Shift Series Recipes

It’s time for another post about a meal from the Shift Series–this time, Enchiladas! We don’t actually witness this meal, but Cecelia references it as she is leaving for the grocery store while Leah is sunbathing with Megan in the front yard.

“I thought we’d have enchiladas for dinner tonight. Leah, you liked those, right?” Cecelia smiled warmly at me.

“Yeah,” I nodded enthusiastically. “They were awesome.”

“Good. I’ll see you girls in a bit. Don’t get sunburned.” She climbed into her beat-up truck.

Of course, shortly after this scene is when Megan and Leah sneak out and walk the two miles to Drake’s house in the middle of the night. Lots of almost kissing.

This recipe was a family favorite of mine growing up, and you can change it in all kinds of ways to make it your own.

So how do you make these “awesome” enchiladas? It’s really simple:

What you’ll need:

Ten soft-taco-sized tortillas (the kind is up to you. I tend to use flour tortillas with chicken, or any ground meat; corn is excellent with beef or shredded pork.)

One package of ground meat, browned and seasoned (I use ground turkey, but ground beef, or even pork works great.)

Cooked chicken/beef/pork, cubed or shredded. (I often make this the night after having a roast chicken for dinner, using the leftover chicken! When its leftovers, I just tear or cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces that will fit nicely in a rolled tortilla–nothing fancy.

Shredded cheese (quantity to taste)

Beans (refried, black, or pinto)

Your favorite enchilada sauce (1 or 2 cans, depending on how submerged/wet you like your enchiladas to be.) For this recipe, I use a red enchilada sauce. Verde is very good with chicken or pork, however, especially shredded or cubed. I like to add some spinach into each portion when I make Verde enchiladas–just sayin’. 🙂 Follow your taste!

What to do with those supplies:

Cook the meat if it isn’t already cooked. When seasoning, use Taco Seasoning, or cumin + a dash of chili powder or cayenne. Spice to taste for your desired heat level.
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Create your assembly line so you can easily put each portion together.
- Mine goes like this: Stack of tortillas –> can or bowl of beans (mixed with corn, if I’m feeling crazy) –> plate or bowl of meat –> bowl or package of cheese –> empty plate –> pan (8×10 for roughly 10 portions.)
Test the size of your tortillas to see if they need to be trimmed to fit in the pan they will bake in. Trim accordingly, if required.
Lightly coat your pan with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
Taking a tortilla in one hand, go down your assembly line, adding each ingredient in a line down the center.
When you reach the empty plate, lay the tortilla down and gently roll it around the ingredients you just added. Then place it in the pan with the seam down, so it doesn’t unroll itself.
Repeat until your pan is full.
Once full, top with the enchilada sauce, making sure it is evenly distributed over the entire pan. I’ve found 1.5 cans to be perfect for 10 portions in an 8×10 pan, but 1 can is also very good if you’d prefer not to waste half a can of sauce.
Top with cheese–as much or as little as you’d prefer.
Spray a piece of foil with cooking spray to prevent sticking, and cover the entire pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.
Remove foil.
Put back into the oven for an additional 5 or 10 minutes to melt all the cheese on top.
Serve with sour cream, salsa–whatever your heart desires!