Beef Enchiladas
By America's Test KitchenPublished on May 30, 2011
Time
3 hours
Yield
Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced3 tablespoons chili powder 2 teaspoons ground coriander 2 teaspoons ground cumin 1 teaspoon sugar Salt 1 ¼ pounds top blade steaks, trimmed according to picture at left1 tablespoon vegetable oil 2 medium onions, chopped1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce ½ cup water 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves ¼ cup chopped pickled jalapeño chiles 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Before You Begin
Cut back on the pickled jalapeños if you like your enchiladas on the mild side. Sour cream, diced avocado, shredded lettuce, and lime wedges make great enchilada sidekicks—let everyone at the table pick and choose as they wish.
Instructions
- Combine garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Pat meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook meat until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer meat to plate. Add onions to pot and cook over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and water and bring to boil. Return meat and juices to pot, cover, reduce heat to low, and gently simmer until meat is tender and can be broken apart with wooden spoon, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Strain beef mixture over medium bowl, pressing on mixture to break meat into small pieces and extract as much sauce as possible; reserve sauce. Transfer meat to medium bowl and mix with 1 cup cheese, cilantro, and jalapeños.
- Spread 3/4 cup sauce in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Microwave 6 tortillas on plate on high power until soft, about 1 minute. Spread 1/3 cup beef mixture down center of each tortilla, roll tortillas tightly, and set in baking pan seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and beef mixture (you may have to fit two or more enchiladas down the sides of the baking dish). Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and spread to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over enchiladas, wrap with aluminum foil, and bake until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese browns slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.
- Make Ahead: Although it's best to roll and bake the enchiladas right before serving, the beef filling and the sauce can be prepared through step 2 and refrigerated in separate containers for up to 2 days.
Time
3 hoursYield
Serves 4 to 6Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 ¼ pounds top blade steaks, trimmed according to picture at left
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
½ cup water
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup chopped pickled jalapeño chiles
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 ¼ pounds top blade steaks, trimmed according to picture at left
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
½ cup water
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup chopped pickled jalapeño chiles
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Test Kitchen Techniques
Ingredients
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt
1 ¼ pounds top blade steaks, trimmed according to picture at left
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
½ cup water
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese or mild cheddar cheese
⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
¼ cup chopped pickled jalapeño chiles
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas
Test Kitchen Techniques
Why This Recipe Works
Our Beef Enchiladas recipe achieves rich flavor in less time than more traditional recipes. Instead of using ground chiles and tomatoes, we use store-bought chili powder and canned tomatoes, along with onions, garlic, and spices to make a quick sauce with plenty of flavor. Inexpensive blade steaks lent our recipe the soft chew and beefy flavor we were after. Cutting the steaks into small pieces kept our cooking time at just an hour and a half. Traditional beef enchiladas recipes fry the corn tortillas and then dip them in sauce to soften and season them. Instead, we softened the tortillas in the microwave, assembled the enchiladas, topped them with sauce and cheese, and baked them until heated through.
Before You Begin
Cut back on the pickled jalapeños if you like your enchiladas on the mild side. Sour cream, diced avocado, shredded lettuce, and lime wedges make great enchilada sidekicks—let everyone at the table pick and choose as they wish.
Instructions
- Combine garlic, chili powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Pat meat dry with paper towels and sprinkle with salt. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Cook meat until browned on both sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer meat to plate. Add onions to pot and cook over medium heat until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato sauce and water and bring to boil. Return meat and juices to pot, cover, reduce heat to low, and gently simmer until meat is tender and can be broken apart with wooden spoon, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Strain beef mixture over medium bowl, pressing on mixture to break meat into small pieces and extract as much sauce as possible; reserve sauce. Transfer meat to medium bowl and mix with 1 cup cheese, cilantro, and jalapeños.
- Spread 3/4 cup sauce in bottom of 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Microwave 6 tortillas on plate on high power until soft, about 1 minute. Spread 1/3 cup beef mixture down center of each tortilla, roll tortillas tightly, and set in baking pan seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and beef mixture (you may have to fit two or more enchiladas down the sides of the baking dish). Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and spread to coat evenly. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup cheese evenly over enchiladas, wrap with aluminum foil, and bake until heated through, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese browns slightly, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve.
- Make Ahead: Although it's best to roll and bake the enchiladas right before serving, the beef filling and the sauce can be prepared through step 2 and refrigerated in separate containers for up to 2 days.
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