Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Chile Colorado Burritos

Chile Colorado Burrito.  My Mexican comfort food.


Great Mexican food is hard to come by so far here in Des Moines, Iowa. This recipe takes care of my craving for some good Californian Mexican chile colorado. Tender chunks of beef in a yummy sauce, wrapped in a soft flour tortilla, smothered in more sauce and cheddar cheese, and then broiled to bubbly perfection. Mmmmmm.
I don't even think I'd had chile colorado until I met my husband and he took me to Casa Gamino in Paramount, California.  Now, Casa Gamino is MY idea of great Mexican food.  Their salsa is fresh, peppery, and perfect.  Their chips are made in the restaurant.  And everything I've ever tried there has made me happy. 
This recipe isn't exactly Casa Gamino, but it's pretty darned close, and I like to exclaim every time I make it, "This is the BEST Mexican food in Iowa!"  Sadly, I mean it.  
The times below are approximate.  Mexican cooking is not an exact science in my house the way baking is.  The meat can rest for a little while if it's done cooking early, but if you try to eat it before it's reached tender perfection, you might be disappointed in the results.  Try this out and let me know what you think.  I'm willing to bet you'll think it is is de-li-ci-oso.


Chile Colorado Burritos


Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 to 2 pounds stew meat or other beef cubed (top sirloin is great)
  • 1 large can mild (red) enchilada sauce* (at least 19 oz.)
  • 2 beef bouillon cubes (or just one--or none--if you want it less salty AND you do NOT add water, just the bouillon)
  • 1/2 can refried beans (optional)
  • 5-7 burrito size flour tortillas
  • 1 cup or so of shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions:
Put beef, whole bouillon cubes (do NOT add water), and enchilada sauce*** into a crock pot and cook on low for 7-8 hours**, or until meat is very tender. (Can also cook on high for maybe 3-4 hours.)  I've also cooked it in a dutch oven for about 4 hours at 325 degrees.  More meat, more time.  A third option is to cook it in a large heavy saucepan--bring it to a boil on high heat, reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the meat is tender.  If you go with a method other than the crock pot, make sure the pot is covered and pretty well sealed to minimize evaporation of the liquid.

When beef is done (very tender and flakes off when stirred), taste and add more salt, if desired. Heat up refried beans in the microwave (covered and in a microwave-proof dish, of course)and put your oven on broil. On an oven-proof plate, or cookie sheet even, lay out a tortilla.  Place on tortilla about 1/2 cup of the meat, drained by using a slotted spoon, and a spoonful or two of beans. Roll into a burrito (hopefully you know how to roll these). Pour some of the remaining enchilada sauce from the crock pot over the burrito to cover it. Sprinkle with some cheddar cheese. Broil until cheese is bubbly, about 2-4 minutes.


Serve.
Makes 5-7 burritos, depending on how full you make them.




*Lots of people ask about what brand of canned enchilada sauce I use. There's even some controversy there. Lots of people seem put off that I use a canned sauce and make their own. I originally used Las Palmas mild because that's what was mostly available in California. When I moved to Iowa, I had to switch to Old El Paso mild, and now my family is used to the super mildness of that and comment how spicy it is when I use Las Palmas. Both are great, as far as I'm concerned, but the Old El Paso mild is definitely the way to go if you want a mild experience. Enchilada sauce update: I finally tried making my own, and what do you know--it IS easy and more delicious. Check out the easy peasy recipe here.



**Note: You may have to adjust the cooking time depending on this size of your chunks of meat.  Larger chunks (like 1 1/2 to 2 inch chunks) may need a little longer.  Scrappy sort of chunks that are less than an inch may need a shorter cooking time.

***Another note: A commenter said she was disappointed when she made these because she couldn't really taste the enchilada sauce. That's happened to me too, and really, I prefer making these on the stove top. But sometimes when making them in the crock pot, I will either reserve 1/3 or so of the enchilada sauce or have a small can on the side that I add right before assembling the burritos.




Chips on the side are great for scooping up that extra cheese.


Chile Colorado leftovers in the form of
a Chile Colorado Quesadilla

410 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, you are after my own heart! I have a similar story to yours, only I hail from Washington State and miss terribly my delicious Colorado Burritos!! (Now especially being pregnant and have not my fav comfort food!) If I had the cash I would open my own Mexican joint that really lays out the goodness to Iowa. All I have taken from Iowa's Mexican food is that it is awful! I'm used to gut busting portions of over sauced and cheese heaven, the kind you challenge yourself to finish, but relish the yummy leftovers. I like your recipe, but the thing that worries me is the lack of chilies, which if you are making authentic chili colorado, calls for dried chilies and is quite labor intensive. But due to time constraints I'm going to try it this way because it sounds like a lot less prep work! Thanks again for feeling my pain!

