Cheese enchiladas: the essence of Tex-Mex
Tex-Mex is not Mexican food. That’s right, even though many of the restaurants you see across Texas often call themselves Mexican they’re not. But that’s OK. When Diana Kennedy said that the food Texans were cooking was an abomination of her beloved la cocina Mexicana, Texans replied, “You’re correct. Tex-Mex is a cuisine of its own!”
As much respect I have for Kennedy’s work, she was rather draconian in her assessment of what was happening north of the border. And as Tex-Mex is practically a youngster in the grand scheme of world cuisines (it’s only been around for about 150 years), it’s still evolving.
Many traditional Mexican ingredients, such as epazote, huitlacoche, prickly pear, jicama and yes, even cilantro were absent on the classic Tex-Mex menu, which was a brown and yellow feast of tamales, tacos, enchiladas, and queso, sandwiched between mountains of rice and refried beans.
But today, many restaurants are going beyond the basics and including more authentic Mexican flavors. Squash blossom quesadillas? Of course! Black beans in chile con queso? Why not?
Yet despite the evolution of the cuisine, there will always be room in my heart for that Tex-Mex classic: cheese enchiladas. And no, I’m not talking about goat cheese enchiladas. And no, I’m not talking about radish, rajas, and queso añejo enchiladas. I’m talking about a plate of rolled corn tortillas stuffed with oozing yellow cheese, floating in puddles of brown-chili gravy. Yes, that kind of cheese enchilada. The Tex-Mex kind.
What makes these enchiladas so special? It’s the chili gravy, a Tex-Mex classic and said by food writer Robb Walsh to be the essence of the cuisine itself. (And if you don’t have Walsh’s definitive tome on the subject, The Tex Mex Cookbook: A History in Recipes and Photos, a must-have for all homesick Texans or fans of Texan cooking.)
Chili gravy is a mash-up between flour-based gravy and Mexican chile sauce. It’s a smooth and silky substance, redolent with earthy cumin, smoky chiles, and pungent garlic. It’s not fiery, as it was created by Anglos, but it does have flavor. And usually, there’s no meat in chili gravy—it’s just fat, flour, broth, and spices.
If you eat Tex-Mex outside of the state, the absence of this sauce is what makes the food taste wrong. It took me a long time to crack the Tex-Mex code, but when I found this recipe and made it for the first time, it was an epiphany: this was the flavor I’d been searching for.
On cold, bitter days, sometimes you just want to eat comfortable food, something to make you feel warm and cozy. And if macaroni and cheese or grilled cheese sandwiches are your usual comforts of choice, why not give these a try? They’re cheesy, not too spicy, and a true taste of Texas. Sure, you may have had cheese enchiladas, but unless you had them in Texas, they probably didn’t taste like these.
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Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy
Ingredients
Ingredients for the gravy:
- 1/4 cup lard or vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups beef broth, chicken broth, or water
Ingredients for the cheese enchiladas
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 8 corn tortillas
- 3 cups shredded Colby-Jack cheese
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- Pickled jalapeños, for serving
Instructions
- To make the gravy, heat the lard or oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in the flour and stir until it's lightly browned and fragrant, about 30 seconds to a minute.
- Whisk in the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt, and pepper until well combined. Pour in the broth, then whisk with the flour until well blended. Continue to whisk until the sauce thickens, about 3-5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
- Turn the heat to low and let the gravy simmer for 15 minutes. Add more broth or water to thin the sauce if it's too thick.
- Meanwhile, to make the enchiladas, preheat the oven to 450° F.
- Pour the vegetable oil into a baking dish or large cast-iron skillet. Place the tortillas in the baking dish (it’s okay if they overlap) and make sure they are covered with the oil. Place uncovered in the oven as it heats for 3 to 5 minutes, or until the tortillas are soft and warm. Remove the tortillas from the baking dish and cover. Pour 1/2 cup of chili gravy into the dish.
- To assemble the enchiladas, take a tortilla and place 1/4 cup of the shredded cheese and 1 tablespoon of the onion down the center then roll it. Place the rolled tortilla in the baking dish, seam side down. Continue with the remaining tortillas.
- After assembling the enchiladas, evenly pour over them the rest of the chili gravy. Sprinkle on top the remaining cheese and onions. Bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and cheese has melted.
- Serve warm with pickled jalapeños on the side.
I hosted a family shindig for Labor Day this weekend and decided to do Tex-Mex since we just did BBQ for July 4. I wanted a real Texas chili gravy recipe and gave this a shot since I was already doing your refried beans, and it was EXCELLENT. I figured it would be because it’s Robb Walsh, but it having Homesick Texan’s approval too didn’t hurt.
If you’re making this the first time, the only thing I’d recommend is making sure you get that roux light brown (not blond) and using good-quality spices since they’re the stars of the show. I like Bolner’s Fiesta brand. It’s an inexpensive brand (at least in Texas it is… it’s a San Antonio company), and their chili powder specifically is out of this world.
I did want to post a tip, though, because I’m sure I’m not the only one who’ll do this. I got busy and accidentally overtoasted the spices and the sauce tasted ever-so-slightly charred (just a tad bitter). I had some tomato juice from a can of whole tomatoes sitting around, and while I was specifically looking for a no-tomato recipe, I didn’t know if I had time to start over, so I put about 1-1/2 tablespoons of the tomato juice in it trying to see if I could rescue it, and it worked. It brightened up the flavor just enough to mask the overtoasting. So if that happens to you, just a small bit of tomato juice might rescue it and won’t make it taste tomatoey. It’s possible a dab of tomato paste or sauce would work too. Just figured if I was going to comment, my screw-up should at least be able to help someone else out of a tight spot.
Heather–Thanks for the tips!
I’m curious, the Homesick Texan cookbook version of this recipe is fairly different. No roux (or thickener of any kind), and a bit of beef. Different philosophy? Evolution of the recipe? This version sounds more like what I remember growing up in Houston, but I haven’t tried cooking etiher.
Nelson–Yes, it’s both an evolution of my cooking and a different recipe! For most sauces, I now prefer to use whole chiles as I feel they have more depth and a richer flavor. The addition of beef is common in some places, too. If you need a quick recipe, however, this one is still good, too!
Just made these today. They were exactly what I was looking for! Better that El Fenix or El Chico (I’m in Frisco, TX). Thanks for the awesome recipe!
Ray–You’re welcome and I’m delighted you enjoyed them!
Hi there!
I realize this recipe is quite old. I am here to say it is so relevant for another homesick Texan.
I am from Corpus Christi, TX. This is the extremely close to my area’s TexMex. I have learned since I went away, this particular style is considered Jalisco style. I made a few adjustments and it was pretty much dead on. Thank you so much for sharing. Feeling super homesick right now and this is such a help.
Hi Kathryn! I’m delighted that this recipe is close to what you grew up eating and made you feel closer to home. And I’d never heard of this referred to as Jalisco style but I will now have to investigate!
There used to be a place called the texmex cafe not far from the airport in LA. It had real texmex. Not the bland as hell Mexican food you get around there. Actually they had some tortilla soup that was to kill for.