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Cheese and Onion Enchiladas with Chili con Carne

I live in Texas and have a shameless addiction to Tex-Mex food.   I grew up on the stuff and from an early age remember going to restraunts that served dishes of fragrant, spicy food and warm, soft tortillas.

Among the things I love most are cheese and onion enchiladas.  Now, most places serve them with red sauce, or chili gravy, and that is fine, but if it is an option I order mine with chili con carne.   I love the rich meat sauce combined with the oozing cheese. 

I make my enchiladas a little differently than some because I do not soften my tortillas in oil.  There is nothing wrong with that method, but I find the enchiladas have enough fat with chili con carne and cheese and I do not want them to be greasy.  So, I use the microwave to slightly warm the tortillas so they roll more easily.

My chili con carne recipe is just my standard chili recipe, but I use ground beef rather than chili meat or (in the case of the recipe linked above) turkey meat.   I also add 1/3 cup of masa because I want the sauce thinner to start.  It is going to be baked in the oven where it will absorb into the tortillas and thicken.

I also sautee my onions really well before making up my enchiladas.  Raw, crunchy onions ruin cheese enchiladas for me.  I want the onion flavor, and a little of the onion texture, but none of the acrid raw onion bite.

Cheese and Onion Enchiladas    Serves 4

8 corn tortillas
2 cups grated medium or sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup grated montery jack cheese
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup yellow onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
3 cups chili con carne

Heat the oven to 400F.  Prepare a baking dish by spraying it witn non-stick cooking spray.

In a sautee pan melt the butter over medium heat until it foams.  Add the onions and cook until soft, then add the garlic and cook for thirty seconds.  Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool.

In a saucepan heat the chili con carne until it simmers.  Reduce the heat to low and cover with a lid to keep warm. 

Mix the cooled onion mixture into the cheeses.  Set aside.

Wrap the tortillas in a towel and microwave for 20 seconds, flip the tortillas and microwave for 20 seconds more.  You want them warm, but not steamy hot.

Dip the warmed tortillas into the chili, then fill with the cheese and onion mixture and roll into a tube. 

Take 1/2 cup of the chili sauce and spread it on the bottom of the dish.  Place the rolled enchiladas in the pan then top with the remaining chili and cheese. 

Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese and sauce are bubbly.

Devour!!

Author: Kelly

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