Last week I turned all those turnip greens and the big head of bok choy into Creamed Greens. It was so simple and that large slow cooker full of greens cooked down with no attention from me, taking about two hours to go from shredded greens to luscious. It was a hit during the dinner party I gave Friday and then leftovers topped baked potatoes the following day for an easy dinner. It put me in the mood for other slow cooker dishes – and I’m sharing this enchilada casserole recipe. It’s got canned enchilada sauce and, yes, boxed corn muffin mix. Don’t judge. But feel free to substitute your own favorite recipe for corn bread as the topping. It’s been a big hit every time I’ve served it.
Ingredients:
2 cups peeled and chopped butternut squash or acorn squash 1 (15 1/2-ounce) can hominy, rinsed and drained 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup chopped onion) 3/4 cup chopped sweet pepper 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chile peppers, undrained 1/2 cup salsa 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 teaspoon salt 1 (10-ounce) can enchilada sauce 1 (8 1/2-ounce) package corn muffin mix 1 cup shredded pepper jack 1/3 cup milk 1 egg, lightly beaten Sour cream Snipped fresh cilantro
Preparation:
In a 3 1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker combine squash, hominy, black beans, onion, sweet pepper, chile peppers, salsa, garlic, and salt. Pour enchilada sauce over mixture in cooker.
Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours.
For dumplings, in a medium bowl stir together corn muffin mix, 1/2 cup of the cheese, the milk, and egg just until combined.
If using low-heat setting, turn cooker to high-heat setting. Stir squash mixture. Spoon dumpling dough by tablespoons into four to six mounds on top of mixture in cooker, spacing mounds evenly. Cover and cook about 50 minutes more or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of dumplings comes out clean. (Do not lift cover during cooking.)
Sprinkle dumplings with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Turn off cooker. If possible, remove crockery liner from cooker. Let stand, uncovered, for 20 minutes before serving. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro.