The Pioneer Woman Cooks - Simple, Perfect Enchiladas

The Sauce:
1 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsps all-purpose flour
1 large (28 ounce) can enchilada or Mexican red sauce
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 tbsps chopped cilantro plus extra for serving

The Meat:
1 pound ground beef
1 medium onion
Two 4-ounce cans diced green chilies
1/2 tsp salt

The Rest:
10 to 14 corn tortillas
canola oil for frying
1/2 cup chopped black olives
1 cup chopped green onions
3 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
cilantro

In a saucepan over medium-low heat combine the canola oil and flour.  Whisk together and allow to bubble for 1 minute.  Pour in the enchilada (red) sauce, chicken broth, salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer while you prepare the other ingredients.

Finely chop the onion.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef with the onion.  Drain the fat then add the green chilies.  Add the salt and stir to combine, turn off the heat and set aside.

In a small skillet over medium heat, lightly fry the tortillas in canola oil just until soft.  Do not crisp.  Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.  Repeat until all the tortillas have been fried.  Now that all the elements are ready, lets assemble!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish.  Next dip each tortilla into the sauce.  Set the sauce-soaked tortillas on a cookie sheet.  On each tortilla, place some of the meat mixture, black olives and green onions.  Top with a generous portion of grated cheese.  Roll up the tortilla to contain the filling inside and place seam side down in the baking dish.  Repeat with the rest of the tortillas.  Stir the cilantro into the sauce and pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas.  End with a generous sprinkling of cheese.  Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly.  Sprinkle extra chopped cilantro over the top. 

I served this with a quick taco salad on the side.  In a large salad bowl, cut up one head of lettuce into bite size pieces, add about 4 to 6 ounces of a block of cheddar cheese, cubed, add one small diced tomato, one can of drained pinto beans, 1/2 to 3/4 of a small bottle of Catalina Salad Dressing, toss to mix well and top with small size Fritos.

These enchiladas were good but they were not my momma's enchiladas.  We do things a lot easier and still get a good result.  I love Pioneer Woman and her cookbook but it seems to me she takes a lot of extra steps to make something where to me a shortcut could be taken.  I guess that's why she has a cookbook and I don't! :)  Anyway, if you like beef enchiladas these were good.  It made a huge pan full so you could feed 4-5 people at least.  I like enchiladas made with red sauce even though my family prefers chili.  You could taste the green chilies and the black olives for sure in this recipe.  I am not a huge black olive fan but it worked for this dish.  On a scale of 1-10 I would give these about a 7.75 and that's just because I am partial to the ones I grew up on.  Corn tortillas stuffed with shredded Velvetta cheese and chopped onions topped with chili and more shredded cheese then heated till bubbly.  I can make them just like my mom but for some reason they always taste better when she makes them!