Just a Little House in the Desert: Enchiladas Two Ways

The first time I had enchiladas was 11 years ago when my Mother-in-Law made them for me. Yum! They are my husband's favorite. So when she moved to California I had to learn to make them! A nice, easy dish; I have taken them to potlucks, made them for friends, and dropped them off for new mommies. Just like most of the recipes I share, there are several variations. I like recipes that can be switched up to satisfy the tastes of anyone!

So, first the traditional beef and bean enchiladas. Here is the line-up:

Ground Beef (or ground turkey) cooked with onion, chili powder, cumin, paprika, garlic, and S&P. I never, EVER buy taco seasoning packets. I just eyeball it. I have been doing this long enough that I don't even measure anymore. Here is a link to a recipe for taco seasoning mix in case you are not comfortable just throwing spices in. Add about a tablespoon of the completed mix.

This is where there should be a picture of beans. Oops. You can do the beans a few different ways. Buy a can of refried beans, make your own "refried" beans in the crock-pot, open a can of black beans or pinto beans and use them whole. You can also soak your own beans overnight to use whole or mash. When I mash the beans I don't cook them but sometimes I add a little olive oil to them. You can also process them in a food processor with chili powder, cumin, and onion. I have done each of these. They are ALL good.

Tortillas (flour or corn) Sometimes I make my own tortillas but I never use homemade tortillas in enchiladas. If you have a tortilla press you might be able to. Otherwise, just grab your favorite brand.

Enchilada Sauce. You can use green or red, hot or mild. I have made salsa verde before and used it on enchiladas. It is SO good. Maybe I need to do a post on that...

I know...that is not the prettiest picture ever. Add your beans.

Also, not very pretty. Layer in your meat. This would be a good time to add cheese. You can omit the meat completely and have bean and cheese enchiladas. You could add only cheese and sliced onions! I always try to add more beans than meat because FIBER!

Roll the enchiladas tightly and place in a baking dish.

Pour sauce over the enchiladas. You can cover them completely but I usually leave some of the tortillas exposed because I like them to get crispy. This would also be the time to top them with cheese. Chedder, or a taco or Mexican cheese blend is the best. Since my husband cannot eat cheese, I used velveeta. I do not recommend this unless you CANNOT have cheese. I usually do half the pan with real cheese for my kids. Top with black olives if you like. I do. Bake at 350 for 20 to 25 minutes.

When we came back from our camping trip we had all these leftover sweet potatoes I had parboiled for foil dinners. We also had leftover onions, bell peppers, zucchini and squash. They were all diced and ready to go and I wanted to use them for something really yummy! Enchiladas seemed like the inspired choice.

Cook the veggies in the same spice mix you would use for the taco meat. Or, if you are feeling adventurous, try this one. I LOVE it. It works best with green sauce though. I think red sauce would be strange. Cook until the veggies are soft. Since the potatoes were parboiled this did not take long. If you do not have sweet potatoes on hand, omit them completely. The enchiladas will taste great without them. I used 2 LARGE sweet potatoes, a medium zucchini, a medium summer squash, a green bell pepper and half a red onion. This should serve 4 with the sweet potatoes. If you are planning to omit them add 1 more squash and zucchini each.