I have a few different enchilada recipes I make repeatedly, but I wanted to try this one that adds dried ancho chilies to the sauce, instead of just chili powder. I love using dried Mexican chilies as they add so much flavor to sauces and dishes. They are so easy to get on amazon too, you don’t even have to have Mexican market near you. I used these for this recipe.
The beef for this recipe is chuck roast and it is cooked in typical chuck roast fashion. Browned in chunks and then cooked in a low oven in broth, spices, garlic and onions for several hours until it is fully tender and can be easily shredded. You can do this ahead of time if you like and just store the shredded beef in the fridge until you make the enchiladas.
The sauce comes together in about 20 minutes, and then you just fill your tortillas with the shredded beef, a little cheese, and roll them up. If you can find the raw tortillas you cook at home, please use those. They are so much better than the store ones. Place in a baking dish, cover with sauce and lots of cheese, and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the cheese is browned and bubbly. Top with some chopped cilantro and serve. These go great with Mexican rice, or a fresh salad on the side. This is my new favorite enchilada recipe!
Ancho Chile Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 2 tsp oil
- 2-3 lb chuck roast cut into large pieces
- salt and pepper
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 onion thinly sliced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 2-3 cups beef stock
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
For the sauce:
- 2 large dried ancho chili peppers stemmed, seeded and microwaved for 10 seconds
- 2 tsp oil
- 1/4 cup onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 oz tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- salt to taste
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 4 oz can chopped green chiles
To assemble:
- 8-10 flour tortillas I use the fresh ones and cook them on the stove top briefly first
- 8 oz oaxaca cheese or monterey jack
- cilantro
Instructions
For the beef:
- Heat oil over high heat and add the chunks of beef. Cook without moving them until they are deeply browned on one side, then flip and brown the other sides. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper.
- Reduce heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, spices and tomato paste. Stir and cook for a few minutes.
- Add the vinegar, stock and a bit more salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and place in a 325 degree oven for 2.5-3 hours, until the meat is fully tender and can be shredded.
- Cool and shred the meat, and drizzle a little of the broth over to keep it moist. You can save the remaining broth to use in a Mexican soup, or other recipe.
For the sauce:
- Heat the dried chile in the microwave just for 10 seconds to soften it. Heat the oil in a sauce pan and add the onion, garlic and dried chili pepper and stir for a minute or two. Add the tomato paste, stock, vinegar, spices, sugar, green chilies, and a pinch of salt. Whisk and allow to simmer for a few minutes. Taste and adjust the salt/sugar/spices as desired. Simmer for 10 minutes and then blend in a blender until smooth.
To assemble:
- Spoon some sauce into the bottom of a greased 13×9 baking dish. Roll each tortilla up with some beef/cheese filling and place seam side down in the dish. Place all the enchiladas and then cover with sauce and shredded cheese.
- Bake for about 15 minutes at 350 uncovered until the cheese is bubbling and browned. You can broil the top if needed. Allow to cool for 10 minutes and then serve with a big salad or rice on the side.