Black Bean & Chicken Enchilada Lasagna

8-0. Final regular season game, and we won by thirty-one. I didn't celebrate on the sideline. I shook hands with the opposing coach — a man I've known for six years — and thanked him for a clean game. The celebration can wait. There are two playoff wins between us and a championship game and I don't let myself forget that.

Jordan Rivera finished the regular season with twenty-seven touchdown passes and four interceptions. That's a stat line that gets a quarterback noticed beyond this conference, and I've had two university scouts at the last three home games. I told Jordan on Sunday to let me handle the recruiting conversations for now, to focus on the next practice. He has the rest of his life to focus on his future. Right now the only future that exists is the next two Fridays.

Tamale weekend. Lisa orchestrated. My parents drove up from Las Cruces — Hector moving slower than usual but present and deliberate, Mom steady and efficient. The kids ranged from intensely focused (Diego) to chaotically helpful (twins) to disappearing periodically (Sofia, who came back each time with her hands washed and ready to fold more, which means she was in a book). We made nineteen dozen in five hours. Hector sat at the kitchen table and supervised the chile sauce with the seriousness of a judge reviewing evidence. He still knows when it needs more cumin. He'll always know that.

After the tamales were steamed and resting, Hector and I sat on the back porch in the November cold. He asked me if I thought we'd win the championship. I said I thought we had a real chance. He said, "I want to see you hold that trophy." Not "I hope you win." I want to see you. I heard the difference. I told him I'd make sure he was there.

We made nineteen dozen tamales that Saturday, and by Sunday the kitchen still smelled like masa and chile—Hector’s judge’s verdict hanging in the air along with the cumin. But tamale weekend ends, and the week starts, and the family still needs to eat. This Black Bean & Chicken Enchilada Lasagna is what I make when I want to keep that warmth going into Monday—the same layered patience, the same chile heat Hector would approve of, just built for a weeknight when the twins are already asking what’s for dinner before their coats are off. It’s not tamales. But it carries the same intention.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups cooked chicken, shredded
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
1 can (10 oz) green enchilada sauce
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
9 corn tortillas (6-inch)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/2 cup sour cream, for serving
2 green onions, sliced, for garnish
Fresh cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine shredded chicken, black beans, diced green chiles, cumin, garlic powder, and chili powder. Stir in 1/2 cup of the red enchilada sauce and mix until evenly coated.
Mix the sauces. In a separate bowl or measuring cup, stir together the remaining red enchilada sauce and all of the green enchilada sauce.
Layer the base. Spread 1/2 cup of the combined sauce evenly across the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
Build the first layer. Lay 3 corn tortillas over the sauce, overlapping slightly to cover. Top with half the chicken-bean filling, then 1/3 of the combined cheeses, and 1/2 cup sauce.
Add the second layer. Repeat with 3 more tortillas, the remaining chicken-bean filling, another 1/3 of the cheeses, and 1/2 cup sauce.
Finish the top. Place the final 3 tortillas on top. Pour remaining sauce over evenly and sprinkle with all remaining cheese.
Bake covered. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Bake uncovered. Remove foil and bake an additional 12–15 minutes, until cheese is bubbling and lightly golden at the edges.
Rest and serve. Let stand 5 minutes before cutting. Serve topped with sour cream, green onions, and cilantro if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Black Bean & Chicken Enchilada Lasagna — The Flavors We Fold Into Family