Fun Monday: Chicken or beef enchiladas recipe

This is a great post-partum meal or busy mom meal for the freezer, to take to a potluck (people went nuts over the chicken version) or for a family dinner. You could make a small batch or make the full recipe and freeze half for another meal or weekday lunches. We eat the equivalent of an 8×8 or half a 9×13 (I know!) just the 4 real food eaters. For larger family or emergency back up you could make TWO batches, it’s not any more work, you just use bigger pans! You’re already heating the oven anyway, you might as well get several meals out of it! It bakes in less than 30 minutes, so once the prep work is done, clean up is a snap and dinner is on the table in under an hour!

 

I love that there’s no ‘pre-mixed’ option for the spice, you put it in yourself, so it can be as spicy (or not) as you want! Plus you can control the fat, salt and calories depending on what ingredients you use. We always had enchilada packets growing up, but were thrilled to find a less salty option as adults, and it led to us making our own taco spice, too. Since we already have the spices it’s fairly inexpensive as well.

 

Unless they add something to tomato sauce to make it not gluten free, you could use corn tortillas for a GF option. We have also added beans before (making them burritos) and tried several different meat options, all of which taste really good. We typically tackle this together, since it doesn’t take long for 2 people to make it, and then one holds the tortilla and rolls while the other spoons it in and grabs another tortilla. Then we cuddle with the kids while it bakes!

 

Enchiladas–Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Filling:

1 lb ground beef (we season this as usual with salt and pepper in addition to what is below)

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/2 cup sour cream

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (plus more for topping)

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

 

Sauce:

15 oz can tomato sauce (or two 8 oz cans)

2/3 cup water

1 clove (teaspoon) garlic, minced

1 and 1/2  to 2 t chili powder

1/2 t oregano

1/4 t cumin

 

Brown beef and onion, drain. For chicken use shredded pre-cooked chicken or your favorite ground meat. Meanwhile, combine sauce ingredients in a saucepan, heat to boiling and simmer for 5 minutes. Mix browned beef and other filling ingredients in a large bowl. Warm tortillas. Add filling to tortillas, roll up and put in a greased 9×13 pan. Pour warmed sauce over enchiladas. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Add cheese to the top and return to the oven for 5 more minutes.