Organic enchiladas, chicken or beef, with a gluten-free option!
It's scary to think about, but back in the day before I had what I now call my ‘food conversion‘, I made burritos using canned chili mixed with Velveeta cheese of all things–I know now how disgusting that is! What kind of meat do you think goes into canned chili? And we all know now that Velveeta isn't even close to real cheese! “It melts so much better“, I used to think. Ha! Real cheese melts well too if you know how to do it. (Such as in my awesome keto cheese sauce–it's so good that I use it for any queso now, even if no one is watching their carbs. And by the way, the chili-con-queso recipe at that same link would go great as a side to these organic enchiladas with some organic tortilla chips!)
So obviously, these organic enchiladas are much more nutritious than the kind I used to make.
Also down below my recipe I included my friend Megan's version too. Hers is more spicy than mine, but everyone loves them!
When Kent and I started getting to know Joe and Megan after they moved in next door many years ago, we'd go out to dinner with them and for the first time in our lives we'd hear phrases like, “Can you believe the presentation they used for that entree?!” We looked at each other in disbelief, wondering who in the world cares how food LOOKS, all we've ever cared about before was how it tasted! These days we also care about how nutritious it is, but not yet at that point… They became great friends (and we're still close even though they moved, so sad!), and we realized what a score it was getting them for neighbors. They're great cooks and taught us so much. Over the years we would share our latest recipes back and forth to test them on each other. (Another great friend Sonia and I do the same thing, we have the best neighborhood!) I'm still trying to get Joe to e-mail me with his homemade blueberry or white-chocolate raspberry scones recipe so I can post it! Oooh, to wake up on a Saturday morning with the coffee going and have Joe show up at the door with some of those…pure joy!
Organic Enchiladas Recipe
Ingredients
Enchilada sauce:
- 6 Tablespoons butter, pastured butter is best
- 1 chopped organic onion
- 3 or more garlic cloves (to your taste), chopped, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 cup + 2 Tablespoons flour I use mostly Einkorn flour these days! Read more about that here: Could THIS be the answer to the gluten sensitivity epidemic?
- 1 3/4 cup organic beef or chicken broth, homemade broth is easy--you could substitute part of this with milk or cream which is really good too!
- 6 Tablespoons organic tomato paste
- 3 Tablespoons organic taco seasoning -- I make my own (at that link) to avoid the junky packets with MSG and trans fat.
- 1/2 cup sour cream, or you could substitute part of that with 4 ounces organic cream cheese--you can't screw this recipe up!
- 1 Tablespoon natural sugar, I use palm sugar.
- 1 scoop Collagen protein that has no taste, but dissolves easily, and packs a powerful punch! It has 10 grams of protein in one serving and is sourced from pasture-raised grass-fed cows, and we all know that cows on pasture are much more healthy than the sad conventionally-raised cows who never see the light of day or get to eat any green grass. (It's also no-GMO and free of pesticides or hormones!) (this is an optional superfood addition)
- 2 Tablespoons Colostrum--this adds a little creaminess and gut-building properties too. Click the "colostrum" tab above to read more. (this is another optional superfood addition!)
The rest of the ingredients:
- 6-8 organic tortillas – I like these. Most other ingredient labels are waaaay too long and loaded with junk. Or sometimes I make my own homemade soaked flour tortillas.
- 2-3 cups cut up cooked (pastured) chicken OR 1.5# browned (grassfed) ground beef, preferably from a good farm with animals that don't eat junk and are out on pasture daily—Click here for a safe source online for healthy meat if you don't have a local source. As you cook the chicken or ground beef, season with sea salt, pepper, and 1 teaspoon cumin.
- 1/2 can of these refried beans, optional, they're organic and pre-soaked for more nutrition!
- 1 chopped organic pepper, any color you'd like-- this is optional.
- 3 cups shredded cheddar or colby/jack cheese, it's best to shred your own to avoid the junky ingredients.
- Chopped parsley and/or cilantro for garnish on top.
- Salsa and/or sour cream to serve alongside. Here's my homemade salsa recipe.
Instructions
- Melt butter, sauté onion and garlic for a minute or two. Add flour and whisk until smooth. Cook 30-60 seconds without letting it burn. Slowly add broth and/or milk and keep whisking. Add sour cream & sugar, and the optional superfood additions, and keep whisking well. Once it's thickened, remove from heat and set aside.
- Butter a 9×13 stainless steel baking pan and put about 3/4 cup sauce on the bottom. Next: one layer of tortillas on the bottom, tearing to make them fit. (My tortillas are about 9-10" so I only use 2 per layer-see the photos.) Spread the refried beans around on top of the tortillas. (You may need to put them int a separate bowl first and stir them up to soften so they're spreadable.) Next spread around 1/2 of your chicken or beef. Now sauce again, a little over a cup. Another layer of tortillas, the rest of the meat, chopped peppers if you're using them, the last layer of tortillas, the rest of the sauce, then cheese all over the top.
