Homemade Enchiladas

I have been wanting to try my hand at homemade enchiladas. I had a general idea of what I wanted, so I started out by making a batch of my olive oil tortilla shells. Once I had the dough mixed and resting, I started a sauce, and once the tortillas were finished I made a grass-fed beef filling. The house smelled awesome when Hubby walked in the door, and he really enjoyed some of the leftovers for lunch the next day. This recipe has lots of room for personalization, and I know I will be making these again soon. You will need at least eight tortilla shells for an 8x10 casserole dish (depending how much you stuff and how tightly you roll the enchiladas).


Note: While I always liked onions, my husband loves them (he swipes pieces of raw onion from my cutting board as a treat), and he has influenced me greatly. Adjust or omit onions (or any other ingredients) according to your needs.

Sauce
• 24 oz tomato sauce
• 1 small onion (chopped and browned)
• 1½ tsp ancho chili
• 1½ tsp paprika (pref. smoked)
• 1 tsp onion powder
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• ¾ tsp cumin powder
• ½ tsp oregano
• salt & pepper to taste
• water (as needed to keep the sauce from becoming too thick)


Mix and let the sauce simmer while you prep the tortillas and filling.


Filling
• 1½ lbs. ground beef (I heartily recommend grass-fed)
• 1 small onion chopped and browned
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp ancho chili
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• garlic powder to taste
• salt to taste


Brown ground beef, adding spices and onions once it has started to cook.


Also needed/suggested:
8 oz minimum cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
At least 8 tortilla shells
Sour cream or plain yogurt on the side for dipping


Preheat oven to 350°F (app. 175°C*)
Ladle a thin layer of sauce into the casserole dish.
Fill & roll the tortilla shells, including a light sprinkle of cheese over the meat filling and tail of the tortilla shell; place in the casserole dish.
Sprinkle remaining cheese on & ladle sauce over the enchiladas.
Bake for 30 minutes.


*I use an online conversion chart and round up or down, as seems appropriate. Please adjust according to your judgement, and send me a message if you find an error. Thank you.