red enchiladas (enchiladas rojas)

This is my way to make easy enchiladas, so suffice to say maybe not the most authentic. So if you’re easily triggered, maybe best to move on.

Ingredients:

Sauce

  • 1 15 oz. can of stewed or crushed tomatoes

  • 1 1/2 C. prepared enchilada sauce

  • 1 1/2 C. salsa (restaurant style)

Enchiladas

  • 7 oz. unseasoned shredded jack fruit ( I use Edward and Sons)

  • 1 15 oz. cans of black beans

  • 8 corn tortillas

  • 1 C. shredded cheddar or jack cheese

  • 1 red/purple onion

  • 1 T. oil (avocado, grapeseed)

  • 2 cloves garlic

  • 1 tsp. cumin powder

  • 1/2 tsp. oregano (dried)

  • 2 T. fresh chopped cilantro

  • 3/4 tsp. Better than Bouillon (No Beef or No Chicken)

  • 1/2 C. water

  • 1 tsp. salt

  • Fresh cracked pepper

Optional toppings

shredded lettuce

red or green onion

sour cream

black olives

jalapenos

radishes

cilantro

avocado

Directions:

Prep

  1. Set oven to 350°

  2. Grate cheese (I stay away from pre-shredded stuff)

  3. Chop up onions, garlic, cilantro and any topping you may want

In a medium sauce pan, add enchilada sauce, salsa and stewed tomatoes- cook on medium -high until sauce comes to a boil, then reduce heat to low to let simmer- about 10 min. Set aside to cool a bit.

Plain enchilada sauce has always been a bit too bitter for my taste…now maybe that’s because I’ve never had really good enchilada sauce, I don’t know. I’ve always wanted to make my own (because I know it’s not that hard) but seriously, ain’t nobody got time for that…

So, my solution has always been to make the sauce more palatable with tomatoes. You could just add some tomato sauce, but there is something about the flavor of stewed tomatoes that I really like. I also pick up some salsa from one of my local Mexican restaurants (because let’s face it, the jarred stuff tastes like sh*t). To me, the salsa adds a bit more depth and rounds out the flavor.

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.

Add in half the chopped onion and garlic, saute until translucent- about 2 minutes. Add jack fruit and beans along with cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and continue to cook another 2- 3 minutes. Add in bouillon and water and let come to a low bubble, then set to low heat and let simmer for another 2 minutes or so- until the water has evaporated. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro (unless you are a hater-UGHH)- set aside to cool for about 5 minutes.

Now, here is where you would typically lightly fry up your tortillas- and I’m not telling you not to do this, because honestly, it’s better- but again, I”m just too lazy (lately) for this step. So, what I do is take my tortillas, wrap them in foil and through in the oven for 5 or 10 minutes. The goal here is to get your tortillas soft and pliable so that you can roll your enchiladas up without them splitting and cracking. If you don’t want to do the oven, you can also throw them in the microwave for 30 seconds or so. If I’m being honest, it really does taste better when you fry (or char for flour) your tortillas. So if you’re not as lazy as me when it comes to cooking, do yourself the favor and fry.

Prep your 9 x 13 pan by ladling some sauce at the bottom to cover. Dip a tortilla in cooled sauce and lay flat in pan. Add 2 tablespoons of filling and then roll up the tortilla with seem side down (if you want super stuffed enchiladas, double the filling recipe). Repeat until all of the enchiladas are done. Ladle the rest of the sauce over the top of your enchiladas and and then sprinkle with cheese. Pop in the oven for about 30 minutes or until cheese has melted.

Once out of the oven, you add all your fresh toppings- I love to add shredded lettuce, cilantro and some fresh onion. Eat up!

What’s your favorite type of enchilada? I’d love to hear some of your recipes- if you have a really good one, share it on the community page here.

Thanks for stopping by, until next time..

Debbie