Making enchiladas for your family can be a time-consuming all-day affair. This recipe incorporates the flavors of enchiladas using an easier layering approach that yields a beautiful, filling, and flavor-packed result!
A Layered Mexican Beef Enchilada Designed to Satisfy Your Family
Making enchiladas for your family can be a time-consuming all-day affair. This recipe incorporates the flavors of enchiladas using an easier layering approach that yields a beautiful, filling, and flavor-packed result!
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lbs ground beef ( (85% lean))
- 2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
- 3 medium sized tomatoes (medium dice)
- 1 large white onion (medium dice)
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 jalapeno pepper
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tbsp cumin powder
- ½ bunch fresh cilantro
- ½ can chipotles in adobo (with liquid, finely chopped.)
- 6-8 tortillas,corn or flour.
- 1 Juice of lime
- 16 oz cheese (4 cheese grated mix works well)
- 1 Lime (cut into wedges.)
- 1 avocado ( for garnish.)
- ¼ cup sour cream (for garnish.)
- Salt & freshly ground black pepper (to taste. )
Instructions
- Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick or stainless steel saute pan, until very hot and nearly smoking
- Add your ground beef and brown on high heat
- Making sure not to overcook the beef
- It is OK if some pieces of the ground beef are still undercooked when you remove from the saute pan.
- The goal here is to add color to some of the beef before it finishes cooking later in the sauce.
- Remove the beef and set aside.
- Turn down the heat to medium
- Cook your tomato paste for 3-5 minutes in the fat and drippings from the beef
- Making sure to remove any browned beef particles from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the chopped white onion and continue to cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat, until the onions are translucent.
- Add your tomatoes and peppers and continue to cook down for an additional 5 minutes.
- Add your chopped garlic and jalapenos and add the chipotles in adobo.
- Add your dry spices and continue to cook for twenty minutes.
- Add the ground beef and continue to cook gently on low heat for another ten minutes until the mixture reaches a slightly dry and not dripping consistency.
- Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, to taste
- Add your juice of one lime.
- Mix in the chopped cilantro and set aside your beef filling mix for later.
- Add a small amount of vegetable oil to a nonstick pan and fry both sides of each tortilla.
- Reserve tortillas on paper towels to drain off excess oil.
- Preheat your oven to 375F.
- Now, you can begin to build your epic enchilada pie
- Start with a tortilla on the bottom of your baking dish
- Add a scant layer of finely shredded cheese.
- Next, add a layer of your beef filling and distribute this filling evenly across the tortilla.
- Top the layer of beef with another minimal layer of shredded cheese.
- Repeat this process until you have created a stacked and layered lasagna-type enchilada pie.
- Top the final tortilla with a layer of cheese and bake at 375F for 20 minutes, until warmed through.
- Increase heat to 425F for the final five minutes if you want your top to be browned and crispy.
- To serve, cut the pie into slices and garnish with fresh lime, salted avocado, and salt & black pepper.
- Add your favorite hot sauce and sour cream if you like!
