Cheese Enchiladas
Instructions:
- Simple enough for a weeknight, especially if you have
sauce already made. Use anything else you like to fill the enchiladas—in place of or along with the cheese—
including simply seasoned cooked ground beef, Shredded
Pork , sliced Roasted Red Peppers or
chiles , or even roasted vegetables.
- 2 recipes Red Enchilada Sauce
, about - 4 cups
- Neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, for frying
- 24 small corn tortillas, plus more if any break
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack or cotija cheese
- 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco for garnish
- 1/2 cup chopped red onion or scallion for garnish
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
- Lime wedges for garnish
- Prepare the sauce if you have n’t already. (You may cool and refrigerate the sauce for up to 3 days; reheat gently before proceeding.)
- Heat the oven to 350 F. Spoon a thin layer of the sauce into the bottom of a 9 x12-inch baking dish. Put about 1/2 inch of the oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When hot but not smoking, cook the tortillas, one at a time, until softened and pliable, about 10 seconds. Add more oil to the pan as needed. Drain on paper towels.
- Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the Monterey Jack in the center of each tortilla, roll tightly, and put the enchiladas in the prepared dish, seam side down. The rolls should be packed in snugly against one another.
- Cover the top with some more sauce and bake for 25 minutes. When the enchiladas come out of the oven, sprinkle them with the queso fresco, onion, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges on the side and pass the remaining sauce at the table.
- Cheese Enchiladas with Green Sauce.
- Also known as Enchiladas Suisas: Instead of making the red sauce, prepare a double recipe of Green Enchilada Salsa as described in Step 1. Increase the amount of Monterey Jack to 5 cups. Use the remaining cheese to sprinkle on top of the enchiladas before baking.
- Chicken Enchiladas.
- Omit the cheese if you like or reduce the quantity by half; use either red or green salsa. Prepare Grilled or Broiled Chicken with Cilantro and Lime . When cool enough to handle, pull the meat from the bone and break it into bite-sized pieces. Use the chicken, along with the cheese, to fill the tortillas, taking care not to overfill.