It is no secret that I adore Mexican food. You can see my love for Mexican food here. I am so happy to have finally found my go-to recipe for cheese enchiladas! Although, when I was searching through my recipes, I was looking for “cheese enchiladas.” But, I could not find a recipe by simply that name. After spending some time looking for the recipe, I finally found it under Enchiladas Rojas de Queso (red cheese). Woops. I guess I need to be more specific next time when I am titling my pictures!
These Enchiladas Rojas de Queso are wonderful! If you love enchiladas and love making at them at home, you need to give this recipe a try. They are some of the easiest and tastiest enchiladas I have made. And they are simple. The ingredients are simple and the method is simple. Do not be afraid of frying your corn tortillas for just a few seconds. This will allow the tortillas to be rolled without breaking. I’m so glad that I discovered this technique because no matter what I tried my tortillas would always break or crumble when I would try to roll them. The cheese, Queso Fresco can be found in the refrigerated section either by the specialty cheeses or in my local Food Lion by the lunch meat (not really sure why). If you cannot find the Queso Fresco, Monterey Jack is a fine substitute.
If you need a side dish to prepare with this meal try this Mexican Street Corn Salad!
- 4 cups Queso Fresco, crumbled or Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 12 corn tortillas
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons flour
- ¼ cup chili powder, less if you want less spice
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 (10 ounce) can tomato paste
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- toppings such as sour cream or guacamole
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Set aside a 9×13 baking dish.
- For the sauce, in a medium sized saucepan, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the flour, smoothing out the lumps and stir with a wooden spoon. Cook for about 1 minute until the mixture is bubbling.
- Add the chili powder and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth, tomato paste, garlic, oregano and cumin. Stir or whisk to combine.
- Bring mixture to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cook for 15 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cooks. Add salt and pepper as needed.
- For the enchiladas, heat oil in a small skillet over moderately high heat. Add the tortillas one at a time, turning over almost immediately. The tortillas will puff up but do not leave them in the oil long enough to stiffen. Lay the tortillas on a paper towel and set aside.
- Place 1 cup of the sauce mixture on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Dip a tortilla in the sauce and place in the dish. Spread ¼ cup cheese in the center of the tortilla and roll tightly, placing the seem side of the tortilla down. Repeat until all of the tortillas have been used. Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas as well as the remaining cheese.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Serve immediately and top with desired topping.
Recipe Source: by Nancy N. Wilson
Linked to: Chef-in-Training and Buns in my Oven
