Beef Enchiladas

The beef enchiladas I make tend to take a while.  Even if you take shortcuts (like buying canned enchilada sauce or pre-chopped onions), it takes a good hour and a half to two hours to complete.  However, the end produce is so yummy, it's entirely worth it.

The recipe is broken down into two parts: the beef, and the enchiladas.  First, the beef.

I find it's helpful to gather all your ingredients together to start with.  It saves time in scrambling for them later.

Heat a couple tablespoons of oil in a deep pan. Add onions and saute 3-4 minutes.

Add ground beef and salt, stir it up well.

Cook until it's almost done, then add garlic.

Stir it in and cook for another 3 minutes. Then, add cumin, tomato sauce, oregano, and water.

Cook on medium-high for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Lower heat to low and simmer another 10 minutes.  While your meat's simmering, heat an inch of oil in another pan.  Go ahead and get together the ingredients for the enchiladas themselves.

 This is the tricky part.

Dip your corn tortillas, one at a time, into the hot oil. Let it bubble for ONLY 5-7 SECONDS per side.  Any longer than that, and you'll have made yourself a tostada.

Once softened, place your tortilla in your bowl of sauce, covering it with the sauce.  Stack the rest of the softened tortillas into the bowl the same way.

The sauce tends to get a little hot here, so if your hands are sensitive, you may want to cool the bowl down. I placed mine in the freezer for about 5 minutes.

When your meat's finished and your tortillas are sauced, set up an assembly line: first, the sauced tortillas, then the meat, then the baking pan.

This will make it easier to fill your tortillas and place them in the baking pan.


Spread some enchilada sauce around in the bottom of your baking pan.

Here's the messy part.  Grab a tortilla and cup it in your hand.  With your other hand, carefully spoon the meat into the middle of the tortilla.

Fold the edges together, leaving the ends open, and place them seam-down in the pan.

Continue this with the rest of the tortillas.

Notice how some of my enchiladas are cracked or torn. It's okay! They taste the same!  Now top your enchiladas with a little more sauce, then your cheese and onions.

Bake at 400 degrees for about 5-10 minutes, just long enough to get the cheese all hot and bubbly.  Serve with your Mexican favorites, like rice and beans.

Filling:
2 lbs ground beef
1 onion, finely chopped
3 tbs oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
2+1/4 tsp cumin
3 tbs oregano
1 cup (8oz) tomato sauce
1+1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water

Shells:
15-20 corn tortillas
oil
2 cups cheese
2 cans (about 4 cups) enchilada sauce, emptied into a bowl.
1/4 cup onion, chopped

1. Heat oil, saute onions 3-4 minutes.
2. Add ground beef and salt, cook until almost done.
3. Add garlic, cook 3 minutes.
4. Add cumin, tomato sauce, oregano, and water.
5. Mix well and cook 10 minutes.
6. Reduce heat to low, simmer another 10 minutes.
7. Heat about 1 inch of oil in a pan over medium heat.
8. Dip tortillas, one at a time, into the oil for 5-7 seconds per side.
9. Place softened tortillas into the bowl of enchilada sauce.
10. Fill sauced tortillas with beef, fold, and place into sauced baking pan, seam down.
11. Top with cheese and diced onion.
12. Bake at 400 degrees for 5-10 minute, until the cheese is bubbly.

Enjoy!