Enchilada Casserole
From Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2012 Serve with Spicy Black Beans I used pepperjack cheese and diced a jalapeno very small
From Cooking Light Jan/Feb 2012 Serve with Spicy Black Beans I used pepperjack cheese and diced a jalapeno very small
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 1/2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup low sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon low sodium taco seasoning mix
- 1 8 ounce can no salt tomato sauce
- 4 8 inch whole wheat flour tortillas
- 1/3 cup shredded monterey jack cheese with jalapeno peppers
- Carbohydrate 5.33542156023212 g
- Cholesterol 186.13342 mg
- Fat 62.6343296874709 g
- Fiber 0.479021884130165 g
- Protein 39.487311255693 g
- Saturated Fat 25.2079602685954 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (325g)
- Sodium 419.862756449941 mg
- Sugar 4.85639967610195 g
- Trans Fat 14.8223033282403 g
- Calories 753 calories
Step-by-step
- Heat a large non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add beef and onion to pan; cook 6 minutes, stirring to crumble.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic; saute 1 minute. Sprinkle with flour, cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add broth, taco seasoning, and tomato sauce to pan. Bring to a boil; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 1 1/2 cups tomato mixture to beef mixture; reserving 1/2 cup tomato mixture.
- Place 1 tortilla in a 9 inch pie plate. Top with 1 cup beef mixture. Repeat layers, ending with tortilla. Spread reserved tomato mixture over tortilla. Top with cheese.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Cool slightly. Cut into 4 wedges.
Swapping canned tomato sauce for fresh roasted pureed plum tomatoes shifts the moisture balance significantly, requiring an extra minute of reduction in the saucepan to prevent a soggy crust. Preserved products offer standardized acidity and density, whereas fresh produce demands sensory evaluation during the reduction phase to judge thickness.
Thermal Control and Layering Mechanics
Baking this dish at 400 degrees Fahrenheit requires a heavy-gauge 9-inch pie plate to distribute heat evenly without scorching the bottom tortilla. Cast iron functions well as an alternative baking vessel if preheated slightly, though glass slows down bottom browning. Stir the ground beef and chopped onion over medium-high heat for precisely six minutes to render excess fat before combining the elements. Cook the flour and butter roux for only thirty seconds; raw flour flavor disappears quickly under the influence of the beef broth and tomato liquids.
- If the sauce becomes too thick during boiling, thin it with warm beef broth one tablespoon at a time.
- Shred block Monterey Jack cheese manually instead of buying pre-bagged varieties to avoid anti-caking cellulose coatings that inhibit smooth melting.
- Let the baked casserole rest for five minutes before cutting to allow the cheese proteins to set.
