Enchiladas

 

Whitney asked me for my recipe for enchiladas yesterday, so I’m sharing here for all.

Enchiladas are such a great meal for a crowd.  You can make them the day before, which gives you more time to do other things on the day of an event, like scouring the floor for the tiny legos that get stuck between your toes.

When I’m making them for a lot of people, frequently I will do a batch of flour tortillas with a cream sauce and a batch of corn tortillas with red sauce.  I vary them up, making some with chicken and some with cheese and black beans. I get out every rectangular baking dish I have and try to fill them all up with these yummy pockets of goodness.

I try to make a couple of extra pans to throw in the freezer for a busy night or to take to a friend.  So double or triple these recipes as needed!

In the words of Ina‘s latest and greatest cookbook, how easy is that?

Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas

1 can black beans

2-3 cups shredded cheese (I like sharp cheddar, but you can use a Mexican blend if you prefer that)

1 small can chopped green chilies, optional

cilantro

salt and pepper

Sauce Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons chili powder

2 teaspoons cumin

2 tablespoons sugar

1 cup water

1 can (16oz) tomato sauce

juice from two limes

Heat oil in a skillet (I use cast iron).  Add onion and garlic.  Stir for two minutes, then add salt, chili powder, cumin and sugar.  Cook for another minute.  Then add water, tomato sauce and lime juice.   Bring to a simmer and cook 5-10 more minutes.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Combine half of the sauce with black beans (can also use chicken here), 2 cups cheese, green chilies, cilantro to taste.

Lightly oil your baking pan.  Fill each tortilla with enchilada mix.  Roll and place them tightly next to one another, seam side down in the pan.

Pour the rest of the sauce over the top of the tortillas and spread the remaining cheese on top of the sauce.

Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes at 375.  Remove foil and bake 5 more minutes.

(If frozen, allow 70-80 minutes for cooking.)

Serve with salsa, guacamole and fresh cilantro.

Enchiladas with White Sauce

2-3 cups cooked chicken

3 cups shredded cheese (I use sharp cheddar)

1 can Rotel

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

12 flour tortillas (I use whole wheat)

Mix chicken with the can of Rotel and 2 cups of cheese.

Fill tortillas with this mixture and press tightly next to each other in a baking dish.

Mix cream of chicken soup and sour cream together.  Spread this mixture over the tortillas.

Spread remaining cheese on top.

Cover with foil and bake 20-25 minutes at 375.  Remove foil and bake 5 more minutes.

(If frozen, allow 70-80 minutes for cooking.)

Serve with salsa, guacamole and fresh cilantro.

Notes and variations:

Sometimes I mix a cup of each of the sauces (this usually happens because I have odd amounts left that would make another pan together, but not on its own) and fill either kind of tortilla shell to end up with one pan that is more of a pink sauce than red or white.  I also sometimes add salsa on top of the white sauce enchiladas.  You can trade the chicken and the black beans, or add chicken to the red sauce enchiladas.  Add extra cans of green chilies if you like them more spicy.  You can be creative to use up whatever you happen to have left at the end of rolling tortillas.

Also, read here how you can make your own cream of chicken condensed soup if the regular canned version is a little scary to you.  I prefer the red sauce and corn tortillas, so I am usually staying away from actually consuming the cream of chicken soup.  I’m just feeding it to my friends and family.  I’m considerate like that.

Enjoy!