Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce is a family-friendly dinner recipe made with a handful of everyday ingredients. My family scrapes the casserole dish clean!
Preheat oven to 350 degrees then spray a 9x13" baking dish, or two smaller casserole dishes, with nonstick spray and set aside.
For the Red Enchilada Sauce:
To a small bowl, add the spices – chili powder through cumin – then stir to combine and set aside.
Heat the oil in a medium-size saucepan over medium heat then add the flour and cook while whisking constantly for 1 minute.
Add the seasonings then whisk until they're toasted and very fragrant, 30 seconds. Switch to a spatula then add the tomato paste and mash it in with the seasonings to create a thick paste.
Switch back to a whisk then slowly stream in the chicken stock or broth while whisking to create a smooth sauce. Turn the heat up to medium-high then bring the sauce to a simmer while stirring slowly and constantly with a spatula. Once simmering, turn the heat back down to medium then simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes or until the sauce has thickened (sauce will continue to thicken as it cools). Cool slightly before using.
Assembly:
Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce into the bottom of the prepared baking dish or dishes, then reserve 1 cup shredded cheese and set aside. Wrap 5 tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel then microwave for 20 seconds to warm.
Keeping the other tortillas wrapped in the warm paper towel, one at a time place a tortilla on a plate or cutting board then add 1/4 cup shredded cheese into the center and roll snugly. Place seam-side down into the baking dish then continue until the dish has been filled. Warming another batch of 5 tortillas as needed.
Spoon enchilada sauce over the tops of the tortillas ensuring they are completely covered - uncovered spots will come out tough and hard - then sprinkle reserved cheese on top.
Cover baking dish with nonstick sprayed foil then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and sauce is hot and bubbly. Let enchiladas rest for 5 minutes then serve.
I use mild chili powder to keep this on the low end of the heat scale - maybe 2-3 on a scale of 1-10 with 10 being ultra spicy. Use regular or hot chili powder to spice things up!
The red enchilada sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the fridge (glass recommended as plastic will stain.) Re-warm before using.