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New Mexico Style Stacked Red Enchiladas

Try this authentic New Mexico Style Stacked Red Enchiladas recipe—layered tortillas, homemade red enchilada sauce, seasoned beef, cheese, and a fried egg. A hearty, bold dish perfect for dinner.
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 55 minutes
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients
  

For the Red Enchilada Sauce:
  • tbsp chili powder use a New Mexico‑style or mild chili powder
  • 2 tbsp all‑purpose flour
  • cups chicken stock or broth
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • Salt & pepper to taste
For the Beef Filling:
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 2 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 small onion diced
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • ½ tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp oregano
  • Salt & pepper to taste
For Assembly:
  • 12 corn tortillas or flour if preferred
  • 2 cups shredded Mexican‑blend cheese
  • ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 4 small eggs fried sunny‑side up
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • Oil for frying tortillas
  • Optional: chopped lettuce diced tomato, queso fresco

Method
 

Make the sauce:
  1. Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to form a roux. Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and pepper; stir briefly to toast the spices. Pour in the chicken stock while whisking, bring to a simmer and cook about 10 minutes until thickened. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Make the beef filling:
  1. In a skillet over medium–low heat, warm the oil and sauté the diced onion until translucent (≈4 minutes). Add ground beef, onion powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper; cook until beef is browned and cooked through. Remove from heat.
Fry tortillas:
  1. Heat oil in a skillet. One by one, fry each corn tortilla briefly on both sides until slightly crispy at the edges but still pliable. Drain on paper towels.
Cooking On The Ranch
  1. Assemble stacks: On an oven‑proof plate or dish, lay one tortilla, spoon some sauce over it, add a portion of beef and some cheese. Repeat for 3 layers (tortilla → sauce → beef → cheese). On the top layer, add sauce and cheese but skip additional meat.
Bake/broil:
  1. Preheat oven broiler (or 350 °F if baking). Place assembled stacks under the broiler for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Fry eggs:
  1. While stacks bake, fry one egg per serving sunny‑side up (or your preferred doneness).
Finish & serve:
  1. Remove stacks from oven. Top each with a fried egg, chopped onions, a drizzle of crema, and optional lettuce/tomato/queso. Serve immediately.

Notes

Choose good quality chili powder or New Mexico chile powder for authentic flavor.
Corn tortillas give the best texture and authenticity, but flour may be used if desired.
Do not overlayer—3 tortillas per stack is typical.
Serve right away for best texture—tortilla edges remain a little crisp.
Adjust spice: reduce chili powder or use mild chili for less heat.