This easy recipe for Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas is a family favorite! Lightly fried corn tortillas are filled with cheese, covered with a tomato and green chile sauce, more cheese, and then baked.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
●Igredients
●Instructions
●Serve
Ingredients
For the enchiladas:
●About 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or other cooking oil, divided
●12 corn tortillas
●1/2 onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
●1 clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
●1 (14-ounce can) crushed tomatoes, preferably fire roasted
●3/4 cup chopped cooked green chiles (about a 4-ounce can), or 1/3 cup chopped pickled jalapeños (more or less to taste)
●1/2 cup water
●1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
●1 pound Jack cheese, mild cheddar, or a mix, grated (4 cups), divided
To serve:
●1/2 head iceberg lettuce
●2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
●Sprinkle of salt
●1 cup sour cream
●Handful cilantro
Method
1.Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2.Lightly fry the tortillas to soften:
In a large frying pan at medium-high heat, add a tablespoon of oil. When the oil is shimmering and hot, add a corn tortilla to the pan. Cook it for several seconds, use a metal spatula to turn it over, and cook it for few seconds more.
You can soften all of the tortillas this way, one at a time, or you can use my mom’s trick of doubling and tripling up the tortillas to absorb excess fat.
My mother places another tortilla either on top of the tortilla in the pan (and then flips both tortillas), or beneath it. In either case, the tortilla picks up some of the excess fat from the first tortilla.
You can continue “stacking” tortillas, removing the ones that have bubbled, softened and lightly browned, while adding more oil as needed to the pan.
This way you can brown and soften the tortillas without using a lot of fat.
As the tortillas brown a little, remove them to a plate.
3.Make the enchilada sauce:
Heat 2 teaspoons olive oil in a large sauté pan on medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
Add the crushed tomatoes, green chiles, 1/2 cup of water, and oregano. Bring to a simmer and taste. If the sauce tastes too vinegary, add half a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce. Remove from heat.
4.Roll up the tortillas with cheese:
Put a little olive oil on the bottom of a 3-quart (9×13) casserole pan. Cover 2/3 of a tortilla lightly with the shredded cheese, then roll it up and place it in the casserole pan, seam-side down. Continue until all tortillas are filled and rolled.
5.Add the sauce and cheese:
Add sauce to the top of the tortillas in the casserole pan. Make sure the rolled up tortillas are covered with the sauce. If not, add a little water to thin the sauce to spread it more evenly over the tortillas. Cover the whole thing with the rest of the grated cheese.
6.Bake:
Put the casserole in the 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cheese melts.
Serve with sliced (1/3-inch to 1/2-inch) iceberg lettuce that has been sprinkled with apple cider vinegar and salt. Garnish enchiladas with cilantro and sour cream.