Beef Enchiladas
Although I’ve never made enchiladas before, I was inspired to attempt this dish after receiving an enchilada sauce from a brand I love and a week of putting it on just about every food I consumed. **After posting this recipe, I have come back to edit this introduction as my eyes were opened to the cultural appropriation that I had partaken in. Prior to diving into this Americanized version of an enchilada recipe, I want to provide some history on the original and authentic dish. The history begins with the corn tortillas, of which stems from the use of corn as a food product dating to almost 9000 years ago in central Mexico. This is important in the history of enchiladas because the corn tortilla is a staple in the authentic dish (of which I am not using in the following recipe). If you are asking, “so what is the difference between a taco and an enchilada?”, the enchilada is baked with the tortilla and ingredients and it requires chilis or a chili sauce (enchilada sauce). From the research I’ve done, it appears that traditional enchiladas are made by frying the tortilla and dipping it in the sauce and then filling with the stuffing, which is different than the method I’ve laid out below. The word comes from the Spanish term “enchilar” which means “to add chile”.
For the following recipe, I based it on the previous enchilada dishes I’ve had, which I now know are more the “Americanized” version. The fact that our freezer was packed with Butcher Box ground beef, I went with a ground beef filling, of which I also added mushrooms and peppers to.
I’m still not over how delicious the final result was. I mean, HOT DAMN! Here is how I know it is a true winner: Joe and I finished dinner and as I was packing up the leftovers for him to take to lunch the next day, my younger sister Lucy texted asking if we had any extra food for her to eat for dinner. I mentioned to Joe that I was telling her we finished the dish and he, generously, turned to me and said this dish is too good not to share and have her try. Never have I heard him utter those words, so I’d say this one was a real win!
To make, start by cooking the filling: ground beef on a skillet (preferably cast iron) with some ghee and spices. Once the beef is finished cooking, set it aside and use all those glorious and tasty juices in the skillet to cook the chopped vegetables. Combine the two and set aside for the enchilada filling. On your countertop, assemble the enchiladas. I set out all of the tacos, I prefer Siete, and equally distributed refried beans and cream cheese, I used Monty’s cultured cashews, on to each. Next, add in the beef and vegetable mixture to the tortillas and then roll them.
On a baking dish, add a thin layer of enchilada sauce, I used the Siete red sauce, and then four of the rolled tortillas, seam side down. Top those with enchilada sauce and shredded cheese and then layer an additional four rolled tortillas, seam side down, on top of that. Top that layer with more enchilada sauce and shredded cheese and then bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and bubbly. Just like that, you’ve got homemade enchiladas! With the options I used, these were gluten free, but if you use vegan cheese and cream cheese these can also be dairy free and vegan. A perfect dish to alter for any specific dietary preferences. Enjoy as much as we did, my friends!
Beef Enchiladas
ingredients:
- Ground beef (1lb)
- Mushrooms (2 cups)
- Yellow onion (1)
- Bell pepper (1)
- Jalapeño (1)
- Enchilada sauce (2 cups)
- Grated cheddar cheese (1 cup)
- Ghee (1 teaspoon)
- Tortillas (8)
- Refried beans (1 cup)
- Cream cheese – dairy or vegan (1/4 cup)
- Red pepper flakes (1/2 teaspoon)
- Cayenne pepper (1/2 teaspoon)
- Salt
- Pepper
instructions:
How to cook Beef Enchiladas
- Chop the mushrooms, bell pepper, yellow onion, and jalapeño into small ¼ - ½ inch pieces and set aside
- On a hot skillet, add 1 teaspoon of ghee
- Add the ground beef to the hot skillet and season with red pepper flakes, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper
- Allow the ground beef to sear on one side for around 5 minutes and then, using a wooden spoon, mix the ground beef so that smaller pieces form and it begins to cook on all sides
- Sauté the beef for an additional 5 minutes until it is almost finished cooking and no longer pink
- Remove the ground beef and set aside, leaving the fat and drippings in the pan
- Add the chopped vegetables to that same skillet and sauté for about 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are cooked through and browned on the exterior
- Combine the ground beef and the chopped vegetables in the skillet and set aside
- Laying the tortillas flat on a countertop, add spread an equal distribution of the cream cheese and refried beans to the base of each
- Equally distribute the beef and vegetable combination to each tortilla
- In a baking dish, add a thin layer of enchilada sauce
- Roll up the tortillas so that the filling is inside and place four, seam side down, at the base of the dish on top of the sauce
- Cover the four tortillas with 1 cup of enchilada sauce and ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
- Add another layer of four rolled tortillas, seam side down, on top of that layer and top with 1 cup of enchilada sauce and ½ cup of grated cheddar cheese
- Place the baking dish in the oven at 425 degrees and bake for around 15 minutes, or until the top is a nice golden brown and bubbly
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving hot
- Gluten Free – depending on tortillas used
- Dairy Free - depending on cheese & cream cheese used
- Soy Free
- Nut Free
** after a lot of self-reflection and doing the work of Layla F Saad’s Me and White Supremacy (a book I highly recommend everyone reads) and Rachel Rickett’s Social Activism 101 & 102 courses, I realized the cultural appropriation that was occurring on my website when it came to recipes. I was modifying recipes deeply embedded in oppressed cultures without paying any respect to the history or original ingredients used. After realizing this, I went through and made changes to many of my recipes. This section is part of what was edited and included.