Beef Enchiladas

Credit: Brad Kidwell

Firehouse Servings: 4

Ingredients:

  • 2 lbs of ground chuck
  • 1 lb of block cheddar cheese
  • 2 cups of chopped onion
  • 2 jalepenos
  • 1 can of black beans
  • 1/2 block of cream cheese (OPTIONAL)
  • 2 large cans or make your own red enchilada sauce ***
  • soft taco shells (6 to 10)

*** I prefer to make my own. The link leads to the recipe.

Chop the onion and jalapeno, and begin cooking the beef.

Add the onion, jalapeno and black beans to the cooked beef.

I forgot the black beans.

Shred the cheese. All of it.

Turn off the heat to the beef, and stir in half the cheese until it melts. Optionally, you can add 1/2 a block of cream cheese instead of or in addition too the shredded cheese.

After the cheese melts, add some enchilada sauce.

I got the cheese to hot, and it broke down. Doesn’t kill it, but the mixture will be runny, not creamy.

Now mix it all and prepare a baking dish. I prefer glass. Put some enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish to start. One at a time, submerge your flour tortilla in the warm enchilada sauce and let it soak for at least 10 seconds. After that, I place it in the baking dish, and use a measuring cup to add the filling for consistency.

Gloved hands make this easy.
I used the CUP measuring cup.
I made 6 big ones.

If there is not enough tortilla’s or not enough baking dishes, or for what ever reason, I put the rest of the filling on top of the enchiladas and then top with the remaining cheese. At this point, they can sit in the fridge, or on the counter top if less than an hour before baking. When ready I place them in a preheated oven of 350 degrees for about 20 to 30 minutes. I usually serve with rice and re-fried beans.

I apologize for no pictures of theses last steps, I got hungry, and distracted and forgot to take them.