Submitted by: Mike Ping, Farm and Dairy Circulation Manager
Tex-Mex style dishes were a staple of my diet growing up. My grandmother grew up in southern California and also lived in Texas, which likely inspired her (and ultimately my mother) to make dishes like tacos, burritos, mexican casserole, tamale pie and my personal favorite, enchiladas. We didn’t really take vacations when I was a kid. We didn’t have much money growing up, but every year for Christmas, we would make the trip to Oklahoma. As an adult, I would not want to make that journey in a car with three kids. My mother wanted to see her mother so badly that she was willing to trade temporary insanity for a week with her Mama. My sister and I had a running competition to see who could hug grandma first. Being two years older than her, I won most years. I vividly remember running up to my grandma (still wearing her apron) and wrapping my arms around her. After giving us big hugs and kisses, she would tell us dinner was ready, and, more often than not, it was these enchiladas.
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. of ground beef
- 1 large vidalia onion (finely chopped)
- 1 can green chiles
- 1 pkt. mexican seasoning
- 2 cans of enchilada sauce
- 1 lb. grated cheddar cheese
- 1 pkg. corn tortillas
- 1 can sliced black olives
- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Directions:
- Brown and season the ground beef in a pan. Drain the excess fat.
- Sauté the chopped onions in a bit of oil until they are translucent. Add the onions, the chiles and the packet of mexican seasoning (and cayenne pepper if desired) to the ground beef. Stir until fully mixed.
- Grease a 9-by-13-inch pan. Empty one can of the enchilada sauce into the pan.
- Heat up the tortillas in a skillet.
- Take two spoonfuls of the ground beef mixture and put it into each tortilla. Roll each tortilla and place it into the pan.
- Cover the tortillas with the other can of enchilada sauce. Top with cheese.
- Bake at 350 F for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
- Top the enchiladas with the sliced black olives and serve.
