Here’s a New Mexico–style recipe for Red Chile Ground Beef & Cheese Stacked Enchiladas — the classic flat, layered version with rich red chile, melty cheese, and savory beef. Pure comfort food!
🌶️ Red Chile Ground Beef & Cheese Stacked Enchiladas
Ingredients (Serves 4)
Red Chile Sauce
- 10–12 dried New Mexico red chile pods, stems/seeds removed
- 2 cups hot water (for soaking)
- 2 cups chicken or beef broth
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp cumin
- Salt to taste
- 1–2 tbsp flour + 1 tbsp oil (optional, for thickening)
Ground Beef Filling
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ small onion, finely diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp oregano
- Salt & pepper
- Optional: a little of the red chile sauce
Other Ingredients
- 12 corn tortillas
- 2½ cups shredded cheese
- cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, or a mix
- Chopped onion (for topping)
- Shredded lettuce (optional)
- Sour cream (optional)
- Fried egg (optional — classic New Mexico addition)
🔥 How to Make It
1. Make the Red Chile Sauce
- Soak red chile pods in hot water for 20–25 minutes until soft.
- Add softened chiles, soaking water, broth, garlic, cumin, and salt to a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
- Optional thickening:
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pot, whisk in 1–2 tbsp flour, cook 1 minute.
- Add the blended chile sauce and simmer 10 minutes.
- Taste → add salt as needed.
2. Cook the Ground Beef
- Brown the ground beef in a skillet.
- Add onions and garlic; cook until soft.
- Season with cumin, oregano, salt, pepper.
- Add 2–3 tablespoons of the red chile sauce for extra flavor.
- Keep warm.
3. Prep the Tortillas
- Lightly fry each corn tortilla in a bit of oil until softened — not crisp, just pliable.
Or warm them on a skillet if you prefer less oil.
4. Build the Stacks
For each serving:
- Spoon some red chile sauce onto a plate.
- Place a tortilla on the sauce.
- Add:
- spoonful of ground beef
- handful of cheese
- a bit of chopped onion
- Add another tortilla → more sauce → more beef → more cheese.
- Do 3–4 layers depending on how tall you want.
- Finish with a generous pour of red chile sauce and a big sprinkle of cheese.
- Optional: top with a fried egg (traditional in NM!)
5. Serve
Garnish with:
- chopped onion
- lettuce
- sour cream (optional)
- more red chile sauce on the side
Serve with rice, beans, or simply by itself — it’s plenty hearty.
⭐ Tips for Perfect Stacked Enchiladas
- Use real New Mexico chiles for the flavor you expect (Hatch, Chimayó, or NM red).
- Slightly smoky chiles give deeper flavor — toast the dry pods 10 seconds per side before soaking.
- Add a splash of broth while stacking if you like them extra saucy.
- Cheese melts best if you layer it finely instead of in big piles.
If you want, I can also give you:
✨ A one-pan baked version
✨ A spicy version with chipotle or árbol
✨ A ground turkey or chicken variation
✨ A quick 20-minute version using canned red enchilada sauce (doctored to taste homemade)
Just tell me!