Lean ground beef, brown rice, black beans and vegetables simmered in a savory broth of enchilada sauce and spices make a hearty, yet nutritious all-in-one dinner.

We’re eating healthified enchiladas with a spoon today and it may become your new favorite way of eating this Mexican classic. I’ll also let you in on the BEST part of this recipe – it’s all made in ONE pot. Less dishes = less clean-up time = more Bravo watching from my couch = happy food blogger.

Instead of wrapping the core enchilada ingredients in a corn tortilla, we’re just throwing the corn right in the mix with the “filling”. Though you still have the liberty of wrapping this mixture up in a tortilla, topping it with a Mexican cheese blend and baking it until the cheese forms a gooey blanket over the enchilada.

This is the perfect kid-friendly recipe to whip up on a busy week-night. It requires very little prep work and is pretty low maintenance once all the ingredients start simmering. Instead of beef, you could use ground turkey, ground or pulled chicken, or leave the meat out entirely if you want to go vegetarian. If you do decide to leave out the meat, I would recommend swapping the brown rice for quinoa to get an extra kick of protein.

The one thing I love about Mexican food is it is SO easy to lighten up without skimping on flavor. I always use brown rice or quinoa when recipes call for a grain, and try to add as many additional vegetables as possible. Between the brown rice, black beans, corn and sautéed vegetables, these bowls are packed with fiber and ended up being very filling. Served with a side salad, they made the perfect lunch or dinner!

If you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time now, you may have noticed my tendency to be a little overzealous with toppings. No exception here. BUT I have to recommend using 2% fat plain Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream), sliced green onion, chunks of avocado and a splash of freshly squeezed lime juice. They were just the icing on the cake. Err, the salted rim on the margarita? You catch my drift.

Get ready for this Mexican fiesta in your mouth.

Beef Enchilada Bowls

Makes ~8 cups. Serves 4-5

Ingredients

• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 yellow onion, finely diced
• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 15-oz can reduced-sodium black beans, drained
• 1 15-oz can sweet corn, drained
• 1 10-oz can enchilada sauce
• 2 tbsp reduced-sodium taco seasoning
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 15-oz can diced tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 cup brown rice, uncooked
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil for cooking
• Optional toppings: 2% fat Greek yogurt, chopped avocado, green onion

Directions

1. In a large skillet or pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté ~5 minutes, until softened. Add ground beef and taco seasoning. Using a spatula, break beef into small pieces while it browns, ~4-5 minutes.
2. Add enchilada sauce, chicken broth, diced tomatoes and rice. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low (~level 2-3 on your stove). Simmer, covered, for 50-60 minutes, until rice is cooked.
3. Remove lid and add black beans and corn. Stir to combine and let simmer, uncovered, for an additional 5 minutes. Ladle into bowls and top with toppings of choice. Enjoy!

 Nutrition Facts per Serving (~1.5 cups)

Calories: 405; Total Fat: 9 gm; Saturated Fat: 3.5 gm; Cholesterol: 50 mg; Sodium: 680 mg; Carbohydrates: 54 gm; Fiber: 8 gm; Sugar: 10 gm; Protein: 28 gm