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  2. Ha! I can appreciate your pregnant need for chile colorado. Maybe it's different in CA than in WA, but I just figured the chiles are in the enchilada sauce, all ground up. Anyway, I love the ease of this recipe and I hope you make it and enjoy! :)

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    1. This looks really easy to make I'm gonna try how many can I make for a family of 4?

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    2. I live in south Texas close to the border this looks good though we have the real thing here I'm gonna try this.

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    3. Powerladie, when I make these for my family of for, using about 1.5 pounds of meat, we all get fed and we usually have enough leftovers for 1-2 more burritos. I make a small one for one kid, medium for myself, large for my husband, and my picky kid just eats the meat from a bowl--but he eats enough for a large burrito.

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  3. Ladies you are so right about the mexican food in Iowa being AWFUL!! I am from Oklahoma and I miss good mexican food. I would rather eat mexican fast food in Des Moines than go to any of the restaurants they have here.

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    1. Fortunately they do have some good fast Mexican food like Abelardo's on Ingersoll. And you have to love Panchero's, if only for the fresh tortillas.

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    2. Since when is there good Mexican food in Oklahoma. I lived there for two years and never found any good Mexican food. Moved back to Arizona where there is plenty!!

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    3. If ya'll want good Mexican food, you need to come to Texas. SOO good!

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    4. Southern AZ is where the good stuff is. ;) I grew up here, but moved to Michigan for a few years. Oh my did I miss my Mexican food! But MI does have some delicious Middle Eastern Dishes. yum!

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    5. Utah is number one for its
      Mexican food

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    6. Utah is number one for it's Mexican food??
      I beg to differ; the meat in Utah Mexican food is sweet. I don't know where this comes from, but it's Not what you would find in Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas or even Wyoming

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    7. Most of the meat in Mexican food in Utah is NOT sweet. There are some "fresh-mex" places that make sweet pork but there are several more authentic restaurants that has savory meat. I'm a Mexican/Utahn so I feel like I know what authentic Mexican food tastes like.

      My question with this recipe would be the canned enchilada sauce. I've never found one I liked. I would probably try it with powdered New Mexico or California Chile. (the packages sold on the Mexican aisle at the grocery store.)

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    8. Since I didn't grow up with my mom cooking authentic Mexican food (I didn't know burritos weren't really fried in oil until high school), the canned sauce works for me. Plus, it adds to the whole crock-pot-easy allure that so many people seem to love on Pinterest. I think if you're willing to go the extra mile to use a sauce you make from scratch, more power to you. Perhaps I'll un-lazy myself someday and try that. I'd probably like to try it on regular enchiladas someday, though.

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    9. Oh man! I am so trying these tonight! Actually I am getting ready to throw the meat in the crock pot right now.. I am from Mexico, born and raised and there is NO authentic Mexican food in the US period! (I also live in Iowa) but I have lived in Minnesota and Texas, you all need to go to Mexico to get the real deal!!! =) BUT, I have to say, though I haven't found real authentic food that reminds me of home, there ARE really good things that bring me just close enough and I cannot wait to try these!! =)

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    10. Well, Ibauman, I hope you weren't disappointed. I think I'm realizing that Mexican food is so regional, that one gets used to what is made in the region they come from, whether it is in Mexico or the US. I, for one, am used to Californian Mexican food, and it's my ideal. :) I should be happy I have Mexican food to eat at all because, really, it's generally delicious food.

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    11. Ted's Escondido Cafe in Oklahoma City has EXCELLENT Mexican food. (That's coming from a girl born and raised in Texas!)

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    12. I live near Tulsa, and I don't get why Ted's here is supposedly so wonderful---it tasted like premade/frozen Mexican food. When I lived in Texas for one year, I realized that what I had known as Mexican food all my life (in Oklahoma) paled in comparison to Tex-Mex. That was 20 years ago. Now, thankfully, there are many authentic Mexican places in Oklahoma, owned and operated by extended families of Mexican heritage. I bet there are some in almost any metro area that will be worth searching out.

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    13. You're right, Literary Adventurer--since I first wrote this post, my husband has found a couple of Mexican restaurants in the area that are pretty good. I mean, they don't have chile colorado, but the carne asada is great. :) I have to focus on the positive, right?

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    14. Jills Gourmet PantryAugust 1, 2012 at 2:25 PM

      Hi, I can not find an enchilada sauce from the can I like. Any tips anyone? Come visit St. Louis all you Iowans, we have great great mexican, and anything else you want:) and Thanks to you Food Pusher your awesome!

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    15. We like Rosarita Enchilada Sauce.

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    16. Las Palmas is my favorite!

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    17. Ok, so I really want to try this recipe. BUT instead of stew meat I have a tri tip roast, and the can of enchilada sauce I have is just ok. I was thinking of putting a small can of adobo Chilis in adobo sauce in it too. What does everyone think? Will those two flavors mix well?

