Crockpot Enchilada Casserole
- Carbohydrate 174.69943 g
- Cholesterol 154.2218540625 mg
- Fat 57.6662596875 g
- Fiber 38.812599521637 g
- Protein 47.175309067 g
- Saturated Fat 22.7063337248875 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (668g)
- Sodium 10945.8710829625 mg
- Sugar 135.886830478363 g
- Trans Fat 11.948115238375 g
- Calories 1347 calories
Step-by-step
- In a large frying pan, brown the hamburger over med heat then drain well.
- Return to stove and add onions and jalepeno, cook until onion is tender.
- Add diced tomatoes, juice and all and the taco seasoning, heat through then turn off heat.
- In a crock pot, pour 1/2 can enchilada sauce on the bottom, then cover the bottom with the tortillas (mine takes about 3, one on each end and I split one in half to cover the sides).
- Pour half the meat mixture over the tortillas, pour the other 1/2 can of the sauce over the meat mixture, sprinkly some cheese over that.
- Add another layer of tortillas, pour the rest of the meat mixture over the tortillas, top with a 1/2 can of sauce and sprinkle with cheese.
- Add the final layer of tortillas on top, cover with the remainder sauce and cheese.
- Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
- Serve warm and top with sour cream, guacamole and chopped cilantro if desired.
Translating Stacked Enchiladas from Oven to Ceramic
The ingredient manifest leaves out how the slow cooker functions as a sealed moisture chamber. Layered enchiladas, historically known as enchiladas mineras from Guanajuato, traditionally rely on flash-frying tortillas before assembly to prevent them from disintegrating. Counterintuitively, the ceramic crock bypasses this frying step because the steady, enclosed humidity softens the corn masa naturally over a four-to-six-hour low-heat window. When draining the pound and a half of ground beef after browning it over medium heat, ensure zero pooled grease remains, or the excess fat will break the emulsification of the canned sauce and pool on the ceramic rim.
Managing Moisture and Tortilla Integrity
Many cooks ruin slow-cooker casseroles by dumping watery vegetables straight into the ceramic vessel without pre-cooking them first. Sautéing the diced jalapeño and onions alongside the drained beef cooks out excess water that would otherwise turn the corn tortillas into a pasty, unmanageable sludge. Each layer requires precise sauce distribution; pouring half a can at the very base protects the bottom tortilla from scorching against the direct heat zone of the heating element.
Structural Stability and Thermal Control
Dividing the nine corn tortillas correctly requires spatial awareness inside a standard oval crock pot, usually necessitating three tortillas per horizontal tier with overlapping edges to form a solid barrier. Resist the urge to peek under the lid during the final hour of heating, as every time the lid lifts, escaping steam drops the internal temperature by roughly ten to fifteen degrees and extends total cooking time unnecessarily.
