Tortilla Chip Enchiladas

 

I knew my sister was going to be working late today.  I know what it is like to slog all day at a job and then have to come home and cook a meal for people.  I decided I was going to put together a casserole and bring it over to them so that she could just bang it into the oven. 

I had bookmarked a casserole I had seen over on Smart School House for Tortilla Chip Enchiladas. Lazy enchiladas with tortilla chips. No faffing about. I liked that idea. 

I've got a lot of work on at the moment as well, albeit from home.

 

My father usually eats supper at my sister's place every night. He's not one for spicy food, so the menu usually has to be pretty tame.

 Now that the lockdown restrictions have eased a tiny bit he has been meeting his lady friends for Fish & Chips on Wednesday nights.  I knew that with just Cindy and Dan being there I could pull out the stops a tiny bit.

 

What I really liked about the basic recipe was that it was pretty much a store cupboard recipe. It used things I almost always have in my larder and refrigerator.  You could also either use beef or chicken in it.

I happened to have some cooked pot roast in the refrigerator, which I knew would be perfect for this.  Simply shredded it would work well with everything else.

 

I also had a bag of plain lightly salted tortilla chips which were put to good use.  Red enchilada sauce.  Tomato Salsa, cheese  . . . 

The only thing I didn't have basically was the canned green chilies. They are not readily available locally in my small town, although you can get them a bit further afield.  I could get fresh jalapeno chilies however.

And so I nipped to the local shops to pick up a few of them to roast in my toaster oven.  I did them in the toaster oven on the broil setting. It took me about 15 minutes to do four of them, turning them halfway through the broiling.

You want the skins to really blister. Once they were done, I folded them up in the tinfoil I was roasting them on and let them sweat for about 5 minutes. 

 

After that it was simply a matter of using a knife to slip the skins off and scrape out the seeds. I did extra so I could have them in the freezer.  

Just roll the up tightly like a cigar (skinned and seeded) and wrap tightly in some plastic cling film, like a little sausage. Pop into a zip lock baggie and then whenever I need a few green chilies I have them.  Just slice off coins with a sharp knife and chop.

 

When you are a single person, living alone, you have to plan ahead.  It just made sense for me to do this. I used to do it in the UK because you couldn't get tinned green chilies at all there. With a little bit of effort, I now have some ready and at my beck and call.

The casserole itself was really very easy to make.  Just shred the beef and mix it together with some ground cumin, the enchilada sauce, the salsa, green chilies and cheese.  Oh, and the broken tortillas.

Don't break up the tortilla chips too much. You want them to be smaller than in the bag, but you don't want them to be ground.  I also broke my rule of thumb and used already grated cheese today.

I figured in a casserole such as this, it wouldn't matter all that much. I used a Tex Mex blend which contained cheddar and spicy jack cheeses.  Perfect.

 

One thing about using ground spices such as cumin.  If you toast them first in a hot skillet you can really bring out the flavors, enhancing them nicely.  About 30 seconds or so in a really hot skillet does the trick.

It really doesn't take very long at all to stir everything together.  Then it is merely a matter of scraping it into your buttered dish, tipping it with more cheese, covering it and baking it.  Easy peasy.

 

I also did a very tiny one for myself to enjoy.  The instructions and amounts I have given here are for that smaller one, which makes 2 servings, or one if you are extra hungry.

I wasn't.  Extra hungry that is. I will enjoy the other half tomorrow.

 

One thing which I did differently was to uncover the casserole near to the end of the bake time, sprinkle a few more tortilla chips on top for some crunch and a bit more cheese.

I don't know of any casserole on earth that doesn't become better for having had something crisp and crunchy sprinkled on top. Its almost a rule of thumb for me, to sprinkle a bit of crunch on top.  I haven't had any complaints yet.

 

Cut into squares it went down a real treat.  I added a dollop of sour cream on top and some chopped spring onions.  Oh, and a thin slice of the roasted green chili.

Doesn't that look tasty?  Doesn't that look appealing? Truth be told, in looking at those photos I may not be able to wait until tomorrow to eat the other half!  I am such a glutton!

I hope Cindy and Dan enjoyed their as much as I did mine. All you need on the side is perhaps a salad, maybe some guacamole.  If you are really hungry, some Mexican rice.

 

This was really, really good.  Loved  also that it was quick and easy to make.  If you love Tex Mex flavors and are looking for a simple, easy and quick supper, that is also delicious, you need look no further. This fits the bill on all counts!
  

Cooked Beef?  Chicken?  Pork even  . . .  its a great way to use up any of those!  I promise! Failing that just use ground beef, chicken or turkey and fry it first.  👍👍

Tortilla Chip Enchiladas

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 55 Min

You can make these tasty store cupboard enchiladas with either leftover shredded chicken or beef. They are quite simply delicious!

Ingredients

• 1 cup (150 grams) shredded cooked beef or chicken
• 1 1/2 cups (40 grams) broken tortilla chips
• 1 1/2 cups (350 grams) grated Tex-mex cheese blend
• 14 ounces (395 grams) red enchilada sauce
• 2 TBS chopped roasted green chilies
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/4 cup (60 gams) medium tomato salsa

You will also need:

• 3 TBS crushed chips
• 1 TBS grated cheese
•  1 spring onion, chopped
• sour cream to serve

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4.  butter a 7 by 4 inch casserole dish and set aside.
2. Shred your beef or chicken in a bowl. Add the green chilies, salsa and cumin and mix thoroughly.  Add the broken tortilla chips and enchilada sauce.  Stir in 1/2 of the cheese, mixing everything gently together.  Pour into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining cheese, making sure you cover the tortilla mixture completely. 
3. Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Uncover and top with the remaining crushed chips and cheese. Return to the oven for a further 5 minutes until the cheese on top has melted. 
4. Divide in half and serve topped with a dollop of sour cream and some chopped spring onion.

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