The Secret to Perfect Mexican Enchiladas: A Cheesy, Savory Dinner in 30 Minutes

It’s always nice to explore other countries’ cuisines, especially if the meals you’re used to making all the time have become just too dull to prepare them again. When it comes to flexibility, the Mexican cuisine definitely stands out, since it’s easy to stick to your own ingredient choices rather than to a specific recipe.

Thanks to this classic enchilada, you’ll have the best and quickest dinner you’ve had in a week — feel free to adapt the filling to your own taste.

Ingredients (for 4 portions): 1 onion, 1 tsp of vegetable oil, 400 g of ground beef, 300 g of cooked or canned beans, salt, 400 g of chopped tomatoes (canned in their own juice), 1 tbsp of dried paprika, ½ tsp of dried chili pepper, ½ tsp of dried garlic, 8 corn tortillas (15–20 cm in diameter), 100 g of grated cheese, green onions for serving.

Finely chop the onion and fry it in vegetable oil over medium heat until golden brown. Add the ground meat and cook for 5–7 minutes, breaking up any clumps with a spatula.

Then add the beans to the meat and cook for another couple of minutes. If using canned beans, drain off any excess liquid. Season the meat filling with salt.

In a separate pan, heat the tomatoes. Add the paprika, chili pepper, and garlic. Stir and taste the sauce. Add salt if needed. This may not be necessary if the canned tomatoes are already salted.

Pour half of the sauce into the meat filling. Stir and turn off the heat. Remove the remaining mixture from the heat — you’ll need it later.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Divide the meat filling into eight roughly equal portions and wrap them in corn tortillas. Place the filled tortillas tightly in a baking dish.

Pour the remaining sauce over the tortillas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake the enchiladas in the oven for about 15 minutes. The cheese should melt and brown.

Serve the enchiladas hot, sprinkled with chopped green onions.