Making in the Kitchen: Jason’s Enchiladas Fabulosas

My husband’s side of the family released a family cookbook many years ago, and it has some of my favorite recipes in it.  I love it so much because I can make some of the favorites that my husband grew up on like his Mom’s Danish meatballs and monster cookies.  But it also includes recipes from the brothers, sister, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents.  Somehow when I make them it feels like I’m carrying on a family tradition of sorts.  Today I’m going to share my brother-in-law, Jason’s, incredible enchiladas. I’ve tried several recipes in the past, but his is by far the best.  Jason is an incredible cook, so be prepared for me to make many of his recipes in the future!  I chose to use ground beef this time, but you can substitute with chicken, cheese, spinach, re-fried beans or shrimp.

You will need the following:

• 1 lb. lean ground beef
• 1/2 c. sour cream (I use light)
• 1 T. fresh parsley (or 1 t. dried)
• 1/3 c. chopped green pepper
• 1 T. chili powder
• 1/4 t. cumin
• 2 whole green chilies, chopped (I didn’t have fresh, so used a couple of spoonfuls from a small can of chopped green chilies I had on hand.)
• 1 (15 oz.) can tomato sauce
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1/4 t. pepper
• 2/3 c. water
• 1-1/2 t. chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 t. dried)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 8 tortillas

Garnish:

• shredded cheddar
• sour cream
• shredded lettuce

First things first:  brown and crumble the beef in a skillet.  After you’ve drained the grease, remove from the stove top and stir in chopped onion, cheddar, sour cream and parsley. (If you snipped parsley from your garden for this, and found out it was cilantro after you finished eating it, apparently that’s okay…….I KNEW that parsley smelled like cilantro!!  But I swear it looked just like parsley.)  So stir it all up and leave it in your skillet with the lid on.  The steam will soften the onions and melt the cheese just enough. 

For the enchilada sauce, heat the bell pepper, water, chili powder, oregano, cumin, chiles, garlic and tomato sauce to boiling, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to low.  Simmer uncovered for 5 min, then pour it into a shallow dish big enough for you to easily dip your tortillas in.

Now you can preheat your oven to 350 because you’re ready to assemble your enchiladas.  First, spray casserole dish with non-stick spray.  You could pour a tiny bit of sauce on the bottom too. That helps prevent sticking. I forgot to do that step though.  Dip each tortilla into the sauce to coat both sides.  Spoon about 1/4 c. of the beef mixture onto each shell and roll up, leaving the seam side down. You’ll be making 8.  I find it easiest to smooth out the meat mixture in my pan, and score it like a pie into 8 pieces. Then I know it’s perfectly evenly divided.

When all of your tortillas are rolled up, pour the remaining sauce on top.  Bake uncovered for 20 minutes.  Yes, only 20 minutes! A few minutes before I take it out of the oven, I usually sprinkle on a little more cheese on top. I just think it makes it look even more appetizing.

Pour yourself a margarita on the rocks, and you’ve got yourself a fiesta. Adios!