We have this local Mexican restaurant that Cliff is obsessed with. It is called Mexico Uno. It is really nothing special but Cliff just loves it. It is cheap and they have plain cheese enchiladas, so it works for me. A lot of Mexican restaurants put weird stuff in their enchiladas. At least I think its weird. Like spinach, onions, ground beef. Yuck. I like my enchiladas with plain cheese. At Mexico Uno they have plain cheese enchiladas for $1.95 each. I usually order 2 but occasionally it is a 3 enchilada night. Crazy! Even on a 3 enchilada night, I am a very cheap date.
When I make enchiladas at home I like to load them with cheese and vegetables. Occasionally, I will make some with chicken for Cliff but I always make myself veggie. I do not know if adding potatoes is authentic but the first time I had them was when my Mexican friend, Iliana, brought them to work. She made them with potatoes, corn, and peas. So now, I do the same. Usually I just buy canned enchilada sauce but for these I decided to make my own sauce. I was surprised how easy it was and what a difference it made. The sauce was spicier and more flavorful then the canned stuff. If you are in a hurry, use the canned stuff though. No big deal! This is a great meal to make ahead of time and freeze for a quick weeknight meal.
Here is what you’ll need
Saute the onions and garlic with the oil
Add the chili powder and cumin
Add the tomato sauce and simmer for 20 minutes
While the sauce is simmering mix up the filling
Cover the bottom of the dish with sauce
Start filling the tortillas
Place the filled tortillas seam down in the baking dish
Top with sauce
And more cheese!
Its definitely a 3 enchilada night for me!
Ingredients
Sauce
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon canola oil
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-28 ounce can of tomato sauce
Enchiladas
10 flour tortillas
2 cups frozen corn
2 cups frozen peas
2 cups hash brown potatoes, defrosted
1 small can diced green chilis
salt
pepper
8 ounces cheese, we used a Mexican blend, divided
Directions
Saute the onion and garlic with the canola oil in a medium sauce pot over medium heat. Cook until the onion is translucent. Add the seasonings. Stir and cook another minutes. Add the tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Pour about ½ cup of the sauce into a 9 x13 baking dish. Combine the corn, potatoes, peas, diced chilis and half of the cheese. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and give it a good mix. Begin putting about ½ a cup of filling into each tortilla. Roll the tortilla and place seam side down in the baking dish. Top with about 2 cups of sauce and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes. If it is browning too much cover dish with foil. You can freeze any extra sauce and filling or make another dish and freeze it.
Source: Sauce adapted from America’s Test Kitchen
