Introduction: Toss-Together Enchilada Salad

This recipe was inspired by a need for a dinner made only with what was on hand at home. As such, I have tried several different variations of this recipe. The instructions below show how to make the basic Toss-Together Enchilada Salad for 4 full servings.

Supplies

Materials:

  • 1 large skillet
  • 2 small saucepans with at least 1 lid that fits
  • At least 4 bowls, sizes small or medium, to hold prepared ingredients
  • A plate per serving (4 for everything)

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of ground beef, or other preferred meat
  • 2 small sweet onions
  • 5 large romaine lettuce leaves
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 can (10 oz) of enchilada sauce
  • 1 can (4 oz) of diced jalapeno peppers, or other peppers
  • 1 can (16 oz) of refried beans, or other bean styles such as pinto beans
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Approximately 80 saltine crackers
  • Olive oil (for greasing)

Step 1: Gather the Ingredients

    Ensure that the ingredients you will be cooking with are available, either as listed above or with an appropriate substitution.

    Step 2: Heat the Enchilada Sauce

    1. Heat the enchilada sauce to a boil.
    2. Once the sauce starts to boil, reduce heat to a simmer and keep warm, stirring occasionally.

    Step 3: Prepare the Vegetables

    1. Dice the sweet onions and set aside in a bowl.
      • If unable to stomach raw onion, fry the onions in olive oil until translucent.
    2. Prepare the lettuce.
      • Wash the lettuce.
      • Dry the lettuce by patting down each leaf with a clean kitchen towel.
        Dry lettuce is necessary as wet lettuce will cause the crackers to become soggy in step 6.
      • Cut the lettuce into strips about 1/4 inch wide and 1-3 inches long.
      • Set the cut lettuce aside in a bowl.

    Step 4: Prepare the Refried Beans

    1. In a saucepan, mix the refried beans, diced jalapenos, and ¼ cup of water.
    2. Cover the mixture and heat on medium-low heat for 10 minutes stirring occasionally.

    Step 5: Prepare the Ground Beef

    1. While the bean mixture is cooking, in a skillet cook the ground beef until browned through.
    2. Remove the cooked beef from the skillet into a bowl or directly into the bean mix. To avoid bringing excess fats with the beef, use a spoon to remove the beef from the skillet.
    3. Dispose of any leftover grease and fats.

    Step 6: Start to Assemble the Enchilada Salad

    Note: The images in these instructions use a small plate for showing serving sizes, it is highly recommended to use a large plate. Prepare as many plates as servings that are going to be eaten immediately. This dish is best when assembled directly before consumption. The following steps are for 1 serving each.

    1. Using about 20 saltine crackers, create a layer of lightly crushed crackers as bedding on a serving plate.
    2. Add 1/4 of the dried lettuce strips on top of the bed of crackers.
    3. Add a 1/4 of the diced onions on top of the lettuce layer.
    4. Add a 1/4 of the beef and a 1/4 of the bean and jalapeno mix on top of the onions.
    5. Sprinkle a ¼ of the shredded cheese over the whole dish. The warm bean mix will start to melt the cheese into itself.

    Step 7: Cook the Eggs

    1. Prepare the eggs in your preferred fashion. While cooking the eggs, add as much salt and pepper as preferred, the recommended amount is a dash of each. The style of cooked eggs in this recipe is over-medium.
    2. For each serving, place the equivalent of 1 cooked egg on top of the prepared layers done in step 6.

    Step 8: Add the Enchilada Sauce

    Remove the enchilada sauce from heat. Pour a 1/4 of the warm sauce over each serving.

    Step 9: Eat and Enjoy!

    This dish can either be eaten as is in layers or scrambled up into a mix, however you prefer!