Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

Cheesy Enchilada Casserole

I like all kinds of food, but this dish combines many of those into one - Mexican flavors, roasted cauliflower, spinach - plus, it's cheesy and easy! 
This is a great "clean out the fridge" kind of recipe, substitute ingredients based on what you have on hand. For example, I used some leftover rice into which I had stirred in some cooked onions and this amazing hot sauce my friend Damion made. Leftover cooked potatoes (mashed, diced, baked, roasted - whatever), would work well too. Or, if you are doing strict low carb, leave out the starch and stir in something else. if you don't want to go to the work/time of roasting your cauliflower, you could "rice" it and add it in raw. (to rice cauliflower, grate florets on the "fine" side of a box grater, or throw them into your food processor). Additional suggestions at the end. 
What would you do to make this dish your own?

Ingredients

• 1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups red enchilada sauce
• 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup cooked rice
• 2 handfuls fresh chopped spinach
• 2 small jalapeño peppers, diced fine (seeded if you prefer it mild)
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper (optional, if you prefer it mild)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 3/4 cup Monterey jack cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup cheddar, shredded

Directions

1. Toss the cauliflower in the oil, place it on a baking sheet in a single layer and roast in a preheated 400F oven until it starts to caramelize, about 20-30 minutes, mixing half way through.
2. Mix the cauliflower, enchilada sauce, beans, rice, spinach, peppers and spices place it in a 2 quart baking dish and sprinkle on the cheese.
3. Bake in a preheated 350F oven until the cheese has melted and the sides are bubbling, about 25 minutes.
4. Serve with avocado slices, chopped cilantro, chopped fresh tomatoes, sour cream. 

If your cauliflower is small enough, this works great as a chunky dip or nachos too.

This is a very versatile recipe, you could sub out the listed vegetables for almost anything else (some chopped zucchini or butternut squash; if you really like peppers, could sub in some chopped poblanos [typically fairly mild]; corn instead of the rice or beans, etc.)

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