Julie's Cheese Enchiladas Recipe

"This is my favorite dish, hands down. I always make it for my birthday, and it's worth the effort. Mom was from Portales, New Mexico, and there was a local company there that sold the best powdered enchilada sauce. Even after everyone moved away, we always had to drive through every year to get a couple of cases. That company went out of business years ago, but I still have a secret stash. I use one can every birthday, and I'll be sorry to see them go, but I would rather outlive my enchilada sauce than vice versa! In between birthdays, I use canned, mild enchilada sauce from the Mexican aisle of the grocery store. I've had to approximate the amounts for the cheese and lettuce and such, I've never actually measured. Don't leave out the lettuce, it's the secret ingredient to add that authentic flavor."

Original is 8 servings

Metric US

I've Tried It

Ingredients

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17 tortillas (corn)
Vegetable oil, (one cup, for frying)
1 can (28 ounce) enchilada sauce (mild)
1 pound shredded cheddar cheese (or Monterey jack)

1 cup shredded iceberg lettuce
1/2 sweet onion, minced
8 ounces sliced olives

Nutritional

Serving Size: 1 (272 g)
Calories 651.1
Total Fat - 17.7 g
Saturated Fat - 9.2 g
Cholesterol - 42.8 mg
Sodium - 1307.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate - 102.3 g
Dietary Fiber - 2.8 g
Sugars - 45 g
Protein - 22.5 g
Calcium - 671.8 mg
Iron - 2.4 mg
Vitamin C - 4.8 mg
Thiamin - 0.4 mg

Step by Step Method

Step 1

You will want to make an assembly line, with tortillas on your left, oil and enchilada sauce next to each other on the stove, your pan next to them and remaining ingredients lined up next to pan.

Step 2

Grease an 11 x 17 baking dish and heat enchilada sauce in saucepan over medium heat.

Step 3

Shred cheese and lettuce, chop onion and put drain olives. Put each of these in separate bowls next to pan.

Step 4

Once sauce is heated, heat oil in small, shallow saucepan over medium-high heat.

Step 5

When you think oil is hot, fry a tortilla to make sure of temperature. Tortilla should fry, both sides, in less than a minute without burning and without being soggy. Adjust heat if needed.

Step 6

One at a time, fry tortillas, then dip in enchilada sauce, covering completely. Place tortilla in pan, with part of the tortilla laid up against the pan.

Step 7

Fill tortilla cheese, lettuce, onion and olives, then fold with forks and flip. It's okay if filling falls out under the tortilla, no one can tell when you serve them.