Ultimate stacked enchiladas recipe
If this recipe were a movie, it would be called Tex-Mex: The Reckoning — A Good Day To Dine Hard. It would be an action-packed thrill ride of a family dinner as the stalwart heroes face the seemingly impossible task of defeating a menacing tower of Tex-Mex doom… skyscraping stacked enchiladas that are filled with a daunting amount of beef, chicken, cheese, guacamole, covered in two separate sauces and topped with Mexican crema.
This isn’t your everyday movie-meal, its a blockbuster dinner that the whole family can share. Like all great movies*, this epic enchilada experience is packed with insurmountable obstacles, unforeseen twists and shocking betrayals. Secrets will be revealed. Sauce will be spilled. Almost certainly, there will be moments when all will seem lost. Moments that ultimately lead to the inexorable final reckoning where courage and righteous determination prevail. At the end of this fictional film feast? An executive producer credit and the love and admiration of a small, but loyal fan base — your family. Doesn’t that sound better than the last Die Hard movie?
*Alright, maybe not a great movie but it would be at least as good as Krull, whose heroes also had to defeat a tower of doom, albeit a much less tasty one. Only your family won’t have the help of Liam Neeson and a giant cyclops named Rell. (Well, it would be pretty surprising if you did. Liam Neeson is way to busy doing Taken sequels.)
Image: ForkingSpoon
Ultimate stacked enchiladas recipe
One look at this redonkulous tower of stacked enchiladas, packed with beef, chicken, cheese and guacamole, and you'll know this meal isn't for the feint of heart.
Ingredients
Instructions
Cook the ground beef and onions
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in vegetable oil for 5 minutes or until the onions are tender. Mix in the ground beef and cook, constantly breaking the turkey apart with a wooden spoon or spatula until the beef is completely cooked through (about 10 minutes). Drain any excess grease.
Cook the enchilada sauce
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the water, tomato sauce and enchilada sauce mix and bring to a boil (about 5-7 minutes). Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Combine the enchilada sauce with the beef, reserving 1/2 a cup of the sauce for later.
Cook the sour cream sauce
In a medium saucepan over low to medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until the mixture has thickened and turned slightly brown. The roux should no longer smell like raw flour. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the chicken stock until the sauce starts to thicken a second time. Stir in the sour cream and canned green chiles and simmer until you have reached the desired consistency.
Add the chicken to the sour cream sauce
In a small bowl, toss the shredded chicken with the sour cream sauce, reserving 1/2 a cup of the sauce for later.
Make the guacamole
In a small bowl, mash together the avocado, lemon juice, a 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest, salt, cumin and cilantro. The overall texture of the guacamole should be smooth but some small chunks of avocado is fine.
Soften the tortillas
In batches of five, warm the tortillas in the microwave with a damp paper towel for 30-45 seconds at a time until they are completely warmed through and pliable.
Stack the enchilada tower
For the beef layers use the reserved enchilada sauce, spooning about a tablespoon of sauce over the tortilla. Layer a 1/4 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese and approximately 1/4 of the beef and onion mixture. For the chicken layers use the reserved sour cream sauce, spooning about a tablespoon of sauce over the tortilla. Layer a 1/4 cup of the shredded Monterey Jack cheese and approximately 1/4 of the chicken and green chile mixture. For the guacamole layers spread about 1/2 of the guacamole over the tortilla. Stack the layers in this order: beef, chicken, beef, chicken, guacamole, beef, chicken, guacamole, beef and chicken. Top the tower with the remaining enchilada and sour cream sauces, and garnish with the Mexican crema and jalapeño slices.
Notes
Be sure to check out our recipe for these terrific chicken and avocado enchiladas if you aren't quite ready for the climatic final fight sequence that is the ultimate stacked enchiladas.
Ingredients
Directions
Cook the ground beef and onions
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook the onions in vegetable oil for 5 minutes or until the onions are tender. Mix in the ground beef and cook, constantly breaking the turkey apart with a wooden spoon or spatula until the beef is completely cooked through (about 10 minutes). Drain any excess grease.
Cook the enchilada sauce
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the water, tomato sauce and enchilada sauce mix and bring to a boil (about 5-7 minutes). Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens to the desired consistency. Combine the enchilada sauce with the beef, reserving 1/2 a cup of the sauce for later.
Cook the sour cream sauce
In a medium saucepan over low to medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour until the mixture has thickened and turned slightly brown. The roux should no longer smell like raw flour. Whisking constantly, slowly pour in the chicken stock until the sauce starts to thicken a second time. Stir in the sour cream and canned green chiles and simmer until you have reached the desired consistency.
Add the chicken to the sour cream sauce
In a small bowl, toss the shredded chicken with the sour cream sauce, reserving 1/2 a cup of the sauce for later.
Make the guacamole
In a small bowl, mash together the avocado, lemon juice, a 1/4 teaspoon of lemon zest, salt, cumin and cilantro. The overall texture of the guacamole should be smooth but some small chunks of avocado is fine.
Soften the tortillas
In batches of five, warm the tortillas in the microwave with a damp paper towel for 30-45 seconds at a time until they are completely warmed through and pliable.
Stack the enchilada tower
For the beef layers use the reserved enchilada sauce, spooning about a tablespoon of sauce over the tortilla. Layer a 1/4 cup of the shredded cheddar cheese and approximately 1/4 of the beef and onion mixture. For the chicken layers use the reserved sour cream sauce, spooning about a tablespoon of sauce over the tortilla. Layer a 1/4 cup of the shredded Monterey Jack cheese and approximately 1/4 of the chicken and green chile mixture. For the guacamole layers spread about 1/2 of the guacamole over the tortilla. Stack the layers in this order: beef, chicken, beef, chicken, guacamole, beef, chicken, guacamole, beef and chicken. Top the tower with the remaining enchilada and sour cream sauces, and garnish with the Mexican crema and jalapeño slices.
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