Name: Beef Hatch Chile Enchiladas
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 3-4 Hatch Chile Peppers, roasted and skins removed; 1 teaspoon olive oil; 1/2 onion, chopped; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 1/4 lb. ground beef; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon black pepper; 2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded and divided; 2 Tablespoons butter; 2 Tablespoons flour; 1 1/2 c. chicken stock; 8 oz. sour cream; 8 flour tortillas

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Flavorful ground beef mixes with sharp cheddar cheese and gets coated in a layer of homemade Hatch Chile enchilada sauce.

I love Hatch Chile season. Every year I wait for the end of August to hear that Hatch Chiles are back again.

Hatch Chiles are only available for a small amount of time but they pack an amazing flavor. You can get them ranging from mild to extra hot.

The thing I love most about these chiles are that they have an incredible smokey flavor. I like to get the medium or mild so that the smokiness of the chile really comes through in the recipes that I make.

I’ve been wanting to make Hatch enchiladas for the last few years but I didn’t have enough peppers left over to make them. This year I got twice as many peppers and finally got to make them.

Ingredients:

Hatch Peppers
olive oil
onion
garlic cloves
ground beef
salt
pepper
cheddar cheese
butter
flour
chicken stock
sour cream
flour tortillas

To Make the Hatch Enchilada Sauce: Add warm chicken stock and the chopped Hatch peppers to a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. In a medium sauce pan over medium heat melt the butter. Once melted whisk in the flour and cook for one minute. Slowly whisk in the chicken stock Hatch pepper mixture. Add salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and adjust seasonings.

I decided to make these enchiladas with ground beef because that’s what I had out for dinner. You could easily make these with chicken or pork as well.

I started by making the sauce. The nice thing about the sauce is that you can make it up to 2 days in advance. I made it the night before so that I would be able to make these enchiladas in a 30 minute time frame for dinner.

What are Hatch Chile Peppers?

Hatch peppers are named for the area in New Mexico where they are grown. They have a smokey flavor and can get pretty spicy. You can look for them in mild, medium, hot, or even extra hot. They have a short growing season in mid to late summer.

How do I roast the peppers?

Many grocery stores have a roasting period where you can get them fresh roasted if you want to go the easy route. My markets did not so I had to roast them myself. I heated the oven to 425 degrees and drizzled the peppers with olive oil. Then I cooked them for 15 minutes on each side. Remove from the oven and let cool 15 minutes. Peel off the skins, pull off the stems, and clear out the seeds. Then chop the peppers.

Can I use a different pepper?

Nope. If you want to use a different pepper then please get a different recipe. This one is really targeted to Hatch Peppers.

Can I use a different protein?

You sure can. Using ground chicken or turkey would work fine in this recipe. If you want to use chicken breast or pork chops just cook them and cut them into thin strips before putting them into the enchiladas.

The sauce is so good. It’s rich, creamy, and has heat on the back end. It’s definitely not an in your face heat which I don’t love. You can taste the peppers in the sauce and then there is a smokey heat at the end.

Both my husband and I agreed that it’s a pleasant heat. I used mild Hatch peppers but you could totally use medium (and reduce the amount) instead if you like your enchiladas a little spicier.

The original recipe called for pepper jack cheese but I thought that the enchiladas were already spicy enough so I went with sharp cheddar cheese. I thought it paired nicely with the beef and the spicy enchilada sauce.

More Enchilada Recipes:

The resulting enchiladas were delicious. The filling is so simple but that’s what makes it work so well with the creamy and spicy Hatch chile sauce.

I like that we were able to make 8 enchiladas because it was enough that we had dinner for two nights. They kept in the refrigerator in an air tight container then we just heated them back up in the microwave the next day.

If you’ve tried my Beef Hatch Chile Enchiladas or any other recipe on Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can FOLLOW ME on: