Tex Mex Enchiladas Recipe (Cheese Enchiladas with Chili Gravy)

For Texans, it’s hard to find a more comforting and familiar dish than a platter of authentic, Tex Mex enchiladas. If you are a Texan (or you want to charm one) you know that our trademark recipe is soft and pillowy corn tortillas, filled to the brim with ooey gooey cheese and white onion, smothered with homemade chili gravy.

It’s a simple recipe and yet somehow the trick to making them really flavorful is a bit elusive–I’ll be demystifying the secrets in this post and giving you the best tips for enchiladas loaded with rich, beefy flavor and creamy chili gravy that blooms with spices.

After working as a chef throughout Texas and writing my own Texas cookbook, I’ve had the unique opportunity to study the various ways that different regions of the state serve these famous enchiladas.

Today I’m sharing the version I grew up eating as a child in Dallas, with melted cheddar cheese filling, and a sauce containing little bits of meat, swimming in a smooth chili gravy sauce made with real Texas chili powder, like Gebhardt’s or Mexene.

It’s the most authentic version I can share with you, and if you’re a displaced Texan craving the best enchiladas, this recipe is sure to become one of your favorites.

(I just wish I could be there when you take your first bite!)

Table of Contents

• What Exactly is Tex Mex Cooking?
• What are Tex Mex Enchiladas?
• What is Chili Gravy?
• What’s in Texas Chili Powder?
  • What is the Difference between Texas Chili Powder and Chile Powder?
• What Cheese Should Be Used Inside of an Authentic Tex Mex Enchilada?
• How to Make Chili Gravy
• Can Tex Mex Enchiladas Be Frozen
• Chef Tips For the Best Tex Mex Enchiladas
• How to Make the Chili Gravy
• Our Favorite Side Dishes for Serving with Chili Gravy Enchiladas…

What Exactly is Tex Mex Cooking?

If you are not from Texas, you may be confused when you hear the term ‘Tex Mex’.

Despite the way the name sounds, Tex Mex is not Mexican food–-it is a type of cooking unique to the state of Texas. Tex Mex has only been around for about 150 years, and many traditional Mexican ingredients like epazote or jicama are not generally found in Tex Mex cooking.

Tex Mex is generally agreed upon to be the creation of the Tejano culture (people of Mexican descent living in Texas for at least one generation), though nowadays the dishes of Tex Mex are prolific throughout the state, no matter your ethnicity.

The rise of Tex-Mex cuisine started as early as the 1940’s and continues to this day with some of the original restaurants responsible for the rise of this cuisine still enjoying great popularity. Some of these restaurants include El Fenix, Ninfa’s and The Original Mexican Restaurant.

Today, some Tex Mex restaurants have gone beyond the basics to introduce more authentic Mexican cuisine to their menus. Despite this evolution, Tex Mex enchiladas are still a staple among any good Tex Mex restaurant’s offerings.

Tex Mex cooking is characterized by a few dishes that many would argue are not authentic Mexican…

Crispy beef tacos, cheddar and American cheese-filled enchiladas with chile con carne enchilada sauce, chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce, and queso dip and tortilla chips–a yellow or white cheese sauce infused with green chiles, tomato, cilantro, and onion.

Arguably, the most popular recipes in Tex Mex, involve cheese or a cheese sauce, which is unique to Texas, and not a part of traditional Mexican fare.

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What are Tex Mex Enchiladas?

Tex-Mex enchiladas are simple yet delicious, and they have not changed even with the modernization of Tex-Mex food. Tex Mex enchiladas are corn tortillas filled with cheese and white onion (usually cheddar or American cheese depending on the region) and coated with a smooth sauce regionally referred to as chili gravy.

What is Chili Gravy?

Chili gravy is a simplification of chile con carne, which is the state dish of Texas. My grandparent’s recipe is posted here. Instead of a long cooking and hearty chili, chile gravy can be made with meat, but it can also be made by making a roux with pan drippings, adding beef broth or stock, and finishing with a large amount of authentic Texas chili powder.

As this sauce cooks it thickens into a chili powder-enriched enchilada sauce that is poured over the cheese enchiladas. Depending on where in the state you are dining, little bits of meat may be included, as they are in my recipe below.

It’s important to note that authentic Tex Mex enchiladas with cheese and chili gravy are always made with corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are never used to make enchiladas.

Tex Mex enchiladas are found exclusively in Texas, so when any good Texan misses home, they get the craving.

The main difference between Tex Mex enchiladas and Mexican enchiladas (enchiladas rojo) is the sauce. Chili gravy is not a traditional red sauce and does not contain pureed dried red chiles, tomato sauce, or tomato paste.

What’s in Texas Chili Powder?

Texas chili powder is as unique as the state it comes from, and it is not the same as regular ‘chile powder’, usually coming from New Mexico.

Texas chili powder is a mixture of several different spices (each brand has its own recipe) containing powdered chiles (such as Ancho or New Mexico chiles), cumin, garlic powder, black pepper, and occasionally ground Mexican oregano.

