Cheesy Hash Brown Enchiladas

What can you do with my leftover cheese sauce, red chile sauce, a few corn tortillas and a bag of hash browns? Why make these Cheesy Hash Brown Enchiladas of course!

Once again I was going through my archives and found a 6yr old recipe for Potato Mushroom Enchiladas that BADLY needed updating.

For one, I used flour tortillas - and today (for me anyway) flour tortillas are a big no-no. All those preservatives, dough conditioners, cheap white flour, and oil are just not on the menu anymore.

And secondly, the picture was really bad, as are many of my earlier food photos. But looking at the recipe, it just seemed so - complicated - for what it actually was.

I mean Enchiladas can be easy....

So I simplified the recipe by using pre-packaged hash browns and some leftover cheese sauce I had in the fridge, as well as some leftover red chile sauce and a few corn tortillas.

That's it. No weird ingredients or fancy equipment. I didn't even use any spices! Just a simple casserole dish, a few things I had in my fridge and an oven.

And it was DELICIOUS!

No fat, no oil, mostly potatoes, so even Dr. McDougall would be proud. Even the cheese sauce I make is mostly potatoes with a carrot for color. Add some red chile for Vitamin A and C (not to mention flavor!) and you have what I consider a pretty nutritious meal.

So I hope you give it a try and be sure to leave a comment down below and tell me what you think.

Now onto the recipe.

Cheesy Hash Brown Enchiladas

So it goes without saying, you will need some of my cheese sauce, and some of my red chile sauce. Maybe 1 cup of each.

If you have to make an enire batch of both, it DOES keep in the fridge and I promise it WILL get used. I practically eat the red chile sauce every day on my breakfast potatoes.

And if you do have to make both recipes, make them first before anything else. They are pretty quick and won't take that long, but there will be a few pans to clean.

Can you use any cheese sauce? Sure I guess - assuming it's vegan of course. Maybe you like "that other blogger's" cheese sauce better and you already have some in the fridge ..... {disappointingly} sigh, I guess 🙁

Can I use canned enchilada sauce? Most of the ones I see in the store have oil, but I guess it's up to you. I personally will not use anything BUT my New Mexico Red Chile Sauce - I love it that much.

The links to both of my sauce recipes will be down below.

Now that we have the sauces squared away....

I dumped a bag of Simply Potatoes into a large bowl. Then I stirred in ½ of a diced white onion, ½ of a diced red bell pepper, ½ of a diced poblano pepper, and about 1 teaspoon of minced garlic.

Feel free to use whatever peppers you like.

• Green Bell Pepper instead of a poblano? Sure go ahead.
• Green Chiles? Yum - yes!
• Jalapenos? Ooooh now you're talking my language! Get creative!

Where do I find Simply Potatoes? I have found them in every grocery store I have visited here in my area. Safeway, Walmart, Kroger, Albertsons.. They ARE refrigerated, so look in the refrigerated coolers for them.

Can I use Frozen Hash Browns? I don't see why not. My bag was a 20 oz bag - so use the same amount. And I would thaw them first.

Can I use freshly grated Potatoes? I'm sure it would work but I have not done it that way so I won't be much help. If you do it this way report back so I can update the recipe.

Ok, once our potatoes, onions and peppers, and are all mixed, take a 9x13 glass casserole dish and spread ½ cup of the red chile sauce across the bottom. Then add 2 corn tortillas side by side.

Then spread an even layer (about ½) of the potato mixture and flatten it out with a spatula. Then spread about ½ cup of the cheese sauce on top of that. Repeat with 2 more tortillas, more red chile, more potatoes, and more cheese.

I actually has 2 more tortillas on top of mine covered in red chile sauce, but after baking in the over for 45 min they were almost burned - so i'd leave the top alone and just use the cheese sauce or red chile sauce to cover. Unless you want to cover the whole dish in foil - but I know some people are finicky about using foil so...up to you.

Bake in a 350° F oven for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are done and cooked through.

For garnishes, I used shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, nacho-style jalapeños, and cilantro. Again, be creative and top your enchiladas with your own favorite toppings.

The recipe is not an exact recipe - I just wanted to show you how easy it was to take a few items you may have in your fridge, and throw something together that was not only comfort-food delicious - but also healthy, nutritious, and fat-free.

Hope you like it - enjoy.

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