Since I love to cook it just makes sense that my boyfriend and I would stay in most nights for dinner. When we first moved in together cooking for just the two of us was so difficult. I would get frustrated over the fact that we would have so much food leftover and neither of us are big fans of leftovers. With some practice though I have gotten pretty good at controlling how much food I’m producing.
For weeknight meals I tend to stick with things that don’t take too long in preparation, and my Easy Enchiladas are a once a week request from the boy. Now, I’m not crazy about recipes, I feel like they don’t leave any room for innovation, so if you’re looking to make some Easy Enchiladas of your own, you can follow my simple guidelines.
For two people you’ll probably want to have:
1 can tomato sauce
1 small can of tomato paster (or less–you will have leftovers from a whole small can)
Red onion, jalepeños, any favorite veggies
1/2 lb. Some chicken or beef (ground or shredded)
Shredded Cheese of your choice
4 Tortillas (we use whole wheat)
Sour cream or Plain Greek yogurt
1 Avocado – for an avocado sauce
Cilantro
Maybe some black beans
Get Started: Chicken or beef or veggie?
First I choose what goodies I am going to include in my enchiladas. With any of the options I always add in one chopped seedless jalepeño and some chopped red onion (my favorite). If you choose chicken or beef, then cook it in a large skillet until done and then add in the onion and jalepeño to cook for a bit. When I do chick I like to put it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes and then shred it–after shredding add it back into the skillet with the veggies.
Saucey
For the sauce you can buy a can of enchilada sauce, or create your own with regular canned tomato sauce. I add some cumin, coriander, garlic salt and pepper to a can of tomato sauce. Add sauce to the meat/veggie combo, just a little though to make sure there is sauce all over. The remainder of the sauce will be used later.
Wrap it up
Now you will assemble the enchiladas. Prep a small pan (8×8) by coating the bottom and sides with some olive oil first. Lay out one tortilla and brush some tomato paste down the middle of the tortilla. Add your cheese and the meat mixture. Roll up the tortilla. I use tomato paste to help keep it closed. Do this to the remaining tortillas and add them to the pan (they will be snug). Pour over the remaining enchilada sauce or tomato sauce. Bake it in the oven at 350° for 30 minutes. Add cheese to the top and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Extras
To make an avocado sauce (a little thinner than guacamole) Add 1 avocado, some chopped onion, cilantro, jalepeño, and whatever your heart desires to a small food processor and process it! The sour cream or Greek yogurt is a nice extra, and we typically have some black beans to add to the mix too.
Make it your own and as always–Bon Appétit!
