Get the App

Recipes

Find a Recipe Blue Ribbon Recipes Pinch It!™ Feed Browse All Recipes

Editorial

Food Bites & Articles Videos What is a Blue Ribbon? Meet the Test Kitchen

Community

Member Recipes Groups Sweepstakes Contests Shopping

chilaquiles

(2 ratings)
thisgrandmascookin avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Kristi Luce
@thisgrandmascookin
Porterville, CA

A flavorful way to use up stale corn tortillas. I always have some in my fridge as I prefer corn over flour tortillas in most dishes.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

When you have extra time for prep, these chilaquiles are the dish you need to serve your family. It tastes like nachos and is similar to a taco casserole. But, what sets this apart is a Mexican-style tomato sauce. Filled with browned ground beef, chipotles add a robust smoky flavor to the sauce. Frying strips of tortillas takes time but is worth the effort. The casserole is layered with fried tortillas, hearty tomato sauce, and a layer of gooey Monterey Jack cheese. Adding Mexican crema on top adds another layer of flavor and slightly mellows the spice of the dish. It's a great recipe to stretch a pound of ground beef.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(2 ratings)
yield 8 serving(s)
prep time 1 Hr 20 Min
cook time 20 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For chilaquiles

  • 1 lb
    ground beef
  • 1 Tbsp
    cumin
  • 1/2 tsp
    seasoned salt
  • 1/4 tsp
    black pepper
  • 1 md
    onion, chopped fine
  • 4 clove
    garlic, minced
  • 28 oz
    whole tomatoes, canned
  • 1/2 c
    chicken broth
  • 1 can
    Chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
  • 18
    corn tortillas
  • 1 lb
    Monterey Jack cheese
  • 1/3 c
    Mexican crema

How To Make chilaquiles

  • Season and brown ground beef.
    1
    Season the ground beef with cumin, salt, and pepper. Brown on medium heat until almost done.
  • Add onion and garlic.
    2
    Add the onion and garlic. Continue cooking until ground beef is completely cooked. Drain off the fat.
  • Add crushed tomatoes and chicken broth to the pan.
    3
    Crush tomatoes into small pieces and add to the pan with the ground beef. Add the chicken broth.
  • Add chopped chipotle peppers and Adobo sauce.
    4
    Deseed and dice your desired amount of chipotle peppers. Add to the pan with the ground beef along with the Adobo sauce.
  • Simmer the sauce.
    5
    Simmer on medium heat; stirring occasionally.
  • Heat oil.
    6
    Heat a 1/2 inch of vegetable oil in a 10-inch cast iron skillet until very hot, but not smoking.
  • Fry pieces of tortillas.
    7
    Stack and slice 3 tortillas into 6 strips. Place strips into hot oil carefully and cook, stirring often, until just starting to turn a light golden color.
  • Place tortilla strips on a paper towel and continue to fry in batches.
    8
    Remove to a plate lined with 2 paper towels to drain. Continue cooking in batches until all the tortillas are finished.
  • Grate the Monterey Jack cheese.
    9
    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grate the cheese, if not already grated, and set aside.
  • Place half the tortilla strips in a baking dish.
    10
    In the bottom of a 9x13 pan place half of the tortilla strips, moving them around until they are laying somewhat flat and covering the bottom of the pan.
  • Add half of the sauce.
    11
    Spoon half of the sauce mixture over the tortillas making sure they are completely covered.
  • Top with half the cheese.
    12
    Top with half of the cheese.
  • Repeat again starting with the tortilla strips.
    13
    Repeat again starting with the fried tortillas.
  • End with the cheese.
    14
    End with the cheese.
  • Cover with foil and bake.
    15
    Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes.
  • Top each slice with Mexican crema.
    16
    Top each serving with some crema and enjoy!
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
ADVERTISEMENT