Enchilada Tacos

 

Ingredients

• 12-15 corn tortillas
• avocado oil for frying the tortillas enough to fill a skillet about an inch deep
• 1 -1 1/2 lbs ground beef 
• 1/2 yellow onion, chopped optional, added to the ground beef when browning it
• 1 jar Red Enchilada Sauce I like to use Mi Tienda from HEB

• Toppings of your choice (these are the ones we use, but they can be changed)

  • sour cream
  • green onion 
  • hot sauce of your choice we love Cholula
  • tomatoes, diced
  • lettuce, shredded
  • shredded cheese whichever kind you prefer

  Instructions

  • Heat some avocado oil in a medium sized skillet on medium heat.  You want it about an inch deep.  You will know your oil is ready for frying the tortillas when you splash a few drops of water in the oil and it sizzles.  
  • Once your oil is heated, using tongs, fry tortillas one at a time.  Fry each side of the tortillas for a few minutes until crisp and golden.  If you find they are cooking too fast and burning instead of browning, remove the oil from the burner and let it cool, then adjust your heat and try again.  After each tortilla is fried, lightly salt each one, then let it cool on some paper towels.
  • While your oil is heating, brown your ground beef.  In a large, skillet, over medium heat, add the ground beef and onion and brown the ground beef until it is done.  Rinse/drain if desired.  Then add your can of Enchilada Sauce, stir and let it simmer on medium-low heat and let it cook down if it is too saucy. 
  • After your ground beef is prepared with the Enchilada Sauce and your tortillas are fried, assemble your tacos.  I like to spread sour cream first on the tortilla (this ensures sour cream on every bite and it’s easier to spread first), then the meat, then top with cheese, hot sauce and any other toppings.

  Notes

  1.  This recipe makes about 12- 15 tacos but can vary greatly based on how much meat you use per taco/tostada shell. 
  2. I usually use 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, only because the Butcher Man packages his fresh ground beef in 1 1/2 pound packs unless requested otherwise.  The can of enchilada sauce works great for 1 – 1 1/2 pounds.  I have used just 1 pound of ground beef and the recipe still works perfectly and I get about 12 tacos out of 1 pound (this may vary depending on how much meat you use per taco).  So use whatever amount of ground beef you wish from 1 – 1 1/2 pounds! 
  3. You can use any kind of Enchilada Sauce and any “heat”.  We like mild (especially when feeding kids).  You want to use a 10 oz. size can.  This will be the perfect amount of sauce for the ground beef (perfect for 1 -1 1/2 lbs. ground beef).  Let the meat simmer after adding the Enchilada Sauce so it can cook down if it is too saucy. 
  4. If you read the post above you will have read that you can do a fast fry on the tortillas so they are soft and pliable.  You will just cook them for a few seconds on each side, then pat the excess oil off of them and fold them in half to let them cool. The Butcher Man eats his this way and loves them! 
  5.  Any kind of toppings work and are yummy, so change them up as needed! 
  6. When my kids were tiny I would cut up the corn tortillas and fry little “chip” sized pieces and then top them with sour cream, meat and cheese on each little chip…just like nachos! So if you have little kids that will have a hard time eating the big tostada shell you can do this and they will love it! My 6 year old still has me make his like this…and he calls them “Taco Bites”!
  7. You may want to fry some extra tortillas because everyone likes to eat them plain along with the tacos! 
  8. If you are not wanting to fry the tortillas then you can bake them in the oven for a few minutes on each side at 425 degrees, you can place them right on the oven rack. (Watch them closely if you are baking them… All of a sudden they will be done!)