Part 1 – Tex-Mex Enchilada Sauce/Chili Gravy

First, in a small bowl measure out your dry Mexican spices, combine the following:

• 1 tsp of paprika
• 2 tsp of garlic powder
• 2 tsp of onion powder
• 1 tsp of ground oregano
• 2 Tbsp of chilli powder
• 2 Tbsp of cumin
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
• couple dashes of nutmeg
• couple dashes of black pepper

Now, in a sauce pan combine the following ingredients on lowest heat setting:

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

Whisk oil and flour mixture for one minute, now add the combined spice blend you set aside in a bowl earlier.  Constantly whisk and let the spices bloom over the lowest heat setting possible for another minute to two minutes.  Be careful not to let the spices burn. You will be able to smell the spices as they become very fragrant and pungent.  Add in 1 tsp of beef bullion paste (if and only if you don’t have this then add 1 tsp of kosher salt or sea salt (but never use table salt!!!), then add in one 8 oz can of tomato sauce ( low salt or now salt is best).  Stir in these two items to mixture to bloom flavors  for about 30 seconds to a minute.  Lastly, slowly add 2 cups of low sodium beef broth and whisk, creating the gravy effect.  Bring to a low boil to thicken sauce enough to coat the back of a spoon so the sauce will stay on the spoon. If the mixture becomes too thick add small amounts of water at a time until desired consistency is reached.   *( You can also use water in place of beef broth here, however you will need to adjust the salt to suit your pallet, and it will not have the depth of flavor.)  *(Chicken broth may also be used in place of beef broth, but for beef and cheese enchiladas the beef broth is more traditional and tastes better.)
*(Note) Can add ground beef here or taco meat to make Tex Mex Chili Con Carne enchilada sauce.

Part 2 – Tex-Mex Cheese and Onion Enchiladas

You will need these ingredients.

• 1 large package of corn tortillas
• 1 large spanish onion
• 16-24 oz of sharp cheddar
• enchilada sauce (see recipe)

First do the following:

• Make enchilada sauce (see recipe)
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees
• Finely dice 1 Large spanish yellow onion
• Grate 16 oz of sharp cheddar cheese

Next, butter a glass or enamel baking dish 9x 13 or larger is recommended.  *Important Note: Never put enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish or the enchiladas will become soggy!!  Always use corn tortillas for authentic flavor; yellow corn tortillas hold up better in the baking process than the white corn tortillas.  On a separate plate or cutting board lay out several tortillas fill with 2/3 amounts of cheese to 1/3 amounts of onion ratio.  The enchilada should be full when you roll it, but not overly filled.  Roll up and place seam side down on the baking dish and press or gently smash tortilla until sides break and it looks like a flattened enchilada.  This will allow the enchiladas to stay together and for more sauce penetration on the surface. Continue the process, repeat until the dish is filled.  Now, it is time for the sauce. Ladle on the sauce covering every inch of top of the tortillas, but you don’t want it swimming in sauce on the bottom.  Bake at a preheated 325 degree oven for about 20 – 30 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese has melted and onions are cooked through.  If the top starts to look too dry, you can ladle a small amount of more sauce on top and gently spread it over the enchiladas to cover. Then sprinkle with more cheddar cheese on top and let melt for about 5 more minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.  Top with a garnish of chopped green onion tops.  *Note: (You can add beef or Chicken to the cheese and onion mixture too, but just cheese and onion is classic Tex-Mex!)

Tex-Mex Cheese and Onion Enchiladas with Chili Sauce by Stephanie Sandlin is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at http://www.decobeauty.com/2014/12/27/tex-mex-cheese-and-onion-enchiladas-with-chili-sauce/.