Red Enchilada Sauce

Here's the recipe for a good, homemade red enchilada sauce.  It's great in the Vegetarian Enchiladas.  I found the sauce recipe here.

This homemade Enchilada Sauce Recipe is easy, authentic, and made from scratch with simple ingredients. It's much healthier and lower in sodium than what you would buy at the store!

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Total Time15 mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 3 Tablespoons oil (vegetable or canola oil)
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
• 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 2 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 clove garlic , minced
• salt to taste

Instructions

• Stir oil, flour, chili powder, cumin and oregano in a saucepan on low heat until bubbly.
• Add beef broth, tomato sauce, garlic and salt. 
• Simmer on low heat for 15 min, stirring occasionally. 

Storing Enchilada Sauce:

• Enchilada sauce can be stored in the fridge for up to 1 week, or you can freeze enchilada sauce for up to 3 months, in a freezer safe container. Thaw in the fridge overnight before using.
• We enjoy this enchilada sauce with cheese enchiladas, loaded chicken enchiladas, and veggie enchiladas.

Notes

This recipe makes 4 cups of enchilada sauce.

Vegetarian Enchiladas

We really liked these vegetarian enchiladas.  I've not found a canned enchilada sauce I like, so I made her red enchilada sauce.  I recommend it - it was great.  I found the enchilada recipe here.  (The enchilada sauce recipe will be in an adjacent post.)

These Vegetarian Enchiladas are packed with flavor and loaded  with brown rice, sweet potatoes, and black beans. A healthy dinner your family will love!

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time30 mins

Total Time50 mins

Servings: 12

Ingredients

• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1 batch homemade red enchilada sauce*
• 2 small/medium sweet potatoes , peeled and chopped into small pieces
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic , minced
• 1 bell pepper , diced (any color you like)
• 1/4 cup onion , chopped
• 15 ounce can black beans , drained and rinsed
• 10-12 large flour tortillas (or whole wheat)
• 2 cups cheddar cheese , divided
• fresh cilantro , Chopped (for topping)
• 1 avocado , peeled, seeded and chopped, for topping

Instructions

• Add the chopped sweet potato to a large skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 
• Cook for about 5 minutes, until they begin to get tender. Add 1 tsp minced garlic. 
• Add chopped bell pepper, onions, and black beans and toss to combine. 
• Cook for a few more minutes, until sweet potatoes are completely tender. 
• Add cooked rice and 3/4 cup of the enchilada sauce and toss to combine. 
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Cover the bottom of a large casserole dish with a thin layer of enchilada sauce. 
• Add a big spoonful of filling along the edge of a tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. 
• Roll tightly and place, seam side down, in the pan. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
• Pour sauce over the enchiladas (you may not need to use all of it, depending on how much sauce you like). 
• Sprinkle remaining cheese over top. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes.
• Garnish with chopped avocado and cilantro.

Notes

Vegan enchiladas: leave out the cheese!

Additional vegetable ideas: sautéed broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, corn, butternut squash, chopped zucchini, or mushrooms would all make great additions.

Green sauce: You can also substitute red sauce for green, if that's what you prefer.

Make ahead Instructions:  Make the enchilada filling and store it separately in the refrigerator up to 2 days ahead of time.  Assemble enchiladas when ready to bake. You can also make the enchilada sauce sauce several days in advance. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container

Freezing Instructions: Make the enchiladas through step 9 (roll the filling in tortillas but don't cover them in sauce).  Cover the pan with a double layer of tinfoil and freeze for 2-3 months.  Allow the enchiladas to thaw overnight in the refrigerator.  Bake as directed.

Pasta with Sausage, Fire-Roasted Tomatoes, and Basil

This is a really flavorful dish, and really quick to throw together (especially if you have frozen, cooked sausage prepared).  This meal is yummy fresh, but actually much better the second day after the sauce has thickened and the pasta has had a chance to soak up the flavors.  I found the recipe here.

INGREDIENTS:

*1/2 pound of dry spaghetti, cooked (or your favorite pasta) (I generally use a shaped pasta)
*1 pound regular sausage, cooked and crumbled
*1/2 of an onion, diced (or use 3 Tablespoons dehydrated minced onions)
*1 clove garlic, minced
*2 cups chicken broth
*2 Tablespoons cornstarch
*1, 15 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (I always puree these because we don't like chunks)
*1 cup Parmesan cheese (I don't like cheese, so I just leave this out)
*1 cup fresh basil, snipped into little pieces (I typically use dried basil b/c I don't have fresh)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a large pan, cook sausage and onion together, stirring often, until onion is soft, sausage is crumbled and browned and cooked all the way through.

2. In a large pot, boil some water. When it comes to a boil, add a generous pinch of salt and add your pasta to the water. Stir so it doesn’t clump together. When pasta is al dente, turn off the heat and drain most of the water.

3. Back to the sausage and onions- add the minced garlic, and cook on low for only a minute or two, being careful not to burn. (Garlic burns easily!) 

4. Mix the cornstarch with the broth until completely dissolved, then add the broth mixture to the pan. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring often, for a few minutes until sauce is thickened. Then add the can of tomatoes and stir.

5. Add the fresh grated Parmesan and the chopped basil to the sauce. Stir.

6. Drain the pasta and add it to the pot that holds the sauce. Mix together, then garnish with the more basil and parmesan. Serve warm. Enjoy!

Baked Tacos

 My family LOVED these the first time I made them and asked for seconds and thirds.  The second time the kids were all content with one.  Such is the case of cooking for kids.  Brett and I really enjoyed them both times.  As we trend meatless, I substituted cooked lentils for the ground beef in this recipe.  It was delicious!  I found the recipe here.

Delicious Baked Tacos include crunchy tortilla shells filled with a seasoned meat and bean taco filling, topped with cheese and then baked.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time35 mins

Servings: 20 tacos

Ingredients

• 1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey) (or cooked lentils ;))
• 1 small onion , chopped
• 1 Tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 8 ounces tomato sauce
• 16 ounce can pinto beans , or black beans
• 20 hard tacos shells
• 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese , or your preffered kind of cheese
• 1 romaine heart , chopped
• 2 Roma tomatoes , chopped
• salsa and sour cream , for topping, optional

Instructions

• Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat, breaking it into very small pieces until browned. Remove grease. Add onion and saute for a few minutes. Stir in the dry spices.
  
• Add tomato sauce and pinto beans and stir to combine. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two 9x13'' pans with the taco shells. 
• Spoon taco mixture into tacos. Top with cheese. Bake for 10-15 minutes.
  
• Top with a little bit of lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream and salsa, if desired.

Notes

Make Ahead Instructions: The taco meat filling can be made 2-3 days in advance (depending on the freshness of your ingredients), stored in the fridge. When ready to use, fill tacos and bake as instructed. Assembled tacos, in the shells, will keep for a few hours stored in covered in the refrigerator (the taco shells will start to soften too much if assembled for longer than a few hours before baking).

Freezing Instructions: You can freeze taco meat filling in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, fill tacos and bake as directed.