I'm back in action! Golly it's been a long time since I've been here writing for you fine folks. As most of you should know by now, I was rather busy the month of September getting married and spending a blissful month in my heart place, northwest Michigan. I'll write more about the wedding when I share the lengthy details of making my own wedding desserts but for now, I couldn't be happier to be back in my own kitchen.
A month away from home in the place my babes and I love the most was an incredible treat, but it was near impossible to keep up with recipe developing and photographing while staying with friends and family. So in coming home, it was straight to the kitchen (and straight to the oven since cooler weather has finally arrived!) - which pleasantly resulted in meals like these incredible enchiladas. No complaints here : )
I'm a full convert to Cookie and Kate's killer enchilada sauce recipe, with just one real update in using ancho chile powder for a perfectly smokey sauce. The sauce is made in under 15 minutes, and will totally rock your world. After a long life of my dad's beloved mole enchiladas meaning the process of making this meal had to start the day before we wanted to eat... I'm thankful to have settled on a satisfying and quick version. We'll save those special enchiladas for special occasions.
I had leftover pulled pork on hand from a previously slow cooked pork shoulder, so the process of making these really was a fast one. I couldn't recommend pulled pork enough as a meat to cook a lot of and use in a variety of ways throughout the week. We sliced some of the shoulder before pulling it to use in babes' killer homemade ramen, made this whole pan of enchiladas which served us for a few meals (plus a few in the freezer for a future lazy dinner), and made some soba noodles with pork, carrots, and a miso sauce.
Look at that! It all comes together to this beautiful saucy goodness. This is comfort food at it's finest, folks, perfect for cozying up to these chilly fall evenings. Swoon!
Ancho Enchiladas with pork, sweet potatoes, and kale
1/4 cup + 1tsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup + 1tsp flour
2 Tbsp ancho chile powder (see notes)
2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp tomato paste
3 cups stock (see notes)
1tsp apple cider vinegar
2 medium sweet potatoes, diced and cooked (see notes)
1 pound pulled pork, cooked (see notes)
2 tortillas (i used a corn/flour blend)
1 lb pepper jack cheese, shredded
about 1/2 bunch kale, roughly chopped
- First, we make the sauce. This can be done ahead of time and stored in the fridge or freezer (or you can double the recipe and freeze half for later!). Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. While it's heating, measure flour and spices into a small bowl. Add the flour and spices to the hot oil and cook while whisking constantly for about 1 minute. Whisk in the tomato paste, then slowly pour in the broth, whisking while you do to prevent any clumps from forming. Let cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened a bit.
- Cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish with a little sauce.
- Form your enchiladas by piling some pork, sweet potatoes, kale, cheese, and a little sauce in each tortilla. Be sure to set aside some cheese to sprinkle on top! Roll them up and set them in the baking dish as you go.
- Pour the remaining sauce over top of the enchiladas, and sprinkle with the rest of the cheese.
- Bake at 375 F for about 30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese on top has browned slightly. Finish with a minute of broiling if you want to further brown the top!
- Enjoy!
Notes: A few notes on the ingredient list!
Ancho Chile Powder: You can buy this in the spice section, but I like buying a bag of dried ancho chiles from the Mexican market and grinding them into a powder in the blender or spice grinder.
Stock: You can use veggie stock or a meat stock in this recipe. I used a stock made with a mixture of chicken and pork (I'll be honest... it was ramen broth) because it's what we had on hand.
Sweet Potatoes: I roasted my sweet potatoes at 375 for about 20 minutes in the 9x13 baking dish, then transferred them into a bowl and used the baking dish for the enchiladas - super simple! You could also steam them, which would only take about 5 minutes.
Pulled Pork: Anytime we buy and slow cook pork shoulder, there is always enough left over for a few additional meals. Cooking it in a slow cooker with some broth and minimal spices allows for meat that can be used in any number of ways!