Mexican Burrito/Enchilada Casserole

Sometimes there are days when you want to make something super flavorful and delicious, but the idea of whipping out the cutting board and knife seems daunting. I know those days well. Sometimes all I want to do is just add stuff to a pot or a casserole dish and watch the rest magically happen in front of me. I don’t know why the idea of cutting stuff up on some days seems so complicated to me. Maybe it’s because on those days I just don’t feel like cleaning up the counter, cutting board and knife. Sometimes I don’t even make sense to myself. But if you have ever experienced one of those days where you just want to throw some stuff together real quick and let the oven do the majority of the work this is one of those recipes for you! 

This Mexican enchilada/burrito casserole dish makes a regular appearance on our dinner table. I would say easily at least once every 2 weeks I make this. Whenever I do make it, my husband takes the leftovers to work for lunch for the rest of the week. It’s a win-win for me. Easy dinner, and his lunches are taken care of?! It literally cannot get any better. That’s the only reason I only make it almost every other week though. By the end of the week he’s already had the same thing almost everyday, if I made it again just a couple of days later, then the poor guy would literally be eating the same meal almost everyday for 2 weeks, which would drive him crazy. That being said, this is definitely a favorite for both of us, I don’t think I’ve ever heard my husband say he doesn’t want to eat this. 

A note on the name that I am calling this dish. In our house, we refer to this as Enchiladas. I am aware though, that what I make is more of accurately described as a burrito casserole because I use flour tortillas and wrap them like little burritos. I did not want to seem disingenuous by calling this by an inauthentic name, so I have added both to the title. Because, technically speaking, within this dish the flour tortillas can easily be swapped with corn tortillas, thus making the name enchilada more accurate.  Also, I am the type of person who loves to drown her tortillas in sauce, I don’t think this is the most “authentic” way of making this dish, but I haven’t had any complaints from anybody that I have ever made this for. If you are the type of person who is really turned off by “sauce soaked tortillas” then I would definitely recommend using less sauce than I do. Like I will show you in this recipe, I normally make this with corn and black beans, but I have also made this with onions, peppers and black beans, or zucchini and black beans. This recipe is just a guide, use whatever vegetables you prefer. I leave the decision up to you, how you wish to make this. Definitely add some protein base like black beans though, otherwise it will not be as filling. 

This is just one of many examples that I will be showing you in the future on how to use my Enchilada Sauce (Mexican Red Sauce) recipe. When I make this recipe, I make this sauce fresh as I am making the filling ingredients. Everything gets ready at the same time, and is good to go when its time to assemble it all together. One batch of the Enchilada Sauce (Mexican Red Sauce) recipe is perfect for one casserole in a 3qt casserole dish. This is the closest thing I found available to the casserole dish that I have: Corningware Etch Sand 3-Qt Oblong Baking Dish. But if you want something a little bit more affordable, this is what I would recommend using: Anchor Hocking 3-Quart Premium Baking Dish.  

Shall we get started on the recipe? Let me walk you through it! =) 

First we start first and foremost by preheating the oven to 350deg. (Make sure there is nothing in your oven before you turn it on, learn from me before you burn yourself like I did). Next heat up your oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Once the oil is hot and shimmery, add your bag of frozen sweet corn. You can rinse the frozen corn first before adding it to the frying pan. If you are using another vegetable(s) instead of corn or in addition to corn, you can also use these steps as a guide.

Sautée the corn in oil mixing it around often. You will notice after some time, some of the corn will start to get brown. This is what we want. You can stop here at this point, or continue to cook the corn until it gets a little darker, it really depends how you charred you prefer your corn to taste. 

When you think the corn is ready then you will add your spices. The chili powder which will be the same as you used in the Enchilada Sauce (Mexican Red Sauce), smoked paprika, and chipotle powder. Mix it around so that the corn is coated. 

