Beef Enchiladas

Filled with chile con carne and cheese, these enchiladas are the ultimate Mexican comfort food. These family-style enchiladas are seriously delicious. You begin by making a quick chili con carne, or chili sauce, with lean ground beef, onions, peppers, spices, tomato sauce, and broth.

The sauce is then combined with shredded Mexican cheese and rolled into soft yellow corn tortillas, which are nestled into a baking dish, topped with more sauce and cheese, and then baked until bubbling. The recipe takes about an hour start to finish — perfect for a comforting weekend dinner or weeknight when you’ve got a little extra time. There are a few cool tricks to this recipe. First, for the thickening agent in the chile sauce, toast raw all-purpose flour in a pan until it is nutty and golden brown, then reserve it to stir in with the browned beef later in the recipe. Second, if you like truly melty cheese in the classic Tex-Mex tradition, use a mixture of American cheese, like Velveeta, with the Cheddar you use inside and on top of the finished enchiladas. Finally, if you’re fearful that a casserole of cheese, chili and fried tortillas may be a little rich for dinner, serve it with a bowl of tomatillo pineapple salsa on the side.

Ingredients:

FOR THE SAUCE

• 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
• Heaping 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (see note)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 3 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
• 2 cups chicken broth

FOR THE ENCHILADAS

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for brushing the tortillas
• 10 (6- to 7-inch) yellow corn tortillas, preferably Mission Super Size "Super Soft"
• 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, preferably Tilamook