Double Take: Smothered Enchiladas

I love fake enchiladas. And when I say fake, I mean I use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. I don’t know what it is, but I just don’t like corn tortillas. I’ve even had homemade tortillas made by someone who learned how to make them by watching his mother in Mexico. But I just don’t like them. So I always cheat and use flour tortillas. I assumed I’d have to do that with these enchiladas as well, but for some reason the recipe writers at Southern Living agree with me and both of their enchilada recipes call for flour tortillas. Yay!

Enchilada deliciousness! 

Oddly enough, I served these enchiladas the same day as my stuffed grape leaves. With The Dude around to help us, I knew we wouldn’t have much in the way of leftovers, and I couldn’t imagine these reheating well. I had to change up the recipe a bit because 1) I refuse to use packets of taco seasoning mix even if Old El Paso brand is now available in Jena, 2) No cans of chopped green chiles here, and 3) No cans of cream of chicken soup either. But I made do, and everyone was quite pleased with results. Except, maybe, our waistlines. I made the mistake of looking at the nutrition facts. Yikes. So, here you will see my slightly adapted version which has considerably less fat, but I didn't lose any of the taste! :) To reduce the fat and calories, I cut the amount of sauce used. They are still smothered, but have the added bonus of not being overwhelmed by the sauce, so you get some crispy tortilla in there, too. Which makes it that much better and tastier. Yay for reducing unneeded fat and calories! 

Smothered Enchiladas

adapted from the all-new ultimate Southern Living Cookbook, original recipe also available here

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef

2 tablespoons chili powder

1 tablespoon cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1/2 cup hot salsa, divided

1 recipe cream of chicken soup (see below)

1 (8-ounce) container sour cream

8 (8-inch) flour tortillas (I ended up using 8 6-inch and 1 8-inch… used the 8-inch!)

2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Garnishes: salsa, sour cream, green onion curls, chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

Brown ground beef in a large skillet, stirring until it crumbles and is no longer pink; drain. Stir in chili powder, cumin, oregano, and half of the salsa; set aside.

Stir together remaining salsa, soup, and sour cream. Pour half of soup mixture into a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish.

Spoon beef mixture evenly down centers of tortillas; roll up. Place, seam sides down, over soup mixture in baking dish; top evenly with remaining soup mixture and cheese.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until thoroughly heated. Garnish, if desired.

Enchiladas rolled, ready for the sauce and a trip to the oven! 

Cream of Chicken Soup

recipe from Diana Rattray of About.com 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth

1/2 cup low-fat or fat free milk

salt and pepper to taste

 

Preparation:

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir in flour; keep stirring until smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat and add the chicken broth and milk, a little at a time, stirring to keep smooth. Return to heat. Bring sauce to a gentle boil; cook, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper, as needed to taste.

Use in casseroles in place of condensed cream soups.

Cheesy, bubbly, browned goodness fresh from the oven. Check out those crispy edges! 

THOUGHTS:
Oh my, these were tasty. The sour cream sauce does not taste like sour cream, but rather like savory creamy goodness. I actually did not halve the sauce when I made this recipe the first time, but as I was adding it to the unbaked enchiladas, I couldn't bring myself to add it all because I like some crunchy in my tortilla as well, so I had a little extra to add as a garnish on top. I still ended up with leftover sauce, so I think halving the sauce will only enhance this recipe.


The tortillas were a bit messy to roll because I used the smaller taco shells instead of burrito shells, but that being said, it was still a very easy recipe to make. Everything comes together quickly. You could easily replace the meat with beans and corn for a vegetarian option, or if you like beans, reduce the amount of meat and add a can of beans. Bender would have preferred the garnish inside the tortillas, but The Dude enjoyed it as is. Feel free to play with the filling!

Eat me! 

VERDICT:
Halve-the-sauce: 1 vote
Put-the-garnishes-on-the-inside-instead-of-the-outside-please: 1 vote
You-can-make-this-for-me-any-time-you-want: 1 vote


For Tabitha's Take on Smothered Enchiladas, head on over to Double the Garlic!