Vegetarian mince and red pepper enchiladas (recipe and review)

Are you going to eat that last one? – Mark

This week, we were sent a Mexican Discovery ‘Perfect Enchilada Kit’ (RRP £3.19) to test. The box calls for 500g of minced beef, but as a veggie I was keen to see if the recipe could be adapted, and with a few tweaks it came out really well – meat-like, spicy, protein-rich and very filling.

This recipe makes 8 enchiladas – I’ve first described how we used the kit, but I’ve also included alternative recipe details if you want to make it from scratch, including a mild version for the kids.

Ingredients

The Mexican Discovery ‘Perfect Enchilada Kit’ contains:

• 8 soft corn tortillas
• 30g taco seasoning mix
• 2 sachets of enchilada sauce

You’ll also need

• 1 tbsp oil
• 454g pack of vegetarian soya mince (not Quorn, it’s too mushy)
• 65g mature cheddar cheese
• A head of lettuce
• A handful of cherry tomatoes

Instructions

1. Warm the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat, then add the still-frozen mince
2. Fry the mince until cooked through, stirring ocassionally
3. Stir through the spices and strips of pepper, fry for a minute then add 580ml of water
4. Bring up to the boil, then bring down to a simmer and cook through for around 15 minutes until all the liquid has dissolved – you don’t want the mix to be wet or mushy
5. Heat the tortillas (either in a pan individually or for 45 seconds in the microwave) and then fill each with the meaty mix, rolling them up and placing edge side down, side by side in an oven proof dish
6. Pour over the sauce, then grate over the cheese
7. Bake at 200C (180C fan assisted) for 20 minutes
8. Lift each enchilada from the dish individually, slice in half diagonally and serve on a bed of lettuce and a few cherry tomatoes

We found the Mexican Discovery spice mix really warm and flavoursome, but too hot for most children’s tastebuds, and the sauce is a little vinegary.

To make your own

Here are some ideas if you want to make your own veggie enchiladas without packet mix:

• For a hot, homemade mince seasoning, combine 10g smoked paprika, 10g garlic powder, 10g hot chilli powder and a pinch of salt
• For a milder, child-friendly seasoning blend, combine 15g smoked paprika with 15g of garlic powder
• For homemade enchilada sauce, just use a few tablespoons of well seasoned passata (ripe tomatoes that have been puréed and sieved) or any plain pasta sauce mixed with  a finely chopped red chilli
• For kids, simply leave the chilli out of the sauce, or tone it right down with just a pinch of mild chilli powder

You could even split the mix and spice each person’s enchilada according to taste – yes, it’s a bit more work, but that’s the fun of enchiladas, you can make them however you want!

Disclosure: we were sent the Mexican Discovery ‘Perfect Enchilada Kit’ free of charge for review.