Judy's Beef Enchiladas

Do you love Mexican food? Do you sometimes crave the hot, spicy taste of enchiladas? I have the perfect recipe for enchiladas that I use every time one of my family members has that craving.

My younger sister also makes delicious enchiladas and her son requests them every year for his birthday dinner. She makes a wonderful green chili and cheese enchilada. They are a little more complicated; I usually opt for the quick and easy!

My mother's twin sister taught me how to make enchiladas at least 25 years ago. She said she always used El Paso brand tortillas, enchilada sauce and taco sauce. I prefer that brand, too, but if I can't find them in one of the local grocery stores I will use the brand available. My husband and I also prefer the mildest flavor of sauces; they can be found in Mild, Medium, and Hot. When I first started making these you could find the El Paso tortillas in a flat round can and that's what my aunt used. I haven't seen them in the grocery store lately. I substituted the bagged tortillas found in the bread section and they are great.

Ingredients

2 or 3 pounds ground hamburger (I prefer ground chuck)

2 small cans El Paso mild taco sauce

1 package of 24 corn tortillas

2 cans El Paso mild enchilada sauce

½ cup chopped onion

1 16-ounce bar sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Brown hamburger meat. Add 2 small cans taco sauce and cook slowly while preparing the tortillas.

Having tortillas and paper towels handy, I quickly dip tortillas one at a time in and out of hot oil in a heavy skillet. I use a pair of tongs to lift them out of oil. Then I place them on a paper towel to drain. I usually get 4 on a paper towel, and then place another paper towel on top, then another 4 tortillas, layering them until you have used all of the tortillas. It's important to dip them in and out of hot oil quickly to soften them. If you skip this step the tortillas will become too brittle while baking.

Let the tortillas cool slightly so you can handle them without burning your hands. Fill each tortilla with about 2 tablespoons hamburger mixture and roll tortilla up. Place them in an oblong baking pan, such as a 13" x 9" x 2" Pyrex dish. After filling the dish, sprinkle chopped onion and shredded sharp cheddar cheese over rolled tortillas. Then pour 1 can mild enchilada sauce over all. Bake in a 350º oven for approximately 20 minutes.

There will be too many enchiladas for 1 pan; place the overflow in a smaller baking dish and pour the second can of enchilada sauce over them.

This can be a little messy but it will help if you gather everything together before you start cooking. Also, don't get the oil too hot or it will begin to splatter and pop. Take your time!

I serve mine with a great salad and chips. Enjoy!

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Comments on this article:

» left by April Lorier ⁽⁰⁾
April Lorier (190 days 15 hours ago.)

The greatest enchiladas I ever had were in Deming, NM. I had never seen a rolled enchilada in my life, and these, too, were flat and layered. I tried to tell my California friends how much better they are when they are flat, layered and topped with a fried egg; however, no one believed me. So for all these years I've made mine flat. Recently my Mexican neighbor tasted my enchiladas and she raved about how good they were. And now that my daughter lives in NM, she sees her Mama was right! Loved your recipe because it's basically like mine (except no egg and they're not flat).
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» left by Judy Shubert ⁽⁸⁴¹⁾
Judy Shubert (190 days 14 hours ago.)
Sounds good. So when you do them flat do you bake them in a casserole or do individual stacks?
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