Enchiladas are basically a Mexican wrap, filled with meat, cheese or vegetables and traditionally dipped in chilli sauce.
Authentic enchilada sauces are therefore usually spicy, but as I've used beef chilli as the filling in this recipe, I've created a simple tomato sauce to cover the enchiladas prior to baking.
I've used chilli powder and ancho chilli paste as the main heat element. The ancho chilli adds a real depth of flavour to the dish, giving it a lovely rich, smoky taste.
Oaxaca cheese is a Mexican cheese that is used in many Mexican dishes, but as an alternative, I've found a combination of Manchego and Cheddar work really well (although Cheddar on it's own is fine, if you can't find Manchego).
Serves 4-6
For the beef chilli filling
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large white onion
1 large red pepper
I green pepper
2 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons of chilli powder (mild or hot to taste)
1 teaspoon of ancho chilli paste
2 teaspoons of paprika
2 teaspoons of cumin
400g beef mince
400g can of chopped tinned tomatoes
300ml beef stock
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of dried oregano
1 cinnamon stick
Seasoning
400g can of black beans
400g can of red kidney beans
2 squares of dark cooking chocolate
Red chilli paste (optional)
For the enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 white onion
2 cloves of garlic
2 x 400g cans of tinned tomatoes
2 tablespoons of sun-dried tomato paste
2 tablespoons of dried oregano
1 bay leaf
Pinch of brown sugar
1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar
Seasoning
For the enchiladas
6 burrito wraps or flour tortillas
Manchego and cheddar
To serve
Green salad
Sour cream
To make the beef chilli filling
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C
- Deseed the peppers and cut into approx 1cm pieces.
- Dice the onion.
- Drain the beans and set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in an ovenproof pan or casserole.
- Once the oil is up temperature, add the onion and pepper and sauté until the onion is translucent.
- Add the crushed garlic and dry spices. Stir for a further 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Add the minced beef and sauté until no pink meat remains.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and beef stock, then stir in the ancho chilli paste, beans, tomato paste, dried oregano, cinammon stick and seasoning. Stir to combine.
- Bring the chilli to the boil then cover and place in the hot oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, add the chocolate. Stir well and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and add adjust to taste (if you want more heat, simply add ½-1 teaspoon of chilli paste).
To make the enchilada sauce
- Finely dice the onion.
- Heat the olive oil in a lidded sauté pan or large saucepan.
- Add the onion and sauté until translucent.
- Add the crushed garlic and stir for a further 1-2 minutes, being careful not to let the garlic burn.
- Pour in the chopped tomatoes and red wine vinegar, then stir in the sun-dried tomato paste, dried oregano, bay leaf and sugar. Season well.
- Bring the tomato sauce to the boil then cover, lower the heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- When the sauce is ready, remove the bay leaf and blend with a hand blender.
To assemble the enchiladas
- Spoon some of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a large baking dish, so that you have a thin layer covering the base of the dish.
- Lay the burrito (or tortilla) on a flat surface, then using a slotted spoon, spoon the chilli in a line across the burrito - a few centimeters in from one edge. Now roll the burrito and lay it in the baking dish.
- Repeat step 2 until the 6 burritos have been filled.
- Spoon the enchilada sauce over the top of the filled burritos, until there is a thin layer of sauce covering the top of the burritos.
- Grate over the manchego and cheddar.
- Cover with foil and bake in the hot oven for 10 minutes.
- Remove the foil and bake for a further 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and the enchiladas have started to turn golden.