No-Roll Mexican Rice Enchiladas

I guess I have been on a meatless/vegetarian kick lately! It is a really nice change to not have to prepare meat to go with our meals and I have enjoyed the lack of meat with the summer heat upon us. Not that I don't enjoy a juicy hamburger now and then and tomorrow we are having barbecue beef (stay tuned!) but my husband grew up not eating a lot of meat so he has been enjoying it as well.

These enchiladas were really tasty and REALLY easy to make. I don't know if there is some secret to Rice-a-Roni that I just don't know but whenever I make it it seems to be less tender than I think it should be. But despite that we still loved this meal. It was flavorful and filling. I even enjoyed the beans and I am NOT a bean person.

The only change I might make next time would be to try green enchilada sauce. Don't get me wrong though - the red sauce was really good! Make sure to check out the tips at the end of the recipe for other changes suggested by Pillsbury.com

This recipe and picture are courtesy of Pillsbury.com and can be found here.

NO-ROLL MEXICAN RICE ENCHILADAS
From Pillsbury.com
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1 box (6.4 oz) rice and vermicelli mix with Spanish seasonings
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 ¼ cups water
1 can (19 oz) Old El Paso® mild enchilada sauce (red or green)
1 can (16 oz) pinto beans, drained, rinsed
1 can (11 oz) Green Giant® Southwestern style corn, drained
1 package (8.2 oz) Old El Paso® flour tortillas for soft tacos & fajitas (ten 6-inch tortillas)
2 cups finely shredded Mexican cheese blend (8 oz) (I just used normal cheddar cheese)

• Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook rice and vermicelli with butter over medium heat until rice mixture is golden brown, stirring frequently. Stir in water and seasoning mix from rice box. Heat to boiling. Cover; reduce heat to low. Cook 15 to 20 minutes or until rice mixture is tender. Stir in 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce, the pinto beans and corn.
• Heat oven to 350°F. Place about 1/2 cup rice mixture on center of each tortilla; top rice mixture in each tortilla with about 1 tablespoon of the cheese. Fold each in half. Arrange tortillas in 2 rows of 5 in baking dish, placing tortillas open end up, slanting and overlapping. Pour remaining enchilada sauce evenly over enchiladas. Cover tightly with foil.
• Bake 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and sauce begins to bubble. Uncover; sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered about 5 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.

TIPS!

~Enchiladas can be assembled earlier in the day. Pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas just before baking. Refrigerate enchiladas and sauce until just before baking. Enchiladas may need to bake 5 to 10 minutes longer.

~One can (15.25 oz) Green Giant® whole kernel sweet corn, drained, can be used instead of the Southwestern style corn. One can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed, can be used in place of the pinto beans.

~One and a half cups finely chopped cooked chicken can be used in place of the beans.