Ground Beef Enchiladas
I need to get something off my chest. I was hesitant to post this recipe because it’s not authentic. Whenever I see bloggers post “Italian” recipes, I roll my eyes anticipating that they’re going to get it all wrong and I felt like a bit of a fraud posting this recipe (not saying that those people are frauds btw). For example, if I see a Pasta a la Carbonara recipe that uses cream, I immediately exit. I know I’m being unfair and I also know that I’m a complete and total hypocrite for sharing a Mexican recipe that it not authentic, yet here I am. My justification is this: though my recipes may not always be authentic, there’s always some sort of inspiration behind them. My focus is on making food tasty, fun, easy and realistic for the everyday cook/mom who’s just trying to get dinner on the table, ya feel me? I like to use ingredients that that don’t require a special trip to the grocery store and for whatever reason, I don’t feel like whole dried ancho chiles are a staple in everyone pantry. So no, this recipe is not authentic but it is de-freaking-licious and my almost-three-year-old gobbled it right up.
Let’s chat ingredients, shall we? Chili Powder is one of seven spices that I always have on hand and is an important ingredient when making the enchilada sauce. My enchilada sauce is simpler and requires fewer steps than the traditional way of making it which involves soaking and blending a variety of dried chiles. For that reason, I think my version is a great option for those of you who want to make the sauce from scratch without having to buy special ingredients that you’ll only use a handful of times. For the tomato base of the enchilada sauce, I used passata (pureed/strained tomatoes) because I have cases of it in my basement. If you don’t have any of that, an alternative would be to use canned whole or crushed tomatoes and blend those. Plain sauce without any added spices or seasonings is best so that it doesn’t compete with the other flavours in the enchilada sauce and filling.
One of the initial steps to making the Enchilada Sauce requires you to cook the chili powder in a bit of oil. This helps release the natural oils of the chili powder which helps to ‘wake up’ the spice, so to speak. When you’re doing this step, make sure to keep the heat on the lowest possible setting and stir constantly. If the heat is too high and the pot is left unattended, the chili powder will burn and become incredibly bitter, leaving you no choice but to start over again. If you wanted to make this sauce ahead of time, you could certainly do so and store in your fridge for up to four days. Even though it’s call “enchilada” sauce, there’s nothing to stop you from using this on other foods like eggs, soups or even just to dip your chicken in “Swiss Chalet sauce” style.
Enchiladas with Ground Beef & Home Made Enchilada Sauce
Life From the Playpen | April 2020
Prep Time: 10 mins | Cook Time: 30 mins |
Total Time: 40 mins
Servings: 4-6
INGREDIENTS
For the enchilada sauce:
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 3-4 Tbsp Chili Powder
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 1/4 Cups Tomato Puree
- 1 Bullion Cube
- 2 Cups Water
- S&P
For the ground beef:
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 tbsp Taco Seasoning
- Salt & Pepper
For the enchiladas:
- 8 Flour or Corn Tortillas
- 2 Cups Shredded Cheese
- 2tbsp Cilantro, chopped (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 375°
- In a medium sauce pan, add vegetable oil and chili powder and cook over low heat, stirring frequently. Once fragrant (3-4mins) add garlic powder, dried oregano. Add tomato sauce, boullion base and water to the pot and continue to cook over medium heat. Allow the sauce to come up to a boil, stir and remove from the heat.
- In a large skillet over medium/high heat, add ground beef and taco seasoning. Season with salt and pepper (if your taco seasoning isn't salted) and fully cook through.
- Coat the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish a layer of enchilada sauce. To each tortilla, spread a thin and even layer of enchilada sauc and fill with beef mixture and cheese. Roll each tortilla and place them seam side down in the baking dish. Top tortillas with additional enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake for 15 mintues and then broil on high heat for an additional 5 minutes. Top with cilantro and sour cream.
