It's fall and that meals football season and lazy Sundays! This past Sunday in particular was spent with my Packers-loving boyfriend yelling at the TV but so it goes sometimes. To help subdue the yelling I whipped up this epic Beef & Bean Skillet Enchilada Dip!

My most recent delivery from New England Country Mart contained a pound of Maine Grains Pinto Beans and a pound of Kinnealy Ground Beef which happen to be the star ingredients of this simple recipe. Both are also a great foundation for meal planning since you can make a large batch of refried beans, taco meat, and enchilada sauce to use for dinner later in the week. If meal planning isn't your thing you can quickly cut corners with canned refried beans and canned enchilada sauce but there's nothing like homemade! 

Beef & Bean Enchilada Dip 

NECM Shopping List

Maine Grains Pinto Beans 

Kinnealy Ground Beef
Cilantro
Jalapenos (optional)
Cotija Cheese
Cabot Sharp Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Montecito Roadhouse Tortilla Chips

From the pantry...

16 oz. Refried Beans (canned or homemade)
10 oz. Enchilada Sauce (canned or homemade)

Directions: Prep oven to 350°F. Dice the jalapeños, crumble desired amount of Cotija cheese, and rough chop cilantro. Set aside. In a medium skillet prepare 1lb. ground beef (for spicier, more flavorful dip add 1/2 package of taco seasoning) mix in enchilada sauce, let simmer for a few minutes and remove from heat. Prep a large cast iron skillet or square glass baking dish and cover bottom 1/3 of the pan with refried beans. Pour taco meat mixture over beans and bake until bubbly. Finish with Cotija, Cabot shredded cheddar cheese, diced jalapeños and cilantro. Serve immediately with tortilla chips. 

I absolutely loved making this recipe! No one makes refried beans like my 92 year old grand mother so I took the opportunity to call her and ask how she makes her refried beans from scratch. The smell of them simmering on the stove immediately took me back to my childhood in her kitchen, it was absolutely magical. My enchilada sauce is also homemade, it's a tex-mex version that has all the flavors of my childhood and is from The Amazing Afterlife of Zimmerman Fees: A Metaphysical Story & Cookbook. I haven't found anything like it and the flavor is absolutely spot on!