Unlike their Mexican kin, Tex-Mex enchiladas have no meat and no tomatoey sauce. Instead, a smoky chile gravy provides the bulk of flavor in the dish. Dried ancho chiles, along with cumin, garlic, and oregano, are the perfect backbone for our roux-based sauce, and a splash of vinegar brightens it up. Instead of going with the processed cheese typical of the dish, we opted for a mixture of cheddar for flavor and Monterey Jack for smooth meltability. Finally, while traditional recipes call for frying the corn tortillas one at a time, we found a shortcut that reduces time (and excess grease): brushing the tortillas with oil and microwaving them for a mere minute.
Notes
Dried chiles vary in size and weight. You’ll get a more accurate measure if you seed and tear them first; you need about 1/2 cup of prepped chiles. You’ll lose some flavor, but you can substitute 2 tablespoons of ancho chile powder and 1 tablespoon of ground cumin for the whole ancho chiles and cumin seeds, decreasing the toasting time to 1 minute.
Ingredients
Gravy
- 2 dried ancho chiles - stemmed, seeded, and torn into ½-inch pieces (½ cup)
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- salt - to taste
- pepper - to taste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons distilled white vinegar
Enchiladas
- 12 6-inch corn tortillas
- 1 ½ tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese - shredded (2 cups)
- 6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese - shredded (1 ½ cups)
- 1 small onion - chopped fine
Instructions
For the Gravy
- Toast chiles and cumin in 12-inch skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a spice grinder and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Add garlic powder and oregano and grind to a fine powder.
- Heat oil in now-empty skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.
- Whisk in flour, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and spice mixture and cook until fragrant and slightly deepened in color, about 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in broth and bring to simmer.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and cook, whisking frequently, until gravy has thickened and reduced to 1 ½ cups, about 5 minutes.
- Whisk in vinegar and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm. (Sauce can be made up to 24 hours in advance. To reheat, add 2 tablespoons water and microwave until loose, 1 to 2 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving.)
For the Enchiladas
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.
- Brush both sides of tortillas with oil. Stack tortillas, then wrap in a damp dishtowel. Place tortillas on plate and microwave until warm and pliable, about 1 minute.
- Spread ½ cup gravy in the bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish.
- Combine cheeses in a bowl; set aside ½ cup cheese mixture for topping enchiladas.
- Place ¼½ cup cheese mixture across center of each tortilla, then sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon onion.
- Tightly roll tortillas around filling and lay them seam side down in dish (2 columns of 6 tortillas will fit neatly across width of dish).
- Pour remaining 1 cup gravy over enchiladas, then sprinkle with reserved cheese mixture and any remaining onion.
- Cover dish with aluminum foil and bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
- Let enchiladas cool for 10 minutes, then sprinkle with remaining onion. Serve.
Nutrition
Calories: 556kcalCarbohydrates: 44gProtein: 23gFat: 34gSaturated Fat: 22gCholesterol: 63mgSodium: 807mgPotassium: 646mgFiber: 10gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 5821IUVitamin C: 13mgCalcium: 565mgIron: 4mg