Even though enchiladas is a delicious dish, it is very simple to prepare. There’s a saying in Mexico that goes: Pues no son enchiladas (It’s not like making enchiladas, you know?) that we use when a task is not easy. I think every Mexican is born with the skills to make guacamole, pico de gallo and enchiladas. It must be in our genes.
I have posted some recipes for enchiladas before here, here, here and here. So what’s special about the enchiladas for this post? This time I made them meatless, I stuffed them with homemade refried beans (without the chorizo), I “cooked” them as a casserole (something I’ve seen people do here in the U.S.), but most importantly, I used homemade spinach corn tortillas. And how do you make those?
It is actually very simple. All you’ll need is 3-4 cups of corn flour (the kind that is specifically made for corn tortillas), about 10 oz of spinach and 3-4 cups of water (you can use chicken stock to make them even more tasty). Bring water to a boil, turn the heat off and add spinach. Let the water cool for about 5 minutes and blend. Be very careful here because if the water is too hot it will “explode” in your blender. If you have a submerge blender that would work better. Pour the spinach mix over the corn flour and mix very well until it all comes together.
In order to be able to press your tortillas, the masa has to be soft, but not too soft. If it is too soft and sticks then add a little bit more flour. If it is too dry and hard and falls apart when you are shaping the balls, then add more water. I don’t have exact measurements for this since it varies depending on the flour, weather and elevation. You have to play with it to get it right. To shape the tortillas follow these instructions from my friend Kelly’s blog. She just made tortillas for the first time and she did an awesome job! For a more visual explanation you can watch this video. I am sure you will get it right the first time. It is not that difficult 
Once the tortillas are made, fill them with whatever you want, in my case refried beans, roll them and lined them up in a baking dish. Pour some tomato sauce (I used the same one I use for my pastel azteca recipe), top them with cheese, onion or anything else you’d like and bake them for 20 minutes at 350°F. Easy, right?
Remember that this month’s Homemade challenge is tortillas. We want to see your homemade tortillas and how you ate them. The possibilities are endless! Also remember that food pictures are wanted for Food Photography Critics Club, a place where we share our pictures to be reviewed in order improve our photography skills. Don’t be shy and give us your pictures and opinions!
¡Buen provecho!
This is my entry for Ivy’s food event Celebrating Mother’s Day. My mom doesn’t celebrate it and this dish would be something completely new for her, but I am still dedicating it to her for all the knowledge and love that she gives me. Para ti mamá. And HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL OF YOU!
20 Replies
Mmmmmmm delicioso Ben! Can you believe I never ate enchiladas? You’ll have to invite me over to taste yours, yours, yours, and yours ;D
Have a great weekend amigo!!!
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 10:28 am
Hola Ben! I could eat enchiladas forever. There’s something very comforting about them! I love your meatless version…all that extra fibre!
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 10:45 am
I’ve never had enchiladas in a restaurant before. Found the recipe online and made it myself. Love it! I should really try the authentic one someday.
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 1:25 pm
Those are beautiful enchiladas! Delicious!
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 2:07 pm
Ben, those look absolutely DELICIOUS!
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
Wow, I love this Ben. I still have a lot to learn about Mexican food but whatever I had up to now I love it. I made fajitas on Cinco de Mayo. This is the next thing I will try. Thank you Ben.
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
The green tortillas look so great!
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 4:23 pm
You have pictures that are so beautiful. No wonder that we would love to taste all of your dishes.
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 7:47 pm
These look delicious, Ben. I definitely want to try the spinach tortillas. I have made corn tortillas before, but I don’t have a press so they turn out sort of funky shaped and a little thicker.
That’s ok, I like them puffy and thick!
Posted on May 8th, 2009 at 8:19 pm
MMMMMM…Ben!
This dish looks fabulous!! Yummie!!! Yum Yum yum,….
Posted on May 9th, 2009 at 4:43 pm
Love the green. & i do mine with beans most of the time.
Posted on May 11th, 2009 at 10:18 am
That looks absolutely delicious Ben! I have to start thinking about which recipe I will be making for this months tortilla challenge… So much to choose from..:)
Posted on May 11th, 2009 at 3:25 pm
The dish looks so appetizing Ben. An excellent tribute to your mom as well as an amazing photo too:D
Posted on May 11th, 2009 at 9:11 pm
Nice and I never knew tortillas were so easy to make. My ex-girlfriend gave me a tortilla press from her grandma but I have never gotten around to using it. Going to have to change that now.
Heck I still have time to screw around and see if I can do the month’s challenge.
Posted on May 12th, 2009 at 7:26 am
Oh Ben, you make such beautiful food.
Posted on May 12th, 2009 at 11:48 am
I am so gonna make my own tortillas! Your pictures are awesome!
Posted on May 18th, 2009 at 2:08 pm
Thanks for visiting my site which led me to yours. You have a wonderful site, these enchiladas look awesome, looking forward to trying these !
Posted on May 21st, 2009 at 1:51 pm
These tortillas look amazing. With these and the beet tortillas, you’ve inspired me to make my own. I’m going out this afternoon to get a tortilla press! Thanks, Ben. Your foods look as great as they taste.
Posted on June 2nd, 2009 at 8:12 am
I just made this for dinner and it was faaaabulous! My huband had three servings. I used regular corn tortillas and they crumbled a bit when I went to roll them. Any tips?
Posted on February 10th, 2010 at 10:54 pm
Corn tortillas will crumble when rolling if they are not warm enough. Make sure to warm them on a cast iron or regular skillet before stuffing them and you should be alright.
Posted on February 11th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
Leave a reply