Jen's Red Beef Enchiladas

Apparently, we eat a lot of beef. I would like to think that we don't, but looking back on past blog recipes, a good handful of posts are all about beef dishes. I guess I am going to have to incorporate more chicken, fish, pork, and vegetarian choices into our menus. Well, today is not one of those days. We are having beef...again. Although, in my defense, I do have some Mexican food related items to use up. I need to do something with them, and beef is as good a choice as any, I guess. Okay, I am rationalizing. Anyway, I really do not feel like making chicken enchiladas again, either. I am not sure why...other than beef sounds better. So there.

Jen's Red Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:
Cooking Spray
1-2 Tablespoon of canola oil
1 pound of ground beef
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 small can of green chiles, diced
2 chipotle peppers, seeded and diced
1 Tablespoon of Adobo sauce
1/4 cup of salsa
1 teaspoon of coriander
1 teaspoon of cumin
1 teaspoon of Ancho chile powder
1/2 cup of beef, veal, or chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste
1 (28 oz.)large can of red enchilada sauce
2 cups of shredded cheese, divided
tortillas
sour cream and/or guacamole for topping (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat canola oil over medium-high heat. Add ground beef until browned, then drain. Add onions, green chiles, chipotle, cumin, coriander, Ancho chile powder, salt and pepper. Stir and cook until onions are softened and everything is combined. Add garlic and cook for additional 1 minute. Add salsa and stock. Cook until stock is almost evaporated, about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat and set skillet aside.

Spray a 9 X 13 glass casserole dish with cooking spray. Open can of enchilada sauce and pour about 1/2 cup in bottom of dish. Place beef filling in tortillas with a sprinkle of cheese in each(you will use about 1 cup of cheese total for the filling) and roll into enchiladas. Place each enchilada, seam side down in casserole dish, packing tightly. Once casserole dish is filled with rolled enchiladas, pour remaining enchilada sauce over enchiladas being sure to saturate each one. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of enchiladas evenly. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly.

Let enchiladas rest for approximately 5-10 minutes before cutting and serving. Top with sour cream, guacamole, and/or additional salsa and enjoy!



The Result:
This is my favorite enchilada recipe. It is fairly easy and super-yummy. I actually used Pepper-Jack cheese for the filling and cheddar for the top. The mix of cheese was awesome and the Pepper-Jack gave it a little extra spicy kick. I baked it for 25 minutes without covering it with foil this time, and I think the results were actually better. The tortilla edges got a little crisp and the cheese was nice and golden. I served this with some steamed green beans, and nothing else. All in all, this was a great dinner!