What is the Difference between Texas Chili Powder and Chile Powder?

Texas chili powder (with an “i”) is different than chile powder (with an “e”), the latter of which is simply dried powdered chiles. Texas chili powder is a combination of powdered dried chiles and other spices.

Although many generic Texas chili powders fill the shelves of southwestern grocery stores, most Texans prefer the unique and exceptional flavor of two classic brands, Gebhardt’s and Mexene.

Here is a link to Gebhardt’s Chili Powder, and here is a link to Mexene Chili Powder.

Using either of the brands will add a powerful punch of flavor to your chili gravy. Both companies have been in the Texas chili powder business for over 100 years, with historic recipes steeped in tradition.

A Note on Homemade Chili Powder: I’ve done many side-by-side comparisons of homemade chili powder versus the name brands mentioned above, and as a 7th generation Texan and veteran chef, I have never been satisfied with the flavor of homemade chili powder. It’s fun to try and you should certainly do it for the experience, but in my opinion, the flavor isn’t anywhere close to the classic brands. If I find a recipe and grinding method I like, I will certainly update this post. Leave me your comments below on the issue.

What Cheese Should Be Used Inside of an Authentic Tex Mex Enchilada?

Texas is a big place, so this question has two answers. The inside of the chili gravy enchiladas is always wonderfully melty cheese, but two very different fillings exist depending on where in the state you are dining.

I grew up in the Dallas/Fort Worth area where Mexican restaurants exclusively fill their enchiladas with mild to medium cheddar, studded with finely diced white onion. This gives the enchiladas a nice string pull when you cut a bite with your fork and pull it up to your mouth.

When I became a chef on the San Antonio River Walk, it was more common to see American cheese or Velveeta used inside a chili gravy enchilada, and in this scenario, there is no string-pull to the cheese because those particular cheeses melt into liquid cheese when hot.

Generally, the same style is seen in Houston and Galveston, although the famous ‘Original Mexican Cafe in Galveston’, which has been around since 1916, uses cheddar cheese inside their chili gravy enchiladas and this tends to make me think that melted cheddar was the original filling.

Although every rule is easily broken, with chili gravy enchiladas the only tried and true tradition is that it is made with yellow cheese. No goat cheese or queso añejo here!

If you want my preference, I enjoy using mild to medium cheddar because I like the classic string pull when you lift your bite from the plate. I also recommend grating your own cheese from a block of cheese instead of using pre-shredded cheese from the bag. You can do whatever you feel like today. 🙂

How to Make Chili Gravy

There is nothing quite like homemade chili gravy to go with your enchiladas. This bold, delicious sauce will give your enchiladas the authentic taste you are craving, and it does not take as long to make as chile con carne.

To begin the chili gravy recipe, brown the ground beef (I prefer a high-fat content such as 80/20) in a skillet. Add the onion and spices.

Then, to provide thickening power, sprinkle in the all purpose flour and fold with a spatula to combine. It should cling to the meat like snow.

Next pour in the beef broth (I prefer a high protein beef broth or chicken broth can be used in a pinch) and bring to a simmer.

Once the mixture has thickened, season to taste. I occasionally add a little shake of tabasco sauce for acidity if I am not serving small children. You can add more chili powder, salt, black pepper, or garlic powder –whatever you think it needs to fine-tune the chili sauce to your particular tastes.

(Although you may see tomato sauce listed in some recipes for chili gravy this is not authentic Mexican food. The quality of the flavor is dependent on the meat drippings for the roux and fresh, high-quality chili powder.)

Can Tex Mex Enchiladas Be Frozen

Yes, they can! And because this dish is such a family favorite, I like to make 2 pans at a time and freeze one dish for a future meal. Just double the ingredients and set aside one casserole dish of enchiladas to be frozen.

I refrigerate the whole dish immediately until it is cold. Then cover with saran wrap and foil, or a freezer-safe Pyrex lid. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. To heat, I bake at 375 for 30 minutes covered with foil, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes to melt the cheese on top.

How to Make the Chili Gravy

To begin the chili gravy recipe, brown the ground beef (I prefer a high fat content such as 80/20) in a skillet. Add the onion and spices.

Then, to provide thickening power, sprinkle in the flour and fold with a spatula to combine. It should cling to the meat like snow.

Next pour in the beef broth (I prefer a high protein beef broth of bone broth for extra flavor like this one), and bring to a simmer.

When the mixture thickens, season to taste. I occasionally add a little tabasco sauce for acidity if I am not serving small children. You can add more chili powder to taste, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, whatever you think it needs to fine-tune to your particular tastes.

Our Favorite Side Dishes for Serving with Chili Gravy Enchiladas…

Restaurant Style Mexican Rice

Texas Pinto Beans Recipe in the CrockPot

Guacamole like Torchy’s Tacos

Torchy’s Queso Recipe Copycat Recipe

Corn and Black Bean Salad with Mexican Vinaigrette

The Famous Candlelite Inn Guacamole Salad Recipe

Lobster Nachos

Mayan Margaritas