The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil plus additional for frying tortillas
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, minced with seeds removed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 cup beef broth
2 8 oz cans tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
12 corn tortillas
16 oz Colby Jack
Sour cream for serving
Instructions
First, sauté the onions and jalapenos over medium-low heat in a large pan until the onions start to soften and turn translucent. This usually takes 2-3 minutes. It is important to use a large pan for this step as you will be adding most of the other ingredients to the pan as well. Stir in garlic and cook for a minute more. Increase the heat and add ground beef to the skillet until the meat is browned and cooked through. Add beef broth, tomato sauce, chili powder, sugar, cumin, salt, and pepper to the pan and stir until all the ingredients are combined. Let simmer over low heat for 10 minutes or until the sauce has reduced slightly. Once it has reduced, stir in the cilantro.
Meanwhile, in a smaller pan, lightly fry the tortillas in vegetable oil. The tortillas should still be soft and pliable, not crispy, so they can be rolled. Frying the tortillas prevents them from getting soggy once you bake the enchiladas. Set tortillas aside with paper towels in between each tortilla to prevent sticking. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and spray a 9×13 pan with non-stick cooking spray.
To assemble the enchiladas, start by adding ½ cup of the enchilada sauce to the bottom of the baking pan. Evenly distribute the meat mixture into each of the tortillas and add cheese (I recommend using a slotted spoon to distribute the meat mixture into the tortillas so you will have extra sauce to pour on top of the assembled enchiladas). Roll the tortillas and set in the baking dish, seam down. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the rolled tortillas and top with cheese. Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until it is heated through and is hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve with sour cream!
I love cilantro but you can certainly leave it out if you do not care for it. Instead, try topping it with freshly cut parsley.
This recipe is so tasty and easy to make, you will never go back to enchilada sauce from a can! This recipe is so simple in fact that you may already have a lot of the ingredients on hand. It also makes it easier if you dice and shred all the ingredients beforehand and have them laid out. These beef enchiladas also freeze well! After cooking them, let the enchiladas cool off completely, cover tightly and freeze. It’s a perfect lunch for the week!