New Mexican Stacked Enchiladas (New Mexico, USA)
New Mexican enchiladas aren't rolled like the enchiladas you are probably used to. They're stacked! Imagine layers of saucy tortillas and melty cheese, all topped with a fried egg. Add some shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes and onions and you are in for a unique New Mexican meal. Make sure your enchilada sauce uses Hatch chilies for a real trip to the Land of Enchantment.
Equipment
- Comal (Optional)
- Normal Kitchen Utensils
Ingredients
- 12 Corn Tortillas
- 8 Oz. Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese Finely Grated, About 3 C
- 1 C Enchilada Sauce
- 4 Eggs
- 2 C Shredded Iceberg Lettuce About A Quarter of A Head
- 2 Roma Tomatoes, Diced About 1/2 C
- 1/4 Small Onion, Diced About 1/3 C
- 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- Salt to Taste
Instructions
- Warm your enchilada sauce in a wide sauce pan or pot.1 C Enchilada Sauce
- Heat the tortillas until soft using a comal or normal skillet.12 Corn Tortillas
- Preheat your broiler. If need be, you can simply preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare your enchiladas on oven-safe plates or a foil-lined baking sheet.
- For each stack, add a dollop of enchilada sauce to the plate/baking sheet. Dip the first tortilla into the pot of enchilada sauce (making sure both sides are coated), hold it up to let the excess fall off, and place it flat on top of the dollop of sauce. Add a sprinkle of cheese to cover the tortilla. Dip the second tortilla, let the excess sauce fall off, and place on top of the cheese layer. Add another layer of cheese and a third dipped tortilla.8 Oz. Cheddar or Monterrey Jack Cheese
- Top with a final layer of cheese and a drizzle of enchilada sauce. A typical stack of enchiladas has three tortillas, but you can add as many as you want.
- When thee stacks are built, place them in the broiler for a few 3-5 minutes, until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top. If baking, aim for about 10 minutes.
- While the enchiladas are in the oven, fry one egg (per your taste) for each stack in the 1 Tbsp oil.4 Eggs, 1 Tbsp Cooking Oil
- Top the baked enchilada stacks with a handful of shredded lettuce, some of the diced tomatoes and onions, a sprinkle of salt (to flavor the fresh vegetables), a little more cheese and one of the fried eggs. Drizzle with leftover enchilada sauce.2 C Shredded Iceberg Lettuce, 2 Roma Tomatoes, Diced, 1/4 Small Onion, Diced, Salt to Taste
- Serve immediately with some extra lettuce, tomato and onion on the side. These go well with refried or charro beans, Mexican potatoes or Spanish rice.
Notes
To some, the lettuce on a hot enchilada may be a little odd, but it is worth giving a try. In fact, a number of iterations also layer the lettuce, onion and tomato inside the stacks. If you really don't want the lettuce on top, you can keep it on the side.
This recipe is for a simple cheese version of these enchiladas, but you can add some ground beef or shredded chicken to the layers. Pork is also a traditional addition. You can try nearly any enchilada combination using this stacked method.
Other topping options include sliced olives, sour cream and guacamole. If you want to make them extra New Mexican, be sure that your enchilada sauce includes red or green chilies from Hatch, New Mexico. Try them "Christmas Style," which is half red chile, half green chile.