- Bake uncovered, for about a half hour, at 375*–just long enough to get it hot all the way through and to let the cheese melt and get a little brown on top. Let it set out a few minutes before you cut it, so the pieces come out better.
- Serve with more sour cream and extra salsa if desired. Garnish with parsley and/or cilantro.
Notes
- First, I know that she spends a whole afternoon now and then and cooks a BUNCH of chicken and chicken broth, then freezes it so she's got it all ready to pull out for recipes like this one.
- Also, instead of making it in layers like I do (the lazy way), she rolls up 8 burritos or however many fit in your pan or that you have enough filling for, and adds the fillings inside each one along with a little of the sauce, then places them in a greased pan. Pour the rest of the sauce over the top and sprinkle on the cheese.
- In her sauce she adds more spices (and omits the taco seasoning packet and the sour cream): 1 1/2 Tablespoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage, 1/2 Tablespoon garlic powder, 1 1/2 cup chicken broth and 2 cups tomato sauce.
Sides that go well with organic enchiladas:
- Chili con queso, as mentioned above
- Rice–I always use this kind, follow the directions on the package. I always use more broth for the liquid! Or try this Spanish rice!
A few photos: (These are photos of when I made the gluten-free sauce from the notes below the recipe.)
Onions and garlic, cook 'til translucent.
Browning the ground beef.
Adding in the spices.
Here's where I added in some collagen.
A stick blender is perfect for this.
Begin layering!
Just tear the tortillas however you need to so they cover the whole area of your pan.
Refried beans layer.
I didn't get a pic of the first meat layer. Here's more sauce and keep layering.
Another tortilla layer.
Peppers if you're using them.
The rest of the meat.
Last tortilla layer.
Last of the sauce.
Cheese on top!
Yum!
More you might like:
Kristen M. says
This has become a favorite family recipe.
KitchenKop says
I know, aren’t they yummy?! If you make them again, will you do me a favor and snap a picture so I can add one to this post? (That goes for anyone who sees this!) I’d appreciate it. 🙂
And thanks for sharing your feedback!
Kelly
Ellen O'Reilly says
Meg is looking for a no carb or low carb alcoholic drink. I have one. It’s called the Slim Rita. They are marketing this drink in Texas. I think there are only 5 carbs and it is all natural,no sugar. Just add your Tequila! Not sure where to get it yet except through my neighbor! I’ll check to see if there is a website. There’s another similar drink called Skinny Rita that I think you can get at TGIF restaurants, but I don’t know the contents of that.
Crystal Gray says
Nevermind about the above question! I didn’t use enough butter! lol
Crystal Gray says
Ok. So you use 1/4 cup flour AND 2 Tablespoons? Thanks in advance!
crystal says
What kind of flour do you cook with? Bleached or unbleached?
KitchenKop says
I edited the recipe to add this!
Kelly
KitchenKop says
Arystarca,
Inside the rolled up tortillas in Meg’s recipe she puts the chicken, the veggies, and part of the sauce, then once they’re all rolled, the rest of the sauce goes on top with sprinkled cheese…hmmmmm Might have to make these again soon…thanks!
Kelly
Arystarca says
Oh . . .um I added the spices too, but I guess I was worried it would be a bit dry . . .
Arystarca says
Hi,
Thanks for posting this recipe! I tried it out but I think i got a bit confused. I ended up making both sauces but whisked the chicken into the sauce with sour cream, rolled it up into the tortillas and drizzled a tomato-based enchilada sauce on top. It turned out really good — but I think I bit heavy. Outside of the chicken and the chicken broth in Meg’s recipe, what else is supposed to go inside the tortillas? (I’m a little fond of anything that qualifies as the “spicier” version. 🙂 )
Nicola says
Sounds delicious. I love Mexican food. I am going to start making my own tortillas. It doesn’t look too hard. Here is a good flour tortilla recipe if you are interested: https://www.newresilient.com/2009/03/04/simple-recipe-flour-tortillas/
Also, if you are interested in corn tortillas, you can find organic masa online, I found some on Amazon. Also, here is a more labor intensive version: https://www.cheeseslave.com/2008/08/03/homemade-corn-tortillas-part-one/
Katrina says
What tortillas do you buy? The link is no longer valid. Thanks!
KitchenKop says
I fixed the link, but here it is:
https://kellythekitchenkop.com/organic-flour-tortillas
I can also find good organic tortillas at my grocery store sometimes nowadays!
Kelly