Tex-Mex beef Enchilada with Adobo Sauce is a classic, hearty dish made of corn tortillas stuffed with filling and covered in a tangy-spicy red sauce. It includes all sorts of flavors: beef, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers. This is the dish you want to make when the company's coming because it looks and tastes great but it'll also take care of your hunger!
How To Make:
The first step is to season the beef. Start with some salt and pepper and then, move on to some oregano. You can usually find dried oregano at any supermarket or your local Mexican grocery store. If you can't find it, don't worry! Just substitute with a bit of dried thyme.
Seasoned beef is ready and now, it's time to prepare the sauce. Now, in order to make this classic dish authentic, you have to use a specific type of red chili pepper called pasilla pepper. These peppers are pungent, spicy, and smoky! I recommend using dried chile peppers for this recipe. If you don't want to use dried chile peppers, you can also use canned ones but be careful because they're extremely hot!
Here are some tips and variations to make your Tex-Mex beef Enchilada with Adobo Sauce
Tips:
Try using any type of ground meat, or even vegetarian "meat". Use tortillas in place of flour tortillas. Serve with a nice green salad and/or rice. Great for lunch! -submitted by Cindy Alvarez
Variations:
Add some diced green bell pepper and diced onion. You could also add shredded cheese before baking if desired (to melt it). Or, top enchiladas with strips of jalapeño, so they are heated through the entire thing.
Ingredients:
- 1 pound ground beef or minced beef (or 2 chicken breasts)
- 1 handful of cheddar cheese, shredded ○
- 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted ○
- 8 corn tortillas (6-inch size), halved
- ¼ cup sour cream ○
- 8 drops of hot sauce, plus more for serving
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/3 cup sliced black olives
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
- 4 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 flour tort. wraps
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 2 cups enchilada sauce (recipe below)
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1.) Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2.) In a medium skillet, over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef or minced beef for 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
3.) In a small bowl, mix the sour cream and hot sauce together with a fork until well combined. Set aside.
4.) Bring a medium-sized pot of lightly salted water to boil over high heat. Add 1 tortilla to the water and cook for 10 seconds; flip and cook for another 10 seconds (or so), until softened but not crispy. Drain (do this one at a time) and transfer to a wire rack; repeat until all tortillas are cooked.
5.) To assemble the enchiladas, place 1/8 of the meat in a line down one side of a heated tortilla; top with 1/8 cheese, 1/2 teaspoon garlic, 1 tablespoon black olives, and scant 1 teaspoon onion. Roll and place in an 8-inch-by-8-inch baking dish seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
6.) In another bowl mix adobo sauce, tomato paste, flour tortillas cut as above, and pinch salt to form a dough (should hold together when squeezed by hand).
7.) Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
8.) Pour enchilada sauce over tortillas, then sprinkle with remaining cheese, cilantro, and extra salt & pepper as desired. Bake covered in the oven for 20 minutes. Remove the cover and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes until heated through. Serve with sour cream and more hot sauce, if desired. Enjoy!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do; I'd love to hear your feedback in the comments below.