We try to avoid using pre-prepared cooking sauces and meal kits too often but there is one exception which has always been a weakness of mine and that is the Old El Paso Enchilada kits. These were a regular Friday night staple for us for many years. Over the last few weeks, I have made it a mission to try create a sauce that mimics the flavours of these kits using typical store cupboard ingredients, and I think I've finally cracked it! It looks like a lot of ingredients but I guarantee you'll already have most if not all in the cupboard, and it's super easy to make. If you have any sauce left over, it'll keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 10 days, or you can freeze it for up to a month.
INGREDIENTS (makes 8 enchiladas)
For the enchilada sauce:
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 tablespoons rapeseed oil (or other vegetable oil)
- 1 tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon tomato puree
- 1/2 tablespoon chilli powder (up to a tablespoon if you like it really spicy!)
- 1 teaspoon kashmiri chilli powder or smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- Water (fill 1/3 of the empty tomato can)
- Juice 1/2 lime (if needed as a cooling agent)
- season to taste
For the Enchiladas:
- 600g chicken, diced
- 1/4 block cheese grated (or more of you like them really cheesy!)
- 8 Corn tortilla wraps
- 1 red onion
- 1 red pepper
- salt and pepper
DIRECTIONS
To make the sauce, add the oil to a saucepan and place on a medium heat then add the flour and whisk until combined.
Add all the remaining sauce ingredients except the lime juice and leave to simmer for 15 minutes. Use a hand mixer/blender to blitz the sauce until smooth then season to taste. Different chilli powders are hotter than others - our is super spicy so we tend to be cautious with amounts. If the sauce is too spicy, you can add in the juice of half a lime to reduce the heat then set aside.
Preheat the oven to 200 degrees (fan).
Chop the chicken into bitesize pieces, and slice the pepper and red onion.
Place a deep frying pan on a high heat with a drizzle of oil. Once heated, add the chicken, onions and the peppers and cook through.
When the chicken is golden, add just under half the enchilada sauce and a generous handful of grated cheese and mix together.
To assemble, place 1/8 of the filling into each wrap. Roll each one up and assemble in an ovenproof dish.
Top with a thin layer of the enchilada sauce and sprinkle on some extra cheese.
Bake in the oven for 10-12 minutes until the cheese has browned then remove from the oven and leave to sit for a couple of minutes to allow them to firm up.
Serve up and enjoy!
You could do this with any vegetable combinations you like.- mushrooms, aubergine and sweetcorn also work well. If you wanted to make the recipe fully vegetarian, you also could bulk up the mixture with black beans.