The suggestions rolled in! Judy said, "There's no such thing as leftover chili + it's better the second opportunity," and I completely agree! But this was third round chili, and I can never bear to waste anything, even if we're sick of it.
Kristin suggested taco salad or over baked potatoes, and both sounded like great options as well, especially the taco salad since I love Mexican and southwestern style food, but I had the idea of enchiladas in mind...plus, by that point I had already started frying my corn tortillas!
Sharon suggested chili dogs with cheese, another great idea! Michelle said she enjoys it over pasta, and Diane suggested chili pie (hmmm that sound interesting, I might have to look into that idea another time.) Kit said, "In a wrap or over homemade mac and cheese." Yum.
Still, Kindra suggested something I had never heard of, she said, "I take a French bread loaf, cut in half and lengthwise. Toast them lightly, layer chili and shredded cheddar on top, put in 325 oven until cheese melts. So good!" I agree, that sounds great!
But, I had already fried my tortillas so enchiladas it was going to be!
I needed to create something with what I had on hand and I always have a variety of cheeses and I always have a ton of corn tortillas!
I needed to create something with what I had on hand and I always have a variety of cheeses and I always have a ton of corn tortillas!
I heated about 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a small fry pan on medium high heat and carefully fried 8 small corn tortillas for about 15 seconds on each side, then placed them on a plate between paper towels to soak up any extra oil.
I shredded about 1 & 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese and then heated my pre-made chili in the microwave for just a minute or two to get the chill out of it.
I sliced a fresh jalapeno (another one of my fridge staples) and then organized my workstation, as shown below. Once my tortillas were finished frying I preheated my oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, sprayed a medium-small sized casserole dish with cooking spray, and got to work.
Working on a large plate and making them one at a time, I put about 3 T of cheese and 2 T of chili in the center of each tortilla, then wrapped the sides over each other to roll them up. Then I placed them seam-side down in my casserole dish. Once they were all assembled, I put whatever chili was left on top of them, along with the rest of the cheese (and some extra because I love cheese) and then topped with the sliced jalapenos.
I baked them in the 425F oven uncovered for about 10 to 15 minutes until the cheese was melted and bubbly. I served them with some hot sauce and sour cream.
The were AMAZING! The tortillas were perfectly crispy (I love that) and if I were to change anything, next time I might add a bit more spice to the chili before assembling them, and also maybe switch out some of the cheddar for some Monterey jack.
All in all, these were a complete success; fast and simple to make and I highly recommend trying them yourself!
Have a great weekend!
Laura
Laura
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