Cheese Enchiladas

Cheese Enchiladas

Meatless Mains
Mexican, Tex-Mex, Main Dish, Classics, Texas Classics

Serves 4

A simple and delicious rendition of a Tex-Mex classic.

Be sure to get Longhorn cheese, as it has the perfect melting qualities without being oily. Buy a block of cheese and grate it yourself — pre-grated cheese has anti-clumping additives that interfere with smooth melting.

Ingredients #

  • For Enchiladas: #

    • 12 corn tortillas
    • 1 cup vegetable oil
    • 1 white onion, finely chopped
    • 3 tbsp finely minced cilantro
    • 4 cups grated Longhorn cheese (divided)

  • For the Sauce: #

    • 3 tbsp shortening
    • 3 tbsp flour
    • 2 tbsp chili powder (the standard, blended kind)
    • 1 tbsp pure Ancho chili powder
    • 1 tsp ground cumin
    • 1 tsp ground coriander
    • 2 cups chicken stock, plus more if needed.
    • Salt and black pepper

Instructions #

First, make the sauce: in a saucepan, heat the shortening and add the flower. Cook, stirring, until the flour starts to brown a bit. Add the chili powders and spices and cook, stirring, for a minute or so more to toast the spices.

Whisk in the chicken stock, smoothing out any lumps, and bring to a simmer. Season to taste with salt and pepper. After the sauce simmers for a moment, evaluate the thickness of the sauce. If too thick, add a bit of chicken stock to thin it out. If it’s too thin, simmer until it’s a reduced a bit.

Set aside 1 cup of the grated cheese for topping the enchiladas. Preheat the oven to 350.

Spread a few spoonfuls of the sauce over the bottom of a 9-by-13 baking dish. Heat the oil in a small skillet until just hot enough to make the edge of a tortilla bubble. Have a plate with paper towels at the ready. Dip each tortilla quickly in the oil and place on the paper towels. Blot off excess oil with more paper towels. This is only to soften the tortillas, not to fry them.

Dip each softened tortilla into the sauce, lay it in the baking dish, and fill it with some cheese and a very small sprinkle of chopped onion (just a few pieces, really — easy to overdo it). Roll as tightly as you can and slide to the end of the pan. Repeat until all 12 enchiladas have been rolled and tucked snugly into the pan. Pour the remaining sauce over the enchiladas, and sprinkle the reserved cheese over the top.

Bake for 20 minutes, until the dish is hot and bubbling.

Combine the remaining minced onion with the minced cilantro. When serving the enchiladas, sprinkle this mixture over each serving to taste.