These Enchiladas Are All About The Toppings

Plate of enchiladas michoacanas, topped with potatoes, carrots, cheese, crema, salsa, lettuce, and jalapeños.

February 5, 2024

Enchiladas mean different things to different people. For some, they're fried, rolled tortillas filled with a delicious guiso, bathed in salsa, and topped with crema, lettuce, and crumbled queso. Tex-Mex style enchiladas are a baked, family-style affair heavy on the cheese. If you're from New Mexico, enchiladas are stacked (and of course, the salsa always features local chiles). We're here to talk about perhaps the most undersung style: enchiladas michoacanas. At first glance, they look almost inside-out: most of the good stuff is on the outside. Tortillas are dipped in salsa, fried, and possibly (not always) simply filled before being doubled over. Then come the toppings: spicy pan-fried potatoes and carrots, crumbled cheese, drizzled crema, a variety of salsas, shredded lettuce, and pickled jalapeños for that extra kick of spice. It may sound like a lot of work, but most of it can be prepped ahead and comes together quickly. Go ahead, screenshot the recipe below — we know you want to make these for dinner this week.

Enchiladas Michoacanas

Miguel Guerrero

Rated 4.0 stars by 12 users

Ingredients

For Enchiladas:

15-18 corn tortillas
2 medium tomatoes, quartered
1 medium white onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt, adjust to taste
10 guajillo chiles
2 medium carrots, diced
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 cup cotija cheese, crumbled
Olive oil

To Garnish:

1 jar or can of pickled jalapeños, sliced
Cotija cheese, crumbled
Crema (or sour cream thinned with water)
Red salsa
Green salsa
Shredded lettuce

Directions

Make the Red Adobo Sauce:

Remove seeds and veins from the guajillo chiles. Fill a saucepan with water and bring to a boil, then add the chiles and let them cook for 5-10 minutes until softened. Set aside to cool.
In a blender, combine tomatoes, onions, garlic cloves, cooled guajillo chiles, oregano, and salt.
Blend until you reach a smooth consistency. Add ½ a tbsp of olive oil to a saucepan and bring it to medium heat, then add the sauce. Bring the sauce to a simmer and allow to cook for 10 minutes. Set aside.

Make the Potatoes and Carrots:

Cook the potatoes and carrots in a pan or in the oven with 1 tbsp of olive oil until cooked through, then add 1 tbsp of the cooked adobo sauce, and cook for another 2-3 minutes until nicely caramelized.

Make the Enchiladas:

Dip a tortilla in the remaining adobo sauce so that it covers both sides of the tortilla.
In a pan over medium-high heat, add a little bit of olive oil (about ½-1 tbsp) and cook the tortilla on both sides until the color darkens.
Place tortilla on a plate, fill with crumbled cotija cheese and fold like a taco.
Return filled, folded tortilla to the heated pan and for a minute or so on each side, then remove from pan.
Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Top your enchiladas generously with potatoes and carrots, lettuce, crema, salsas, queso, and pickled jalapeños.

All Comments

Hi Christopher, thank you so much for pointing that out! You can add the oregano when blending the ingredients for the sauce. For the salt, we recommend adding about 1 teaspoon (adjust to taste), and include it with the other ingredients in the blender.

Questions
Where do I add the oregano?
Why is there no salt?

These Enchiladas Are All About The Toppings

These Enchiladas Are All About The Toppings

Enchiladas Michoacanas

Ingredients

For Enchiladas:

To Garnish:

Directions

Make the Red Adobo Sauce:

Make the Potatoes and Carrots:

Make the Enchiladas:

All Comments

Leave a Comment

Read More

These Pink Chilaquiles Are Made With Beets & Habanero

Sweet and Spicy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alexa Soto's Mole with Mushrooms

Your cart

Cart empty.