According to Liz Pearson from Fine Cooking, you don’t have to sacrifice authenticity for speed with these quick and flavorful enchiladas. And an easy, homemade salsa verde adds a tangy kick to this hearty Quick Beef Enchiladas with Salsa Verde.
A few changes we made included flour tortillas instead of corn—only because the supermarket carried ooo-gobs of the flour variety, and zero of the corn. Plus, ours were 8″ in diameter as opposed to 6,” but they actually fit perfectly in the 9×13″ baking dish. I also got a little carried away with the amount of cheese inside each tortilla, so my leftover quantity for the top wasn’t going to cut it, therefore I included some shredded cheddar which added a nice pop of color.
The salsa verde was terrific, but take a note from me. I did a disservice when selecting the very large tomatillos as opposed to 15 small ones. Not a good idea. I unfortunately quartered them before boiling with the onion and jalapeños and they lost a lot of the pulp in the process. So do yourself a favor and buy the small ones and leave them whole when boiling.
Even though we like things spicy, I did seed and devein the peppers, but next time I think I’ll omit that step to retain more of the heat. But to remedy that fact, I topped mine with a few slices of pickled jalapeños. Two is typically a serving, but one was plenty for me especially with our side dish.
The accompaniment of Mexican Tomato Rice & Beans recipe was also from Fine Cooking, but by chef Raghavan Iyer. When cooked using the absorption method, medium-grain rice yields a tender, starchy, slightly creamy kernel that’s ideal for saucy rice dishes like this one. Absolutely delicious! While neither recipe is difficult to make, they both require some prep work and use quite a few kitchen utensils/pots. Oh, but they are sooo worth it!
Quick Beef Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb. tomatillos (about 15 medium), husked and rinsed
- 3 jalapeños, stemmed and halved lengthwise (seeded, if you like)
- 1 large yellow onion, half cut into 4 wedges, half chopped
- 2/3 cup roughly chopped fresh cilantro
- 1-1/2 Tbs. canola oil
- 1 lb. lean ground beef
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 8, 6-inch corn tortillas
- 1-1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Directions
- Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the tomatillos, jalapeños, and onion wedges; cover and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes.
- Drain well and transfer to a blender along with 1/3 cup of the cilantro. Purée until just slightly chunky and season to taste with salt.
- Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef, chopped onion, cumin, 1 tsp. salt, and 1/4 tsp. pepper and cook, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Stir 1/2 cup of the salsa verde into the beef.
- Position a rack about 6 inches from the broiler and heat the broiler to high. Grease a 9×13-inch metal or ceramic baking dish with the remaining 1/2 Tbs. oil.
- Wrap the tortillas in a few slightly damp paper towels and microwave on high until warm, 30 to 45 seconds.
- Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon some of the beef mixture down the center of the tortilla and sprinkle with 1 Tbs. of the cheese. Roll up snugly and transfer to the prepared baking dish, seam side down.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas and beef mixture. Pour the remaining salsa verde over the enchiladas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
- Broil until golden brown and bubbly, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with the remaining cilantro and serve.
Mexican Tomato Rice & Beans
Mexican Tomato Rice and Beans
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked medium-grain white rice
- 1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes (preferably “petite-cut”)
- 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 medium cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 medium fresh jalapeño, cored and finely chopped (if you like spicy foods, leave in the ribs and seeds; if not, remove them)
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 tsp. kosher or fine sea salt
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 tsp. chili powder
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh oregano leaves and tender stems
- 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
Directions
- In a 1-quart saucepan, combine the rice with 2 cups cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, cover, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the pan stand, covered, for another 5 minutes.
- While the rice steams, set a fine sieve in a bowl and drain the can of tomatoes. Pour the tomato juices into a 1-cup liquid measure. Add enough water to the tomato juices to equal 1 cup.
- Heat a 10- to 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in the oil and stir-fry the garlic and jalapeño until the garlic browns and the jalapeño smells pungent, about 1 minute.
- Add the black beans, salt, cumin, and chili powder; stir two to three times to incorporate the mixture and cook the spices, about 30 seconds.
- Stir in the tomato juice and water mixture and bring to a boil. Adjust the heat to maintain a gentle boil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the beans absorb much of the liquid, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, oregano, cilantro, and cooked rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the rice is warm, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve immediately.
Accounting for Taste 
Thanks for the recipe. We planted our garden – growing tomatillos this year. While I have several good recipes using tomatillos, I’m always looking for more.
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