Are you on a quest to cook more and more from scratch like I am? I’ve been focusing on slowly phasing out a lot of the chemical laden, processed foods from our meals. Am I 100% successful? No, far from it, but more and more of the meals I cook use less and less processed ingredients. It’s a journey that takes a conscious effort and doesn’t happen overnight. Progress not perfection…right? Yes, I have several cans of enchilada sauce in my pantry. Yes, I often use them for the sheer convenience they provide, but when you find out how easy it is to make your own enchilada sauce from scratch, and how good it tastes, you may decide to jump on the bandwagon with me and ditch the canned stuff for good too.
I always assumed making an enchilada sauce from scratch would be complicated and time consuming. When I ran across this recipe at lilluna.com I was pleasantly surprised to find out that’s not the case. If you’ve ever made a roux then you can easily master this recipe. Even if you’ve never made a roux the technique I’ve outlined in this post will make it easy-peasy. I encourage you to give it a try. There’s nothing better than having bragging rights to let your family know that you made their delicious meal completely from scratch. Plus you will know that your feeding your family a wholesome meal that not only tastes good, but it’s good for them too.
Come on, lets do this so we can enjoy a truly good meal tonight!
Start by preheating your oven to 350°F.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add flour to the pan.
Whisk together with the oil to combine into a roux.
Cook and stir roux for about 1-2 minutes, whisking constantly. This will cook off the raw flour taste.
Add the chili powders, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, oregano, cumin and salt to the pan.
Whisk everything together until the mixture resembles clumpy red sand.
Pour in the chicken broth and whisk until smooth.
Whisk in water and bring the mixture to a low simmer.
Simmer until the sauce thickens. Whisk in more water if the sauce gets too thick.
Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool slightly.
Spread some sauce in the bottom of an oven safe casserole dish.
Dip each corn tortilla in the sauce to coat.
Lay a tortilla in the casserole dish and place about a ¼ cup of shredded cheese in the center of each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla around the cheese.
Continue until the pan is filled with cheese filled tortillas.
Spoon any remaining sauce over the tortillas in the pan, and top with remaining cheddar cheese and sliced olives.
Bake for 30-40 minutes until heated through and the cheese is melted and bubbly.
To serve, top enchiladas with a dollop of sour cream if desired.
My son LOVES these cheese enchiladas; they are one of his favorite meals! He can easily wolf down half a dozen of them in one sitting. A huge shout out to Kristyn at Lil Luna for the inspiration for this wonderful recipe. Be sure to check out her website when you have some time, she has loads and loads of delicious looking recipes on her website. Thank you Kristyn, I have a feeling I’ll be trying more of your creations in the future!
Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 4 tbsp flour
- 3 tbsp red chili powder
- 1 tbsp Chipotle or Ancho chili powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp cumin
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- 14.5 oz can chicken broth
- 1 cup water
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1 small can of sliced olives, drained
- serve with sour cream, if desired
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add flour and whisk together with the oil to combine into a roux.
- Cook and stir roux for about 1 minute to cook off raw flour taste.
- Add the chili powders, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, oregano, cumin and salt to the pan.
- Whisk everything together until the mixture resembles clumpy red sand.
- Pour in chicken broth and whisk until smooth.
- Whisk in water and bring the mixture to a low simmer. Simmer until sauce thickens. Whisk in more water if sauce gets too thick.
- Remove from heat and allow sauce to cool slightly.
- Dip each corn tortilla in the sauce to coat. Lay the tortilla in an oven safe casserole dish and place about a ¼ cup of shredded cheese in the center of each tortilla. Roll up the tortilla around the cheese.
- Continue until the pan is filled with cheese filled tortillas.
- Pour any remaining sauce over the tortillas in the pan.
- Top with remaining cheddar cheese and sliced olives.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes until heated through and cheese is melted and bubbly.
- To serve, top enchiladas with sour cream if desired.
Did You Make This?
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Colossians 3:17
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