These delicious little
creations are exactly what the name implies: flavorful taco meat
enfolded in a cornmeal crepe and baked like an enchilada. Clever,
right?
Before you run away
from here shouting that making cornmeal crepes is entirely too much
work, let me convince you to stay by insisting that because the
crepes can be made up to two days in advance, this meal is not
complicated or fussy at all.
Store the crepes in the
refrigerator (or freezer for up to a few weeks!) and pull them out
when you have time to brown up the taco meat and add a few spices.
Seriously, it’s that easy! (And you’ll totally feel
like a kitchen rock star. Promise. I mean, really, homemade cornmeal
crepes? That’s instant rock star status and no one has to know
how simple they are.)
Big fans of classic
crepes, we all absolutely adore these light and tender
cornmeal crepes. They taste like a glorified (and much better than
store bought!) corn tortilla and I have to absolutely, positively
insist that you try with all your might to avoid looking for a
shortcut and make the crepes instead. Did I mention they can be in
advance? Yes, I surely did.
Wrapped up with our
much-loved
taco filling, this meal is absolutely outstanding.
Talk about taking taco night to a whole new level! (Thank you,
Jennifer A., for sending me the recipe — they have quickly
become a family favorite for us, too!)
Taco Enchiladas with Cornmeal Crepes Yield: Makes about 16 crepes (serves 6-8)
Ingredients
Cornmeal Crepes:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cups yellow or white cornmeal
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
Taco Meat:
3/4 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium onion)
2 pounds ground beef or ground turkey
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
2 (8-ounces each) cans tomato sauce
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced fine (optional)
2 cups shredded cheddar or Monterey jack cheese
Garnishes:
1 can black olives, drained and sliced
Sour cream
Salsa
Directions
For the crepes, combine all of the
crepe ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Spray a
10-inch nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium
heat until the skillet is very hot. Give the crepe batter a quick
stir with a wooden spoon. Measure out 1/4 cup batter and pour into
the hot skillet, tilting the pan to coat the bottom evenly. The
skillet should be hot enough that you should hear a sizzle when the
batter hits the pan but not so hot that it burns the crepes. Cook
for 30 seconds to 1 minute and then loosen the edge of the crepe
with a rubber spatula and flip, cooking for another 30 seconds or
so. Transfer the crepe to a plate and repeat with the remaining
batter, giving the batter a quick stir before each crepe to
distribute the cornmeal and lightly spraying the skillet with
cooking spray when needed. Stack the cooked crepes on top of each
other. The crepes can be made up to 2 days in advance. Cool the
crepes completely before storing in the refrigerator, enclosed in a
zipper bag or covered in plastic wrap.
For the taco meat, cook the onion,
ground meat, garlic, salt and pepper in a large nonstick skillet
over medium heat, stirring frequently to break the meat into
bite-size pieces, until the meat is cooked through, 5-7 minutes.
Drain the excess grease. Stir in the chili powder, cumin, coriander,
tomato sauce and jalapeno, if using. Simmer over medium heat for
8-10 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 375° F.
Lightly coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray. Lay a
crepe flat on a clean work surface or plate. Place about 1/4 to 1/3
cup meat mixture on each crepe, sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of
cheese and roll up. Lay seam side down on the prepared baking sheet
and repeat with the remaining crepes, meat and cheese. Sprinkle the
tops of the crepes with remaining cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes,
until the cheese is golden and the crepes are heated through. Serve
the crepes with the olives, sour cream, salsa and any other
garnishes you prefer.
Recipe Source: adapted from Jennifer A., a very nice MKC reader who sent me her family-favorite recipe
Melanie Gunnell is a food-loving, chocolate-obsessed mom who has a desperate need to share
her favorite tried-and-true recipes with the world. In a past life she graduated from Brigham
Young University with a degree in public health, but for the past ten years, stay-at-home
motherhood has been her job along with blogging-from-home for the past five.
She resides in the brilliantly cold tundra of Northern Minnesota with her husband and their brood
of five children: four boys and one tiny, bossy girl. Dark chocolate (particularly the act of
shoving chocolate chips in her mouth whilst hiding in the pantry) is her coping skill of choice for
both the never-ending winters and the never-ending wrestling matches in her front room.