Layered Enchilada Bake

 A healthier alternative to greasy enchiladas.  Chock full of hidden veggies (good for those kiddos who don't want to eat them) and whole grain tortillas it's a filling meal that provides a good source of protein and complex carbs to fill you up, plus low calorie and low fat!  My kids scarfed it down.  My hubby thought it was a little spicy, but he sweats from eating pepperoni pizza.  I did use mild enchilada sauce because I know he doesn't handle spice well, but if I was making this just for myself and my oldest two kids I would probably use medium.  We like food a bit on the spicy side.  This is a very quick dish to make.  I used one of those Pampered Chef food choppers to chop up all the veggies so that cuts down in prep time immensely.  Took about 20 minutes of prep time. 


Layered Enchilada Bake

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
1 yellow sweet pepper, seeded & finely chopped
1 red pepper, seeded & finely chopped
4 roma tomatoes, finely chopped
3 cans mild enchilada sauce (I used Old El Paso)
1 can reduced sodium black beans, drained & rinsed
6 8 to 10-inch multi-grain tortillas (I used Mission Multi-Grain Wraps)
1 cup reduced fat shredded colby jack cheese

Instructions:
Brown ground beef with minced onion, drain grease, then add peppers and tomatoes.  Cook for a bit until the peppers and onions produce more liquid.  Drain the beef again then add the 3 cans of enchilada sauce.  Let simmer 5 to 10 minutes.
Spray a 9x13 pan lightly with cooking spray (I use olive oil).  Use a pizza cutter to divide tortillas so you can evenly place them in your pan.  I have a great plastic one so I don't scratch my countertops.

Layer as follows: 
2 tortillas, 1/3 beef sauce, 1/2 black beans
2 tortillas, 1/3 beef sauce, other half of black beans
2 tortillas (you might not use all 6 tortillas, I usually cut mine to fit the layer so I end up with about a 1/2 a tortilla leftover), rest of beef sauce and cup of cheese.
Bake at 350 for about 30 minutes and let the pan rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.  This makes sure the pieces come out more whole rather than falling apart as you put them on your plates. 

Top with whatever you would like, lettuce, black olives, fresh chopped tomatoes, jalapenos, avocado, sour cream, salsa, taco sauce and ranch, just to name a few!

Nutrition facts from www.fatsecret.com based on 12 servings in a pan, 85% lean ground beef and the specific recipe items I have listed above that I used.
1 serving = Calories - 315, Fat - 13.29g, Cholesterol - 44mg, Sodium - 762mg, Potassium - 349mg, Total Carbs - 30.89g, Fiber - 5.7g, Sugars - 5.45g, Protein - 17.91g

ENJOY!!!