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Health & Fitness

On-Hand Enchiladas

Here's a recipe for a tasty dish with a list of alternate ingredients to help you make the dish with ingredients you already have on hand so you don't have to make an unnecessary trip to the store.

Did you ever go to make a recipe only to find out you only have about half of the listed ingredients to make the dish? Then you either have to choose a new recipe or make a shopping list and head to the store only to spend more money on groceries? 

That has happened to me far too many times to count, and I got sick of it! Having a toddler and a pre-toddler to love and take care of, I don't always have the time to make a complete list, pack up the kids, go to the store, get all the ingredients AND get the dish ready to be on the table in time for dinner. I hear this happens to many other people out there as well, but never fear! Help is here!

I want to share this fool-proof recipe for my family's favorite chicken enchiladas. However, I am going to make notes throughout the recipe to show you how you can make this even if you don't have all of the ingredients! I will list some substitutions for you so you don't have to leave your house and will have the same fabulous tasting dish on your table in no time.

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Ingredients:

  • 1 small can tomato paste (if you don't have tomato paste, substitute tomato sauce for tomato paste and chicken broth)
  • 2 1/2 C chicken broth (can substitute ANY type of stock or broth, tomato juice, or as a last resort use water)
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 2 tsp dried minced onion (can substitute fresh onion; saute before putting in sauce)
  • 2 tsp dried cilantro (can use fresh; if using fresh, put into sauce at end of cooking)
  • 1 tsp dried minced garlic (can use fresh, canned/jarred, paste, or garlic powder)
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp kosher salt (if using table salt, use less salt as it tastes saltier)
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (any paprika will do)
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/4 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
  • About 6 tortillas, 8 inch (use ANY tortillas you have!)
  • Shredded cheddar-jack cheese (use any cheese you have!)
  • 2 large chicken breasts, cooked and cubed/shredded (use any meat you have on hand. Chicken breast, ground chicken, ground beef, flank steak, ___ steak, ground turkey, turkey, chorizo, sausage, etc.)
  • Veggies/beans: bell pepper, tomato, mushrooms, corn, black beans, pinto beans (you can use any or all of these but they are optional)

***This dish can easily be made vegetarian by using only tomato juice or vegetable stock for the sauce and using beans and other mixed veggies instead of meat for the filling.

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350.

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Put tomato paste and chicken broth into a large sauce pan over medium heat. Add all seasonings and spices to sauce and gently stir until the sauce comes to a simmer. While gently stirring, let sauce simmer for about 5 minutes, then set aside.

In a 9x13 baking dish, ladel enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Take a tortilla and fill with cheese, meat, veggies, beans and a little sauce. Roll tightly and push to one end of the baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling ingredients until pan is full.

Top rolled enchiladas with remaining sauce, then sprinkle cheese on top. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted. 

Serve plain or with sour cream, avocado, guacamole, fresh tomatoes, shredded lettuce, or any other topping you may like! Enjoy it, it'll be gone FAST! This dish can be made a day ahead of time, just bake when you are ready to serve it.

 

***If you have remaining filling ingredients, they are fantastic in the next morning's breakfast burrito or scrambled eggs!

Read about Colleen Sylvester's favorite foods at My Foodie Favorites.

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