Main Course
Red Chile Enchiladas
4.9 · 96 reviews
These authentic New Mexico red chile enchiladas are made with roasted Hatch red chile, seasoned ground beef, and plenty of melted cheese. Whether you stack them high or bake them casserole-style, this is comfort food at its finest — quick, endlessly customizable, and absolutely delicious. I was practically raised on red enchiladas, so today I am sharing everything I know in the hope that you can feel the same joy I do digging into a plate at the end of a workday at the Hatch Chile Store.
If you have not lived in New Mexico, let me set the scene. Walk into any restaurant here and order enchiladas, tamales, or a burrito, and you will inevitably be asked our official state question: Red or Green? The red-versus-green debate has raged since the beginning of time, and I stay out of it — I love all my chile equally. But red enchiladas hold a special place. The deep, earthy, sun-dried flavor of Hatch red chile is unlike anything else, and once you make them from scratch you will understand why folks here are so loyal to them.
Stack them or bake them: two ways
There are so many ways to make an enchilada. The most customizable is to stack them — lay a sauced corn tortilla flat, add meat and cheese, and build two or three layers so each person controls how much of everything they want. The other way is a casserole: layer everything in a baking dish so you can pull it out of the fridge, cut a slice, and reheat whenever you like. I will walk you through both in the recipe card below. Either way, fry an egg to lay on top — trust me, the runny yolk against the red chile is amazing.
The red chile sauce is where the magic happens
Everybody makes their sauce a little differently. Some reach for red chile powder, others rehydrate dried red chile pods and blend them into a smooth, velvety sauce, and on a busy night a jar of our fresh Hatch red chile sauce gets you there in one step. All three are real Hatch red chile — the single ingredient that decides whether your enchiladas taste authentic or flat. A grocery-store "enchilada sauce" simply will not give you that deep New Mexico flavor. Whichever you choose, build it low and slow: saute onion and garlic, toast a little cumin and oregano, stir in the chile, and let it simmer until it turns rich and glossy.
Pro tips from our kitchen
- Have everyone build their own stacked enchilada so it is exactly the way they like it.
- Fry an egg to set on top — it is a New Mexico classic for a reason.
- Making a casserole? Be generous with the sauce so it does not dry out in the oven.
- If you like them extra saucy, double the sauce. Leftovers freeze beautifully for the nights you get home and cannot decide what to make.
- Lightly fry the corn tortillas before saucing so they stay supple and do not tear.
Serving and storage
Serve red chile enchiladas with pinto or refried beans and Spanish rice, plus that fried egg on top. Assembled enchiladas keep 3 days in the fridge and freeze for up to 3 months — reheat covered at 350°F so they stay moist. And if someone at your table wants green instead, our Hatch green chile enchiladas are the other half of the answer. Thanks for reading, and a big thank-you to my Mamo for always being the best source for family recipes like this one.
Red Chile Enchiladas
- Prep20 min
- Cook40 min
- Total1 hr
- Serves6 servings
Ingredients
Instructions
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet with half the diced onion; season with salt and set aside.
- Make the sauce: saute the remaining onion and the garlic in oil until soft. Stir in the cumin and oregano and toast 30 seconds. Add the red chile powder (or rehydrated, blended pods, or jarred sauce) and the broth, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes until rich and glossy. Season with salt.
- Heat a little oil in a skillet and warm each corn tortilla a few seconds per side until soft, then drain.
- To stack: dip a tortilla in the red sauce, lay it flat, top with beef and cheese, and repeat to build two or three layers.
- To bake casserole-style: layer sauced tortillas, beef, and cheese in a baking dish, finishing with sauce and cheese, and bake at 375 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes until bubbly.
- Top each serving with a fried egg if desired and serve with beans and rice.
Made with Hatch Fresh Red Chile Sauce, grown by our family in the Hatch Valley for five generations.
