thedifferentmomblogI love Mexican food, plain and simple! But my children and I don’t always just want tacos all the time. And we don’t always have the money to go get us some great Mexican food at a restaurant.
So I tweaked my mom’s enchiladas recipe a bit, to fit into my busy DIFFERENT type of single mom life. This enchiladas recipe is so easy, but so delicious.
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It doesn’t take long at all to get that great Mexican restaurant taste that you’ll love for a fraction of the price. You don’t spend a lot of time, and definitely not a lot of money.
Not only are these delicious, they freeze well for make ahead meals too! I love them for leftovers…when my teenage son doesn’t eat them all.
So this is all of the food ingredients you’ll need to make this yummy meal
Ingredients:
- 1 lb ground beef
- 10oz can of red enchilada sauce
- 8oz can of tomato sauce
- 1/2 medium white onion diced (optional)
- 1 1/2 cup Mexican blend cheese
- Flour tortilla shells
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Cooking spray
That’s it! That is really all of the ingredients you need. When I told you they were simple, I wasn’t joking.
I know it seems weird, but as a busy single mom, I stick to a schedule. It’s like I almost have to. Check out my laundry post to understand what I mean, when I say I stick by a schedule.
So, I usually make these on a Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday. Those days can always be super busy or one of our “slow” days, so I can always plan to have this meal whenever.
So here is how you make ’em.
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You’ll do the majority of the cooking on the stove top. The oven comes in to mainly melt the cheese and cook the sauce a tad more.
Brown your meat in a pan over medium-high heat. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add in your diced onions.
Sometime I add in the onion and sometimes I don’t.
It usually depends on if I think I can sneak them in past my daughter. She’s not a fan of onions.
In a separate pan on low heat, cook enchilada sauce and tomato sauce until it’s warm. Stirring occasionally. It doesn’t take long so keep an eye on it. You don’t want to over cook it.
Strain any extra grease from the meat when it’s finished. And when the sauce is warm, turn off heat.
Spray a 7×12 rectangle dish (or a 9×13 rectangle dish if you don’t have a 7×12 available) with cooking spray so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
Next take one tortilla shell dip one side in the sauce to coat. Then flip over and coat the other side.
Place the coated tortilla shell on the dish and add about 1-2 tablespoons of meat. Add the cheese.
Roll the tortilla shell to form the enchilada.
Repeat until almost all of the meat is gone (where there won’t be enough to form a decent enchilada). This should make about 8-10 enchiladas.
But don’t fret if you see the meat running low once you get to 8. There have been plenty of times where I have added a lot more meat to a few of the enchiladas. Trust me, it’s OK.
After the last one is rolled, pour the remaining sauce over the prepared enchiladas.
Next sprinkle remaining meat over the top of the enchiladas. If you’ve run out of meat at this point, it’s going to be OK…no one is perfect right?! As long as you have your 8 or more enchiladas, you’re good.
Then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the enchiladas. I LOVE cheese, so I always add extra cheese. Feel free to do the same if you’re like me.
Bake in the oven for about 10-15 minutes or until the cheese on top is melted and bubbly.
I forgot to take a picture after they came out of the oven…sorry. My children were acting like they were starving and it slipped my mind before I served them. I’m certain you can completely relate. When I realized I didn’t take a picture, there was only a half of an enchilada left.
Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.
The prep and cook time is about 20-25 minutes. You can so knock these out on a weekday.
You’re family will beg you to make them again.
