Authentic Tex-Mex Enchilada Dinner

If you love Tex-Mex, then you will love my Gluten-Free Enchilada Dinner. I’ve included my fool-proof enchilada sauce, spanish rice, and refried beans recipes. I learned how to cook Tex-Mex to perfection while living in South Texas.

I’ve converted everything to gluten-free and only use fresh ingredients.

Real Enchilada Sauce

Forget that store bought stuff. If you want authentic Tex-Mex, then you need to make your own enchilada sauce. Once you try this recipe you’ll see it’s simple and worth your time.

Real Enchilada Sauce

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Authentic Tex-Mex Enchilada Dinner

Ingredients

• 2 Cups of Beef broth (homemade is best, but purchased works, too)
• 3 T. Corn Starch
• 2-3 T. Chili Powder (depends on how spicy ya' like it - I like mine HOT)
• 1-2 t. Cumin Powder
• 2 t. garlic powder (or fresh garlic)
• A dash of Chipotle powder (for more heat)
• Salt to taste
• 1 chopped Jalapeno (optional)

Instructions

1. In a saucepan on the stove, heat your broth and add all of the spices.
2. Once it is heated, slowly mix some of the broth with the corn starch until it forms a paste.
3. Add the paste to the broth on the stove.
4. Cook until the corn starch thickens the sauce. Let cool.

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Assembling the Enchiladas:

1 Dozen corn tortillas
2 C. Grated Cheddar Cheese (the kind in a bag is fine)

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

• You will need to soften your corn tortillas in order to stuff and roll them. I do this by putting them 4 at a time on a plate in the microwave and then covering them with another plate. I nuke them for 40-45 seconds. My daughter prefers to dip hers in the hot enchilada sauce. Either of these methods works well.
• Take 1 corn tortilla, fill it with cheese and roll it up quickly. Turn it rolled side down and put it at one end of a 9 x 13 pan. Continue in the same manner until your pan is filled with enchiladas. I do mine 8 across and then 4 side by side (see placement in the above picture).
• Put the enchiladas uncovered into the hot oven for 8-10 minutes. Just enough for the the tortillas to dry slightly. Pull the pan out of the oven and evenly pour the enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Top with lots and lots of cheese. If you want onions, add them before you add the cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. You will know they are perfectly done when you hear that sizzling, bubbling sound. If you overcook them, they will be mushy; if you undercook them, they will be chewy. Listen for that bubbly, sizzling sound.

I don’t always want cheese enchiladas, so sometimes I change ’em up a bit. I fill them with beans and cheese, or chicken and cheese, etc. Below are a few options.

OPTIONAL INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 C. Shredded Chicken (optional)
1 C. Raw Onions (optional)
2 C. cooked Pinto Beans (optional)

OPTIONAL STEP:  When making enchiladas, adding in some of the optional ingredients will alter the amount of cheese you add to your enchilada. With any of the optional ingredients, add 1-2 T. of your desired ingredient AND 1 T. grated cheese.

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Real Spanish Rice & Beans – South Texas Style

Any true Tex-Mex restaurant will have an entree on its menu that will contain two enchiladas, beans, and rice. The rice is Spanish rice and sometimes the beans are just beans and other times they are refried beans. I learned how to make real Spanish rice from my neighbor, Olga, who is from Alice, Texas. You don’t get more South Texas than Alice, Texas.

Spanish Rice

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Ingredients

• 1 c. White Rice
• 2 c. Beef Broth
• 1 chopped Onion
• 1/2 chopped Bell Pepper
• 1 chopped clove of Garlic (or garlic powder)
• 1 fresh Tomato
• 1 T. Chili Powder
• 1 t. Cumin Powder
• 1 chopped Jalapeno (optional)
• Salt to taste
• Oil for sauteing

Instructions

1. In a skillet, heat 1 T. oil and add rice.
2. Cook until the rice is translucent then add the onions, bell pepper, and garlic.
3. Cook until vegetables are soft.
4. Add the broth and spices.
5. Cover the pan and reduce the heat; cook for 20 minutes over a low heat.

Notes

I've tried making Spanish Rice with brown rice and it never turns out. White rice is really the key to perfect Spanish Rice.

Tex Mex Beans

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lb. Pinto beans (sorted for dirt and stones, rinsed, then soaked overnight and drained)
• 1 chopped Onion
• 2 chopped Jalapeno Peppers
• 2-3 chopped cloves of Garlic (or garlic powder)
• 2-3t. Cumin Powder
• 2-3 T. Chili Powder
• 8 C. Beef Broth (2 large containers)
• (Optional: 2-3 slices of bacon)

Instructions

1. Once beans have been sorted, rinsed, and soaked; drain away the water.
2. Add them back into the pot and cover them with beef broth.
3. Add the onions, jalapenos, garlic and spices.
4. Bring to a boil and skim off the foam.
5. Cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and simmer until soft.
6. Another option is to use a crock pot. Set the heat on high (skim any foam off the top) and cook until soft. If you use a crock pot and cook it on low, you will need 6-8 hours of cooking time.
7. Once these beans are cooked you can easily turn them into Refried Beans. Since they already have a Tex Mex flavor, the rest is simple. Remove 2 cups of beans from the pot and drain off the liquid. Mash the beans up with a food processor or a fork. Heat a skillet with oil (bacon grease is best, but other oils work). Add the mashed beans to the hot oil and cook until they start to stick to the bottom of the pan. Stir with a wooden spoon (Olga absolutely insisted I used a wooden spoon) to keep them from sticking.
8. Serve hot.

You may have noticed that these recipes have several ingredients in common. Chili powder, cumin powder, and garlic powder. I use so much of this that I buy the gi-nor-mous containers at Costco. Way, way cheaper than the little bottles at the super market. These recipes also call for beef broth. This is really key here to getting an authentic flavor.

On all of my recipes I have purposely omitted salt because the beef broth usually has enough salt. I usually make my own broth so be sure to add in salt if that is the case.

So, chime in if you decide to make bona fine, genuine, authentic Tex Mex.