Tex-Mex cheese enchiladas
Corn tortillas rolled around melty cheddar and onion and baked under a smoky homemade chili gravy, the Tex-Mex diner classic with no can of sauce required.
- 50 min total
- 30 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $1.92 a serving
- 640 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped, divided
- 3 cups cheddar cheese, grated, divided
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 10 corn tortillas
- ½ cup sour cream (optional)
- 2 tbsp cilantro, chopped (optional)
From your pantry
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp salt
Each serving has about 640 calories, 26 g protein, 43 g carbs and 42 g fat, and costs about $1.92 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No cheddar cheese? Shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese or mexican blend cheese works.
- No vegetable broth? Chicken broth works.
- No corn tortillas? Flour tortillas work.
- No sour cream? Plain greek yogurt works.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 400°F. the onion and the cheddar.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Finely chop. Finely chopping means cutting food into small pieces, a little bigger than minced, about the size of a lentil. Small pieces spread their flavor through the dish and cook quickly.
How you’ll know: Nothing is bigger than a lentil, and the pile looks like confetti rather than paste.
Grate. Grating means rubbing food across the holes of a grater to make fine shreds or flakes. It spreads cheese, garlic or ginger evenly through a dish so it melts right in.
How you’ll know: Even shreds fall off the back of the grater, and you stop while the piece is still big enough to hold.
Heat the oil in a medium over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, , 1 minute, until it smells toasty.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heatTimer: 1 min
in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder and oregano for 30 seconds, then slowly whisk in the broth.
Whisk. Whisking means beating quickly with a whisk or a fork to blend things together. It smooths out lumps and mixes eggs, oil or sauces evenly.
How you’ll know: It all looks one even color and texture, with no streaks or lumps.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: Pour the broth in a little at a time and whisk it smooth before adding more, so no lumps form., whisking now and then, 5 minutes, until it like gravy. Stir in the salt and spread ½ cup over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Wrap the tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave 45 to 60 seconds, until soft and bendy.
Dolly’s tip: Warm tortillas roll; cold ones crack. Keep the stack wrapped as you go so they stay soft.Put a small handful of cheddar and a spoonful of onion on each tortilla, roll it up snugly and lay it seam side down in the dish.
Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and scatter the remaining cheddar and onion on top.
15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce bubbles and the cheese has . Let them sit 5 minutes, then serve with sour cream and cilantro.
Bake. Baking means cooking in the oven with dry heat all around the food. It cooks evenly from every side, so you can mostly leave it alone.
How you’ll know: It’s golden on top and passes the recipe’s check, like a clean toothpick or the right temperature.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Timer: 18 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
