We love Mexican food. In fact we love it so much, we eat it at least twice a week in our house. It’s always fairly cheap, quick, and always delicious and filling. While we love my notorious chicken enchiladas, or beef tacos in a crispy fried shell, sometimes you just want something a little lighter and different. Which, can be hard to come by in Mexican cuisine. Enter these shrimp enchiladas. Now, I’m always a fan of anything shrimp – because we can get them so fresh, for a great price. But, to then cover them cheese sauce an wrap it in a tortilla? Sign me up!
These have become my new favorite meal. We’ve already had it twice in two weeks, and that’s not like us. They come together so quickly, with minimal effort. The most painstaking part was peeling and deveining the shrimp, which I’ve become pretty proficient with in all these years of practice. I used Pepper Jack, and I liked the hint of spice that it lent to the dish. I’ll admin, I was a little bit hesitant that the enchiladas had no sauce on the top. Believe me when I say this, you won’t miss it! The filling is so gooey and delicious, I think that sauce on the top would just be overkill. I did have some leftover cheese that I sprinkled on before baking. If you’re looking at a few blanks on your menu plan next week, fill one of them in with these delicious enchiladas. I’d bet they’ll become a new favorite for you too!
Shrimp Enchiladas
3 tbsp. butter, divided
1 lb. medium-size shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 red bell pepper, diced
¾ cup onion, diced
¼ tsp. oregano
¼ tsp. salt
Dash garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
2 tsp. all-purpose flour
6 tbsp. heavy cream or half-and-half
¼ cup sour cream
8 oz. shredded cheese (such as Monterey Jack, Pepper Jack, etc.), divided
1 cup tomatoes, seeded and diced
8-10 (8-inch) flour tortillas
Cooking spray
In a large sauté pan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp to the pan in an even layer and let cook without moving, about 1 minute. Flip the shrimp over and continue to cook until just pink and opaque, 30-60 seconds longer. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon and set aside. When the shrimp is cool enough to handle, roughly chop into bite sized pieces, if desired.
Melt the remaining butter in the pan. Add the diced bell pepper and onion, and cook until just tender, about 5-7 minutes. Add the oregano, salt, garlic powder, cayenne and flour to the pan; stir well and cook briefly until fragrant, about 30-60 seconds. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the heavy cream to the pan, stirring to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook just until slightly thickened, 1-2 minutes.
Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the sour cream, half of the shredded cheese, and the tomatoes. Return the shrimp to the pan as well, and mix everything together until the sauce is well blended and the cheese is melted.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Scoop 1/3 cup of the filling and sauce mixture down the center of a tortilla. Sprinkle lightly with some of the reserved cheese. Roll the tortilla tightly around the filling and place seam side-down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with the remaining filling, tortillas and cheese. Spray the tops of the finished assembled tortillas lightly with cooking spray. Bake uncovered for about 30-35 minutes, until lightly browned. Let cool at least 5-10 minutes before serving.
Source: adapted from My Kitchen Cafe, via Annie’s Eats
