Cheese Enchiladas with Chile Con Carne Sauce

🌶🧀 Cheese Enchiladas with Chile Con Carne Sauce

A classic Tex-Mex favorite — soft corn tortillas stuffed with cheese and topped with a rich, beefy chili gravy.

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🛒 Ingredients

For the Enchiladas

• 10–12 corn tortillas

• 3 cups freshly shredded cheddar or Longhorn cheese

• ½ small onion, very finely diced (optional, traditional)

• Oil for softening tortillas

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For the Chile Con Carne Sauce (Chili Gravy with Beef)

• 1 lb ground beef

• 2 tbsp oil or beef drippings

• 2 tbsp flour

• 3 tbsp chili powder

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• ½ tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp oregano

• ½ tsp salt (to taste)

• ¼ tsp black pepper

• 2 cups beef broth

• ½ cup tomato sauce

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🔥 Instructions

1️⃣ Make the Chile Con Carne Sauce

1. Brown the ground beef in a skillet over medium heat. Drain excess grease and set aside.

2. In the same skillet, add oil. Stir in flour and cook 1–2 minutes to make a light brown roux.

3. Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir 30 seconds.

4. Slowly whisk in beef broth until smooth.

5. Stir in tomato sauce and cooked beef.

6. Simmer 10–15 minutes until thickened to a gravy consistency.

👉 If too thick, add a splash of broth. Too thin? Simmer longer.

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2️⃣ Prepare the Tortillas

• Lightly fry each corn tortilla in hot oil for 5–8 seconds per side (just until soft and pliable, not crispy).

• Drain on paper towels.

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3️⃣ Assemble

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Spread a thin layer of chili sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.

3. Fill each tortilla with a handful of cheese (and a pinch of diced onion if using).

4. Roll tightly and place seam-side down in dish.

5. Pour remaining chili con carne sauce over the top.

6. Sprinkle extra cheese over everything.

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4️⃣ Bake

Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes, until bubbly and melty.

Let rest 5 minutes before serving.

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🥑 Optional Toppings

• Shredded lettuce

• Diced tomatoes

• Sour cream

• Jalapeños

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If you’d like, I can also give you:

• Authentic old-school Tex-Mex restaurant style version

• New Mexico red chile version

• Make-ahead freezer instructions

• Or a shortcut weeknight version 😊