As soon as the corn has been mixed with the spices, add the drained and rinsed black beans. We do not want the spices to burn so make sure you don’t take too long to add the black beans. Mix the black beans into the corn and cook for 2-3 minutes to heat the black beans throughout. At this point the filling is ready. If you are using another vegetable, follow the same steps of seasoning after you have cooked them to desired brown-ness, and then adding the black beans soon afterwards. 

Heat up your tortillas in the microwave under a damp paper towel for 30sec to 1 minute (check it after 30 seconds) you want it warm but not hot. we just want it to be easier to manipulate without cracking.  I use small taco size tortillas. Homemade tortillas are best, but store-bought works fine too (in this recipe I use store-bought). Just try not to buy any brands with hydrogenated oils, artificial flavors or high fructose corn syrup, that stuff is bad for you, there are enough brands now that don’t have any of those ingredients.

Coat the bottom of your baking dish with a generous layer of the Enchilada Sauce (Mexican Red Sauce) that you have made. 

Now we set up our assembly station. You want everything to be in close proximity to make the process go quickly.

First make sure that the tortilla you are about to fill is not stuck to the tortilla underneath it. Once that has been confirmed, add 2-3 pickled jalepenos if you are using them, and then 3 tablespoons of filling. Then roll it close like a little burrito. I needed 2 hands to roll it closed, so I could not take a picture of the process, but you know how to do it, I have faith in your abilities. 

Start laying them one by one in the dish starting from one side. They don’t look perfectly rolled, and that’s okay. I call that “rustic” haha. Nobody will notice when they are eating it. The flavors are the most important part.

I am normally able to fit 14 enchiladas/burritos using “taco size” tortillas into my casserole dish. The dish is not square on the edges, so I have to squish everything in sometimes but once they’re in, it works out fine. 

The filling should be pretty close to the right amount for 14 small enchiladas/burritos. If there is any filling leftover, I just spread it out on top. There’s no reason to store like 3 spoons of filling in the fridge, and nobody is going to notice or care when this whole thing is covered in sauce and cheese. Don’t waste! 

Once all your enchiladas/burritos are in the baking dish, cover it with your already made Enchilada Sauce (Mexican Red Sauce). Do not use the ready-made stuff. Seriously, under no circumstance use it. This sauce is so easy to make. Use the homemade version. The sauce may seem slightly too thin right now, but after it bakes in the oven it will thicken more, by being absorbed into the tortillas and evaporation. 

This is how my dish looks after I’ve poured the sauce. I wasn’t kidding when I said I like my enchiladas/burritos drowning in sauce ;-). But you should pour whatever amount you prefer. Although, I would like to suggest trying it this way at least once! You may never go back! =)

Then cover everything in cheese. I use a Mexican blend of shredded cheese. The cheese is optional. Up until this point everything was not only dairy free, but it was vegan. You can use Daiya cheese (which is a brand of dairy-free cheese) or no cheese if you so choose. Let me tell you, the sauce is the real highlight of this recipe so everything else is just extra. =) Now everything is ready to go into the oven! It should already be preheated to 350deg. Cook it for 30 minutes uncovered. 

This is what it should look like when it comes out of the oven! Some of the tortillas may have expanded and bubbled up. That’s okay, once it cools a little it will all come back down. You may want to dig into it right away, but I would HIGHLY not recommend that. Let it cool for at least 15-20 minutes. This gives the sauce a chance to thicken up, and makes it easier to serve. Also there is a lesser likelihood of you burning your fingers while serving, or tongue while eating! My favorite thing to do when I’ve served it for myself is to top it off with some of this: Tabasco Brand Chipotle Pepper Sauce.  It’s the whipped cream on top of the already perfect pie that is this dish! 

I hope you give this recipe a try for yourself! Please be sure to let me know in the comments if you do! I would love to hear what you thought of it! Be sure to subscribe so that you can be notified when I post new recipes! (link in the sidebar). Follow me on Instagram @saltyoversweet and find me on Facebook (the link is in the sidebar).

 

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