Taco night in my house is one of my go-to meals every week. Its easy and everyone at the table will eat it. No special prep needed. Looking to expand my repetoire of easy meals, I set out to master the enchilada. Its similar to the tacos I make but with enchiladas you put everything in one big dish and bake it. This means it can be put together ahead of time or in phases as you have time in between diaper changes and feedings. If you’re lucky enough to have an extra hand around the house one day, try to put a second enchilada dish together and stick it in the freezer for a future meal.
What I like about enchiladas is that you can throw just about anything you have into them. It’s an excellent way to clean out the produce drawer or the cabinet. Leftover chicken can go into the filling but also any combination of the following things work well if you have them in your refrigerator or cabinet: spinach, corn, rice, black beans, tomatoes, green onions, peppers of any color, olives, salsa. I could go on but I think you get the picture.
Enchiladas are also a great way to sneak veggies to a picky eater. I suggest shredding carrots or using finely chopped spinach because finely chopping or shredding anything is the best way to sneak foods past the picky one. In the interest of saving time I am going to suggest that you buy enchilada sauce, rather than make your own. Buying pre-grated cheese will save you some work as well.
Here is a basic recipe
- 12 Corn tortillas
- Grapeseed, peanut or canola oil
- 1 lb of grated jack cheese or mild cheddar
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Enchilada sauce
- Fillings of your choice
Preheat the oven to 350
In a small skillet saute the onion and garlic in 1 tbsp of oil until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool.
Add a little more oil to cover the bottom of the pan and turn the heat to medium. Now add one corn tortilla and fry for about 30 seconds on each side so the tortilla is browned and softened. Remove from pan and put the tortilla on a plate with a paper towel. Repeat for the remaining tortillas.
Here I’ve made a smaller, 6 enchilada version of this recipe
Spread ½ cup of enchilada sauce to cover the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Take a prepared tortilla and cover 2/3 of it with shredded cheese. Add a scoop of the onion-garlic mixture. Now add the fillings of your choice and roll up into a tube. Place it seam-side down in the 9×13 pan. When the pan is filled cover with the remaining sauce and top with the remaining cheese. Garnish with chopped green onions or black olives if you’re feeling fancy-pantsy.
Bake for 20 minutes until bubbling.
The Nursing Mother's Cookbook 