Texas Red Enchiladas
A delectable Mexican dish featuring tortillas filled with a savory meat mixture and smothered in a rich enchilada sauce.
A delectable Mexican dish featuring tortillas filled with a savory meat mixture and smothered in a rich enchilada sauce.
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- red enchilada sauce i used old el paso
- 1 (14 ounce) can chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt or less, (to taste) divided use
- 1 tablespoon dried cilantro or fresh, chopped
- 1 1/2 lb lean ground meat
- 1 4-ounce can chopped green chili peppers
- 1 package flour tortillas medium sized
- 3 cups sharp cheddar cheese grated
- 1/2 cup black olives chopped - optional
- 1 cup green onions chopped, tops included
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped - optional
- Carbohydrate 34.1098247489921 g
- Cholesterol 145.46 mg
- Fat 46.7023913333204 g
- Fiber 3.78221243553768 g
- Protein 42.8327722498636 g
- Saturated Fat 21.8129085416646 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (390g)
- Sodium 1370.91209999997 mg
- Sugar 30.3276123134544 g
- Trans Fat 4.34876954166238 g
- Calories 733 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large pan, over medium heat, combine oil and flour, and cook for one minute, stirring to make a paste. Add enchilada sauce, chicken broth, 1/2 teaspoon of salt (or less to taste), black pepper, and dried or fresh cilantro. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Brown the meat with the onion, and drain fat. Add the green chilies, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the cumin, and heat again for about two minutes, stirring to mix well. Set meat mixture aside.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and put 1/4 cup of sauce in a 9 x 13 inch baking dish, spreading sauce to cover the bottom of the pan. Dip each tortilla in the enchilada sauce, and place on a plate. Spoon some of the meat mixture into the tortilla, and add some grated cheese, a little chopped green onion, and olives, if desired. Roll the tortilla up, and place seam side down in the baking dish on top of the enchilada sauce. Continue dipping tortillas, filling them, and placing them in the pan until the pan has been filled. Pour what is left of the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, and top generously with grated cheese, and remaining chopped green onion.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes or until nice and bubbly. Garnish with fresh cilantro, if desired.
Simmering the sauce for thirty to forty-five minutes is the critical path here, allowing the flour-and-oil roux to fully hydrate and thicken the chicken broth and canned enchilada base without scorching. Because this sauce reduction takes nearly an hour, brown the lean ground meat and onions simultaneously in a separate skillet to maximize kitchen efficiency.
- Cook the initial flour and canola oil paste over medium heat for precisely one minute to eliminate raw starch flavors before introducing the liquids.
- Drain excess rendered fat thoroughly after browning the meat so the filling does not saturate the tortillas during the rolling phase.
- Coat each tortilla lightly in the warm sauce before filling to soften the structure, preventing tearing when you roll them seam-side down into the nine-by-thirteen-inch baking dish.
- Bake the assembled dish at three hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit for twenty to thirty minutes until the sharp cheddar cheese melts completely and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
Standard metal baking pans distribute heat quickly, but glass or ceramic dishes retain thermal energy longer, which may require a slight extension of the baking window. Proper sequencing ensures the sauce achieves the correct viscosity while the meat stays hot and ready for assembly.
