tonight and they were ahhhhmazimg!!! I added a hefty shake of nutritional yeast and a handful of Daiya shreds to the mix, and then sprinkled the top of the works with a little more Daiya. Delish- I will be looking forward to the leftovers!
Judith says
I would NEVER use this recipe because both pinto beans and corn are loaded with starch that raises blood sugars from the mouth and that is NOT healthy. I have tested how starchy carbs raise my blood sugars and it is simply not healthy so I eat NONE of the high starch foods at all.
Pam says
Hey Judith , maybe you should read Dr. McDougall's book The Starch Solution. I know many who have reversed their diabetes eating starch.
C says
Congratulations? Good thing nobody is forcing you to eat it.
Tacy says
Oh my gosh! I went mostly plant based and I’m the healthiest I’ve ever been at age 74
Lynn says
Pinto beans have a low glycemic index. The more fiber, the better. I'm a type 1 diabetic and watch not only carbs but various starches. No-fiber starches create vast blood sugar spikes. Use high fiber tortillas, quinoa, beans...doesn't raise glucose levels in huge spikes like rice, potatoes, white flour
Nancy Summers says
can we put the serving size and the nutritional information on these recipes
Katie Trant says
Hi Nancy, we just switched over to a new recipe plugin which allows for this, and are slowly going back and updating older recipes. All new recipes will have this from now on!
Lorraine says
If I wanted to bake these what do you recommend and for how long
Katie Trant says
HI Lorraine, we haven't tried this recipe baked so can't say for sure, but a quick look at enchilada recipes online tells me that baking them for around 30 minutes at 375°F should do the trick.
Stan says
I made this but added more corn and made 9 enchiladas. They came out mushy. Did I put to many in the slow cooker?
kclem says
In crockpot now! Can't wait. (And Judith, really did we need your comment?)
anonymous says
This was GREAT... made it tonight... really excellent. thank you.
Gwen says
I made these with a few adjustments. Black beans instead of pinto, added a bit of leftover chicken since I’m still on the transition to eating more plant based. But wow! Definitely one of the best things I’ve ever made. That enchilada sauce is a killer. I am so, so happy with these. Definitely going into my rotation!
Jeffrey Mazur says
this recipe was fantastic!! my family gave it rave reviews 🙂 I added some spinach in as well.
Mark D says
Awesome recipe. Don’t be a Judith