What’s Cooking in Kelli’s Kitchen - Cheesy Green Chile Bean Bake

I can’t remember a January when I was quite so busy. On the day-to-day, I work with new small business owners and entrepreneurs to launch and grow their businesses through the Churchill Entrepreneur Development Association and the Nevada Small Business Development Center. Almost every day, I hear from another new person looking to start a business in Churchill County, which is fantastic. At the same time, my calendar is a mess, and sometimes it is suddenly five o’clock when I was sure that just five minutes ago, it was two. That is 100% the situation as I sit here typing this article.

When we are super busy, it can be overwhelming trying to come up with something to make for dinner and rally the energy and enthusiasm to actually make it. The flip side is that a healthy home-cooked dinner gives us the nourishment that we need to sustain ourselves through these times. A helpful tactic is to have some quick and simple recipes in our back pockets to pull out when we might otherwise choose to order out and drive through a take-out line.
Here’s what I am making for dinner tonight:

Cheesy Green Chile Bean Bake
By Ali Slagle

INGREDIENTS:
1 T vegetable oil
2 poblano chiles, seeds and stems removed & coarsely chopped
Salt and pepper
2 (15-ounce) cans of pinto beans, rinsed
1 package of Mexican chorizo
1 (16-ounce) jar salsa verde, or 1 2/4 c homemade salsa verde
¼ c packed cilantro leaves, stems reserved and finely chopped
1 ½ c grated Monterrey Jack cheese
Lime wedges for serving

DIRECTIONS:

1. Arrange an oven rack in the upper third of the oven and heat the broiler to high.
2. In a large, ovenproof skillet, heat oil to medium-high. Add the poblanos and cook without stirring until they are browned underneath (3 minutes).
3. Season with salt and pepper, and continue cooking, stirring occasionally for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Stir in the beans, Mexican chorizo, salsa verde, and cilantro stems. Simmer until the chorizo is cooked through and the sauce is thickened slightly.
5. Turn off heat, sprinkle the cheese over the top, and broil until melted and browned in spots, 2-3 minutes. Serve right away, topped with cilantro leaves and a squeeze of lime.