Day Twenty-Six - Beef Enchiladas (2.27.14)

Ingredients

Enchilada Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 red pepper, chopped
• 1 green pepper, chopped
• 1/2 red onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 6 ounces white cheddar cheese, freshly grated
• 10 whole wheat tortillas

Enchilada Sauce Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
• 15 ounces tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add in the olive oil along with the peppers, onions and garlic. Cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the green chiles then add the beef. Break the beef apart with a spoon and add the cumin, paprika, chili powder, salt and pepper. Cook until the beef is browned, stirring well. Turn off heat.
3. Add 1/3 cup of the enchilada sauce and 2 ounces of the cheese to the skillet. Add another 1/3 cup of the sauce to the bottom of the baking dish and spread it out with a spoon. Add the beef filling to the center of each tortilla and rolls them tightly, placing them next to each other in the dish. When finished, cover the tortillas with the remaining sauce and cheese. Bake for 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden and melted on top.

Enchilada Sauce

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the olive oil. Whisk in the flour and cook until it is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and whisk together, bringing the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 5 more minutes before using.

Opinions

Potter: You may have noticed that this recipe makes ten enchiladas yet in the picture it looks like the entirety of the baking dish only contains three. That's because of events that I'm not going to tell you. It's just going to be a mystery, Encyclopedia Brown. In any event, these turned out to be delicious homemade enchiladas, plus enchilada is just fun to say. If you you like your food a little spicier you may want to add a little more of the hot stuff but definitely not necessary for flavor.

Katie: First time making homemade enchiladas and they turned out great!! I agree with Potter's advice above for spicy level. The reason there are only 3 in the picture is because the casserole dish with the other 8 enchiladas was dropped upside down on to the open oven door by Potter. :) The cheese and sauce on top spread over the oven door and we were able to salvage all enchiladas as well as most of the sauce and cheese but the presentation was just horrible! Mystery solved, Scooby Doo. Love you Potter!