Tag Archives: enchilada recipe

Main Dishes

Beefy Cheesy Enchiladas

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You know how some days you just don’t want to cook?  Well, I’ve had more than my usual share of those lately.  I usually have a whole list of simple “throw it together” meals just for this reason.  You know, like pasta.  Or cereal.

But the other day, even those seemed like far too much work.  I just… couldn’t.  So I figure, we can order something to go and pick it up, no problem.  Well, did I ever find a keeper.  My fiancee says, no worries, I will cook tonight!  I’m immediately intrigued.  I figure there’s now a 98% chance I’ll be eating burritos.  (Trust me, that’s maybe an under estimation).

What are you going to make?  I ask, as he starts poking around in the refrigerator.  Oh, you’ll see… is the only answer I get.  He’s a man of many mysteries.

With a glass of wine, I settled in to watch the meal unfold.  I could almost see the wheels turning in his head as he pulled out one ingredient after another.  Ground beef… frozen peppers… shredded cheddar cheese… Do we have corn tortillas?

I’m 100% sure it’s burritos now, and ask him as much.  No… not exactly. And your one guess is gone now.  Hmmm…

Ingredients:

  • 20 small corn tortillas
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1/2 bell pepper, diced
  • Jar of jalapenos
  • 2-4 tbsp butter
  • Chili powder
  • Salt & pepper
  • 2-3 tbsp flour
  • Optional: refried beans & rice

Corn tortilla for enchilada in pan

Step 1: First he browned the beef in the pan, adding in some chili powder.  After removing that and setting it aside, he diced the peppers finely, and added it to the pan with the butter and a healthy splash of juice from the jarred jalapenos (which I made last spring).

Enchiladas being prepared

Step 2: One by one, over medium-low heat, each tortilla was placed in the pan until softened (to add flavor, he said) and then moved to an aluminum pan.

Putting cheese in the enchiladas

Step 3: Each soft tortilla had a healthy handful of beef added, and a big pinch of cheese.  AHA!  You’re making enchiladas!  He smiled, you got it!  Awesome! … but I was basically right, because enchiladas are just baked burritos.

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(Sneak peek of the gorgeous finished product!)

You can use other fillings here too, I didn’t even have to ask but he made a few veggie burritos for me, with black beans, spinach, and mushrooms!  Try more peppers, onions, or different types of beans.

Enchiladas in pan ready for oven

Step 4: For the sauce, he simply added a few tbsp flour to the juices still left in the pan to thicken it up.  With the pepper chunks in it, he poured that over everything, and sprinkled on more cheese (of course).

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Step 5: Put into an oven preheated to 350 degrees, and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cheese is melty and bubbly.

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This is the lovely finished product!

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Top as you like.  We had some cilantro left from a previous Mexican night, as well as salsa, sour cream, and of course more jalapenos!

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Throughout the process, rice had been cooking in the rice cooker, and it went off just as the enchiladas were about done.  With a can of refried beans, the meal was complete.

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A fiancee-approved meal!

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I also had some lime wedges, which I think are just about required with Mexican food.  The tartness helps cut the spice a little.  Plus it looks nice.  🙂

I’ll need to not want to cook more often…

Casseroles, Comfort food, Crock pot, Main Dishes, Slow cooker

Crock Pot Chicken Enchiladas

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A total workhorse in my kitchen, the humble Crock Pot (or slow cooker) is an absolute life-saver on weekdays when you just don’t have the time to cook, or to help prep ahead of time. There is something so satisfying about just tossing everything in the pot in the morning, then coming home after a long day to a house that smells like love.

(Food = Love, you see)

While the crock pot has certainly proven its worth time and time again with soups & stews like crock pot tortilla soup, chili, or red pozole with pork, and other favorites like apple sauce and cheddar broccoli rice, it is also awesome at making easy enchiladas!

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Enchiladas are a great one-pot meal, and can be made with any meat you like, or made vegetarian by using only beans, tofu, and/or cheese as the filling. This recipe adds a little spice to the meat mixture as well as using whole jalapenos for a kick. And I used regular old tomato sauce because I didn’t have any enchilada sauce.

So if you want to make enchiladas with no enchilada sauce, I got you.

