Enchiladas for All

I've been wanting to make enchiladas for a while but D kept saying that he didn't like the sauce.  I've been looking for recipes despite this! 

Well, I came across a recipe for beef enichiladas with zucchini in the filling - compromise is key here!  D likes ground beef, I don't really...I like zucchini, D doesn't really. 

We'll just have both!  Along with this recipe was a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce that "doesn't taste like the metallic store-bought sauce."  Hmmmm....ingredients were all things that D likes.  I decided to give it a whirl. 

Now, the recipe calls for you to mix the beef and zucchini together; but, because of our differing tastes, I just decided to put the components together individually.  This gives you the ability to make each enchilada with more or less of a certain ingredient.  I made D's with more beef and less zucchini and mine just the opposite.

 Miss K ended up picking out the filling and eating it without the tortilla (and then later wouldn't eat the filling of quesadillas but only at the tortilla...go figure!).  I'd say it was a successful try at enchiladas that could be repeated.

Beef and Zucchini Enchiladas from Recipe Girl

1 pound lean ground beef
1 1/2 cups diced onion
1 1/2 cups (about 2 medium) finely diced zucchini
12 corn tortillas, slightly heated to soften
2 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (see below for recipe!)
About 1 cup cheese
Serve as desired.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13-inch pan with nonstick spray.

Heat a large skillet. Add ground beef; break apart with a spoon or spatula to crumble the meat. Saute the meat on medium heat until browned (about 5 minutes). Tilt the pan and spoon the fat out of the pan; discard. Remove cooked meat to a bowl.

Return pan to medium heat and add onion and zucchini. Saute until just soft.  Now you're ready to prepare the enchiladas.

Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the prepared 13X9 pan. Spread it around so it coats the entire bottom of the pan.
Place tortilla on a work surface. Spoon the desired amounts of meat and zucchini on top of the tortilla. Sprinkle a small amount of cheese the meat and zucchini. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon of sauce on top. Wrap the tortilla around the filling tightly and place it seam-side-down in the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling until you have finished filling 12 tortillas. Place the tortillas side-by-side in the pan- it's okay if they are all snuggled in there tightly. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the stuffed enchiladas. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

Remove pan from the oven and take off the foil. Sprinkle1/2 cup cheese on top; return to the oven and let the cheese melt (about 5 minutes).  Serve immediately with desired condiments.  Enjoy!

Enchilada Sauce

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Tablespoons chili powder
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion salt
1/4 teaspoon salt
 
Heat oil in a large skillet to medium heat. Whisk in flour and chili powder. Reduce heat to medium and continue to whisk until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in tomato sauce, chicken broth, cumin, garlic powder, onion salt and salt. Stir until smooth, and continue simmering over medium heat about 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened. Serve immediately, or keep in a covered bowl in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

 

Source: RecipeGirl.com