Beef N Rice Enchiladas

April 2041. We bought the house. Three blocks from Mamá and Papá, single-story adobe with clay tile floors and a kitchen that was remodeled recently and has, I confirmed before we closed, a six-burner gas range. The backyard faces south and west and gets afternoon sun until the mountains take it. I walked the backyard the morning after we closed and thought: this is where the chile plants go. This is where the garden goes. This is where I will cook outside in the evenings when the air cools after a hot Las Cruces day.

We told the kids at a dinner in Denver that weekend. Diego's face did something complicated — he's the one geographically closest to us and the one who'd feel the distance most concretely. Maya, who was at the dinner, heard that we were moving and said: but Papa cooks here. I said: I'll cook there too. She thought about it and said: I'll visit. I said: every month if you want to. She said: every month. That's a deal. I shook her hand. She shook mine with great seriousness. A deal.

Elena said: finally. Marco said: good. Sofia called from Seattle and said she always knew we'd end up there. I said: how? She said: because when you talk about Las Cruces you talk differently. I said: how do I talk? She said: like someone describing home. I said: it is home. She said: I know. That's why it took you this long to go back. Sometimes you have to go live somewhere else for thirty years before you know that home is still home.

When I walked that backyard the morning after we closed, I already knew what the first real meal in that kitchen would be — something that belongs to this place, something the kids could eat when Maya makes good on our handshake deal and shows up next month. Beef and rice enchiladas are what Mamá made when the whole family gathered, the kind of dish that fills a kitchen with smell before anyone’s even sat down, and it felt right to carry that into the new house, onto that six-burner range, before we’ve even unpacked the last box.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 40 min | Total Time: 1 hr | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb ground beef
1 cup long-grain white rice, cooked
1 small yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce, divided
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
12 corn tortillas (6-inch)
2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
1/4 cup sour cream, for serving
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and spread 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce across the bottom.
Brown the beef. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onion together, breaking up the meat, until beef is no longer pink, about 6–8 minutes. Drain excess fat. Add garlic, cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt, and pepper; stir and cook 1 minute more.
Build the filling. Stir in cooked rice, diced green chiles, and 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce. Mix well and remove from heat. Fold in 3/4 cup of the shredded cheese.
Warm the tortillas. Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 45 seconds to make them pliable. This prevents cracking when you roll them.
Fill and roll. Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the beef-and-rice filling down the center of each tortilla. Roll tightly and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish, nestling them in a single row.
Top and bake. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/4 cups of cheese over the top. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
Finish uncovered. Remove the foil and bake an additional 10–15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and lightly golden at the edges.
Rest and serve. Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving. Top with sour cream and fresh cilantro.

Nutrition (per serving)

Beef N Rice Enchiladas — The Dish I’ll Make First in That Six-Burner Kitchen