Ingredients:

  • 12 10 inch tortillas (I used flour, but you can use corn too)
  • 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked & shredded
  • 1 can refried beans
  • about 1 cup salsa
  • 1/2 cup sliced jalapenos
  • about 1 cup shredded cheese

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Step 1: Lay out your tortilla, and spread 1-2 tbsp of refried bean in the center. You can use regular canned beans of any kind as well.

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Step 2: Put a layer of shredded chicken on top of the beans, as well as some hot salsa, shredded cheese, and a few sliced jalapenos.

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Step 3: Wrap the tortillas up like a burrito, and layer in a sprayed crock pot. Once you have a bottom layer of 2-3, pour on a few tbsp tomato sauce. Then layer on a few more. Repeat until you use up all the tortillas.

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Step 4: Sprinkle the top layer with a little more cheese and some more jalapeno slices, then set the crock pot on low for 4-6 hours.

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They bake up perfectly, soft on the inside with a little bit of crisp, and just the right amount of heat.

[amd-zlrecipe-recipe:32]

Main Dishes

Chicken & Cheese Enchiliadas

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It’s no secret that I love all Mexican foods. I’ve written about how I made the perfect refried beans, many variations on tacos, and the simple pizza-like toastadas. I’ve been meaning to tackle a particularly intimidating recipe for a while: enchiladas.
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You may not think enchiladas are intimidating, but for whatever reason I kept thinking it would be hard to make these. Then the s.o. requested it, I had a big stack of tortillas in the fridge, and so I was like, ok it’s time.
Turns out, they weren’t so scary after all. And damn delicious.
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Ingredients:
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
7 tortillas
2 tbsp taco seasoning
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup refried beans
1 cup shredded cheese mix
1 can tomato sauce
1-2 tbsp sriracha
I used large flour tortillas here, I know corn is the norm. But trust me, no one was upset about these. Give it a try, or go ahead and use corn if that’s what you have.
Step 1: Cook the chicken either in the oven, frying pan, or poach in boiling water. Use two forks to shred it finely. Cook in a pan with a little butter and taco seasoning.
Step 2: In each tortilla, spread a few tbsp beans, a handful of shredded chicken, and sprinkle on some cheese. Roll up, and place with the seam-side down in a sprayed oven-safe pan.
Step 4: Once the pan is full, sprinkle more cheese over top, then pour the tomato sauce over everything. Use as much as you need to cover the tops, but not to soak them. (Sidenote, I hate the taste of regular enchilada sauce at restaurants, that’s why I went the homemade tomato sauce version. If you like it or have a jar of enchilada sauce at home, feel free to use that.)
Step 5: Squirt on a thin layer of sriracha and/or hot sauce, and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes.
We ended up having two each, and the leftovers didn’t last more than a day. These could be made in the crock pot as well, simply assemble and leave on low all day. Make sure to add extra sauce so they don’t burn if you go that route.
Serve with a little sour cream on top to cut the spice if that’s your thing.
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You could make the vegetarian by adding extra grilled veggies or tofu instead of chicken, and just feel free to add in some onions and peppers regardless of what else is in there.
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What’s your favorite Mexican food?
Slow cooker

Slow cooker enchiladas

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Since I have no oven in my current apartment, I have been looking for new and creative recipes to try in the slow cooker. I found one for enchiladas on Allrecipes.com and decided to use that as the basis for dinner tonight. Of course, I am terrible about measurements, so maybe you’ll want to look up their recipe if you want exact amounts.
Ingredients:
~1.5 lbs ground beef
1/2 cup taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
1 can cream of chicken
1 cup salsa
handful of fresh cilantro (because it was on sale 0.74 a bunch!)
Corn tortillas
Shredded cheese
Step 1: Brown the ground beef in a skillet. Drain off as much of the grease as you can. Add the taco seasoning and water, and cook the seasoning into the beef until most is absorbed. This is the second layer over the tortillas.
Step 2: Mix the chicken soup, salsa and diced cilantro in a bowl. This will be your third layer.


Step 3: Spray the inside of the crock pot so hopefully there will be no burnt-on mess later. Put down a layer or 2 of tortillas. Then a layer of meat. Then the cheese mixture. Over the topmost layer of beef, I added some slices of pepper jack to give it an extra little kick.

Keep layering until you use all the beef and soup mixture. Put a top layer of tortillas on and sprinkle with more cheese. 
Put on High for 45 minutes to 1 hour. We will see in an hour how well I did!