Calamity, Meet Jane

Just Gimme the Recipe

For those of y’all who have places to be.

Easy-Peezy Beef Enchiladas

Grab This:

• 1 lb ground beef
• ½ onion, diced real fine
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 package soft-taco-size flour tortillas
• 1 (28 oz) enchilada sauce
• 1 bag shredded sharp cheddar
• Crumbled queso fresco*
• Water or broth

Do This:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.
2. Brown beef with the diced onion.
3. Add taco seasoning + about one seasoning-packet-full of water or broth. Cook until most of the liquid is gone.
4. Pour enough enchilada sauce into a 9×13 dish to cover the bottom.
5. Fill tortillas with beef + crumbled cheese. Tuck, roll & place seam-side down in the dish.
6. Drench ’em with the remaining enchilada sauce and cover with crumbled cheese + sharp cheddar.
7. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
8. Remove foil, turn oven to 400°F, and bake another 10–12 minutes until bubbly and a little golden.
9. Let ’em sit about 5 minutes, then dig in.

So, What Does Jane Reckon?

🎀 THE BOX

Hot, cheesy, easy enough for a work night, and everybody ate.

I reckon that earns a spot in the Recipe Box.

And apparently “5 ingredients” was more of a suggestion than an actual count.

I reckon I can’t count.

Last night I wanted something easy, filling, and preferably something my family would actually eat without me having to negotiate at the dinner table.

Enter my 5-ingredient enchiladas.

Except somewhere between the onion, taco seasoning, and the second kind of cheese, we appear to have passed five ingredients.

Whatever. We’re calling them five-ish. 😂

What You’ll Need

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 package soft-taco-size flour tortillas
• 1/2 onion, diced real, real fine
• 1 packet taco seasoning
• 1 (28 oz) jar/can enchilada sauce
• 1 bag shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• Crumbled queso fresco (optional, but enhances the entire experience)
• Water, beef broth, or vegetable broth

Let’s Make ‘Em

Preheat your oven to 350°F.

Start browning your ground beef. While that’s getting going, dice half an onion real, real fine.

If your family claims they don’t like onions, throw them in with the meat early. They’ll cook down so soft they won’t hardly know they’re in there.

And what they don’t know won’t hurt ’em.

Once the beef is browned, sprinkle your taco seasoning over it. Evenly, unevenly—just get it in there.

Fill the empty taco-seasoning packet with water and pour that in too. If you’re feeling froggy, use beef or vegetable broth instead.

Turn the heat up to about medium-high and let most of that liquid cook out, about 5 minutes or so.

While that’s doing its thing, grab a 9×13 casserole dish and pour enough enchilada sauce into the bottom to give it a good coating.

Now we’re ready to roll.

Tuck & Roll

Grab a tortilla and add some seasoned beef and a little crumbled cheese.

Then give her a good tuck and roll and lay the enchilada seam-side down in the sauce.

Repeat until you’re out of filling.

I usually get around 7 good, meaty enchiladas. You can absolutely stretch it to 8 if you spread the beef a little thinner—or make fewer if your people like theirs stuffed.

I reckon that’s between you and your enchiladas.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce all over the top. Drench ’em.

Add the rest of your crumbled cheese, then cover everything with a good layer of sharp cheddar.

Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes.

Now Make That Cheese Pretty

After 20 minutes, remove the foil and turn the oven up to 400°F.

I start my timer right then—I don’t wait for the oven to finish heating.

Give it another 10–12 minutes, or until everything is hot and bubbly and the cheese has that little bit of golden color on top.

Pull it out and—this is the hard part—leave it alone for about 5 minutes.

Then dig in.

So, What Does Jane Reckon?

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ROCKED IT

Hot dang, we’re keeping this one.

Easy. Filling. Family-friendly. Doesn’t dirty every dish you own. And you can adjust the amount of meat and cheese depending on what you’ve got in the fridge.

Are they authentic enchiladas? I make absolutely no such promises.

Are they good on a weeknight when everybody needs fed?

I reckon so.

And apparently they’re somewhere in the neighborhood of five ingredients.

Don’t count too closely.

— Jane

Grace for the mess. Grit for the rest.