Freeze quick-fix enchiladas

With the holidays upon us, many of us are hard-pressed to find time to cook.

A smart cook will have a stash of something in a well-stocked pantry to toss together in a snap — or a freezer-to-oven meal ready.

This recipe for ground beef enchiladas fits the bill. Enchiladas take a little effort to assemble, but they’re great to have ready to bake on a moment’s notice and ideal for serving a crowd.

Enchiladas are simple: Roll cooked meat or poultry (even fish), beans, cheese or a combination in a corn or flour tortilla dipped in enchilada sauce, top with more sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Pop them in the oven, and dinner is ready in less than an hour.

The traditional way to make them is to lightly fry corn tortillas for 10 to 15 seconds on each side, dip in the sauce, add the filling and roll. Be careful not to fry the corn tortillas too long; otherwise, they’ll get too pliable and fall apart when you dip them in the sauce. Flour tortillas are more forgiving.

Authentic cooks will make enchilada sauce from scratch. I used canned sauce and doctored it up. I used a medium-spiced canned enchilada sauce and added tomato paste, chipotle chile in adobo and some water.

You can make and assemble the enchiladas the day before — just don’t add the remaining sauce on top; wait until you are ready to bake. Or you can freeze them.

To freeze, assemble and place in a foil pan. You can sprinkle the cheese on then or wait until you’re ready to bake. Cover the enchiladas with plastic and then with foil or place in a freezer bag. To bake, remove the foil and the plastic. Add the cheese if you didn’t add before freezing and spoon on some sauce. Re-cover with the foil and bake at 350 degrees until they’re thoroughly heated through.

Spicy Beef Enchiladas

Makes: 15 enchiladas

Preparation time: 30 minutes

Total time: 55 minutes

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, peeled, chopped

1½ pounds ground sirloin

1 tablespoon ancho or favorite chili powder

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon black pepper

2 cans (10 ounces each) medium enchilada sauce

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 canned chipotle chile in adobo sauce

½ cup water

12 to 15 small corn tortillas (6-inch diameter)

2 cups shredded reduced fat Mexican blend cheese or cheddar cheese, divided

For serving (optional):

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro

1½ cups chopped roma tomatoes

4 green onions, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté one minute. Add the onion and ground sirloin, breaking up the beef into crumbles, and cook until the meat is browned. Pour off drippings and season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over low heat, stir together the enchilada sauce, tomato paste, chipotle chile and water. Stir ½ cup of the sauce into the beef mixture.

Have ready a small nonstick skillet set over low-medium heat. In a large baking dish, spread 1 cup of the sauce. Working with one tortilla at a time, quickly fry it in the skillet to make it pliable (about 10 seconds). Using tongs, dip the tortilla quickly in the sauce to coat and place in the pan. Spoon 1/3 cup of the meat on the tortilla and roll it up. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and beef, fitting them snugly seam-side down in the pan.

Drizzle remaining sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese.

Cover with aluminum foil, making sure the foil doesn’t touch the cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes to lightly brown the cheese.

If desired, serve sprinkled with cilantro, tomatoes and green onion.

Nutrition analysis (one enchilada): 200 calories (36 percent from fat), 8 grams fat (3 grams saturated fat), 17 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams protein, 571 milligrams sodium, 37 milligrams cholesterol, 3 grams fiber.

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