As a bachelor, for years I would bring canned corn to church fellowship meals. It was simple and easy, and of course since I was just a bachelor, no one expected any more from me. Double standard I know.

I remember one Friday afternoon in the mid 1990’s I was at the Win Dixie in Benbrook Texas, where I lived at the time, and was about to grab a couple cans of corn for the next day’s church luncheon, when I told myself I was tired of just bringing corn all the time. I wanted to actually make something.  I stood there in the isle wondering what a bachelor like me could possibly make. It dawned on me that I have eaten so many enchiladas in my life that I should know by heart what goes in them and can figure out how to make them. So I went around Win Dixie looking for ingredients for my enchiladas. This is what I found that afternoon to  make a full size service pan.

2 packages of Taco Bell Taco seasoning mix.

2 cans of Taco Bell re-fried beans.

2 pouches of Morning Star Farm Meat Crumbles.

A large bag of shredded cheese.  (I have successfully used vegan cheese.)

1 container of diced onions.

1 can of enchilada sauce

1 can of Chili Man Chili (not at Win Dixie it was already in my pantry. I have also used tortilla soup instead or other veggie chili.)

A few green onions.

24 Corn tortillas.

Salt and pepper.

The first few years I made this I actually put each tortilla in olive oil before rolling them up restaurant style. Since then I have found several time saving short cuts, as you know us bachelors are all about time saving shortcuts, which is why we don’t have families. They take too much time. Anyway, here is the quickest and best way to put it all together.

I get a large pan heated, and fill it up a with just enough water to add the seasoning mix. Then I add the Morning Star Meat Crumbles with the beans. I then add salt and pepper to taste. After that the diced onions are added along with half or more of the large bag of cheese. Obviously you add cheese to taste. Obviously you can add anything to taste.

Once all that is mixed in, I put a single layer of the tortillas in the bottom of the serving pan. I don’t take time to roll them up anymore. I make them lasagna style. I then pour some of the mix from the pan over the tortillas. I repeat with a second layer of tortillas covered with more of the mix. I usually have a little mix left over which can be used for dipping chips in. I then put the final layer of tortillas over the final layer of mix. Over the final layer of tortillas I pour the enchilada sauce, Chili man chili, some sprinkled grated cheese and a few diced green onions.

You can warm to serve however you see fit, but if you make the full batch and put in the refrigerator over night it will take a while to warm up. I usually heat it at 425 degrees for a good 45 minutes or so to get hot again all the way through.

I have made these for several of my Bible study groups and they say they love them. Of course they are nice people. Some of them just love to use the mix as a dip for chips. After fellowship lunch one Sabbath a teenage girl from Mexico came up  to me and said my enchiladas were delicious. I asked her if they really were or if she was just being nice and she assured me they really were delicious. I then asked her if they were the best she had ever tasted. She then laughed and said, “no. but they are really good!” So there you have it from a Mexican food expert. My enchiladas are not the best she has ever had but they really are delicious!