Infamous Enchiladas

So, I think I've given this recipe out to about 30 people...not sure exactly why everyone likes it so much. I've made it countless of times when I'm out of new ideas or to make an easy meal to entertain. It seems to be a hit with both the ladies and the men(which is always a plus)...I've made it at leader retreats, for large crowds, for family get-togethers...you can probably name an event and I've prepared this in some form for it. But really, it's just not that spectacular.

Don't get me wrong -These enchiladas are delicious. Just nothing special, no special sauce or crazy mixture of hard-to-get ingredients-just plain comfort food...but I guess that's just kinda my style. Also, there are a million substitutions for things(I will try to list as many as I can, so you can switch it up if you want) because I like to try lots of different variations.

So here goes...

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken, ground chicken, ground turkey, or ground beef

1 can of rotel, ( you could also used sauteed onions and bell peppers with some salsa if you want to be really adventurous)

1 can black beans(drained), refried beans, or refried black beans

1 pkg taco seasoning(or homemade: refer to bottom of page for my version)

1 bag quick cook rice(we prefer brown, but any will do)

8 large flour tortilla shells

lots of shredded cheese(cheddar, jack, or "mexican" all work well)

1 large jar enchilada sauce + 1/2 small jar

sour cream

Directions:

1.) brown your meat, then season...once it's all cooked/incorporated, add your rotel. Drain a little bit of juice, but you'll want to leave some of it because it adds a lot of flavor.

2.) add your beans and rice and cook until heated through.

3.) use a large deeper dish to bake the enchiladas- to prepare the pan, pour about 1/2 of your large can of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the pan. (preheat your oven to 375)

4.) take one tortilla and scoop about 1/2-3/4 cup of filling into the middle, fold up the bottom to cover your mix, fold in both sides, then roll it to close it. Place seam side down in the pan.

5.) repeat until you've used all 8 tortillas(squeeze them into the pan if you need to, the closer together the better)

6.) pour the remaining sauce of the large can over the enchiladas and about 1/2 of the smaller can. You want them to be completely covered in the sauce.

7.) sprinkle the tops with lots of cheese and let it sit for about 15 mins.

8.) bake in your 375 oven for about 25 mins or until cooked through. (if you want to prepare this ahead of time, it works really well. You will just need to cook it for about 35-45 mins to heat all the way through.) You want the sauce to be bubbly and the cheese nice and melty(yum!)

9.) I like to serve mine with a little dollop of sour cream on top and with chips/salsa as a side.

Hint: if you have leftover filling, it works really great as a topping for nachos. Just spread some chips on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with filling and cheese, and a little bit of salsa. Bake at 350 for about 10 mins. Yum!

Taco Seasoning:

1 Tbsp Chili Powder

1/2 Tbsp Paprika

1 Tsp Garlic Powder

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Black Pepper

1/2 Tsp Cayenne or Red Pepper Flakes

1/2 Tsp Onion Powder

Hope I got your mouth all watery and excited! Let me know if you do try the recipe...I'd like to see what changes you made or just how yours turned out!