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    18. I don't think I've ever eaten adobo sauce, but I looked it up, and I think it would be fine. If you like adobo chiles, I bet it would taste good. Let's see if anyone else responds...

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    19. Being originally from Paramount CA and used to frequent Casa Gamino. When I read the blog, it brought back so many memories. California Mexican is the best.

      I agree with Peggy Sue that Ted's Escondido Cafe in Oklahoma City is excellent and by far my favorite in Oklahoma. Love their atomic sauce and fresh tortillas.
      Mostly in Oklahoma you find tex mex bland and worse than Taco Bell. lol

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    20. Well, I made it without the adobo sauce and it turned out great! I think next time I will do just 1 beef boullion as two made it a bit too salty. Oh and extra enchilada sauce. Great recipe!! Thanks!

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    21. Ya'll have to be aware there is a difference between authentic mexican food and Tex-Mex! Tex-Mex is what we have mostly here in Texas... and it is the best! I order quesadeas here and they come with the tortillas toasty crisp...and quartered... I ordered them in New Mexico and they came with a plain soft tortilla...I had to figure out how to eat them... and they were bland-ew. Make sure you ask or you may not get what you think you're ordering...

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    22. So true, Sandy. I think that's my real problem with Iowan Mexican food. My first two attempts to order "beef" resulted in ground beef, which is just how it goes here. They do have shredded beef, or barbacoa, but you have to ask for it. Just asking for beef gets you ground beef--something that would never, ever happen in SoCal.

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    23. I haven't had Mexican food in DM, but there are places in Iowa where the Mexican food is good and, I believe, authentic. We have a large hispanic immigrant population in NW Iowa and they own the restaurants up here. When I lived in Maine, where there was not an immigrant population, I couldn't find any good Mexican food!

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    24. I have found that if you use Las Palmas enchallada sauce it makes them more authentic. Making the sauce with chilis is very time consuming and the engredients are sometimes hard to find.

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  4. I'm making this right now, I'm super excited!!!

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    1. FANtastic! I hope you love it as much as I do! :)

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    2. Oh, how I can relate!!! I lived in Arizona and Southern California most of my life and the Mexican food in both states was to die for. I would eat it breakfast, lunch and dinner if I could get away with it. Spent almost 10 years in Texas before moving to Iowa in 2008, and I can tell you that Texas has "Texmex" NOT Mexican -- Texas was the first place I had velveeta type cheese on an enchilada -- not good. We have found a few places in Des Moines where we like some things (usually the margaritas), but the food pales in comparison to SoCal and AZ. Anyone ever had the tacos or Burrocho Burros at Someburros in the Phoenix area? Pulled beef, great sauce...can't wait to try your recipe.

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    3. The "TEXMEX" is for the visiting Gringos who can't handle the real stuff - and you are right - it's NOT good! Real Texans know where to find real authentic Mexican food!

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    4. Want REAL chile colorado... get in in New Mexico! I make mine from scratch, taught by my mother in law who was born and raised in Torreon, Mex. New Mexican's know the real meaning of chile, green and red. I currently reside in Austin and the "mexican" food sucks here and we only get Hatch chiles 1x a year so I stock my freezer annually.

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    5. I agree with you. I made my enchilada sauce from hatch chili powder...its always so good and fresh. This recipe is the bomb...using enchilada sauce made from hatch red chili powder. I added some roasted hatch green chilies to my beans and beef to give that added flavor. From Utah.

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  5. This was excellent! Thanks for the recipe!

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  6. What brand of enchilada sauce do you use? The ones I have tried were not good and I found they needed quite a bit of doctoring to be edible. This recipe looks very good and don't want to ruin it by choosing the wrong enchilada sauce! Thanks so much!

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    1. Kim, I use Old El Paso mild enchilada sauce mostly, because that's what's available here. It's really mild and I think it tastes good. Back in California I always used Las Palmas "medium" enchilada sauce. It's a bit spicier than Old El Paso. I have it available to me now here in Iowa, but now that my kids are used to the mild stuff, that's what they prefer.

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    2. In Arizona the absolute best sauce has to be Macayos.I don't know if it is sold in other states. I love that stuff!

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  7. i made this a couple nights ago and it was a hit =] and was not to spicy like i thought it would be a super easy to make.. thank you for easy fun and tasty food...

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  8. Thank you so much for this recipe. I found it on Pinterest and made it tonight, but used green enchilada sauce instead of red and it was amazing! All of the kids finished they're plates which is always a good sign :) Thanks again!

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    1. I love hearing that, Sommer! This is one of my kids' favorites as well. I'm going to have to try it with the green enchilada sauce some time. ;)

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  9. I'm going to make this tomorrow! :) Thanks for sharing. Do I need to cook meat before I place in slow cooker?

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    1. Glad to hear you're trying it, Alison! You do not need to cook the meat before placing it in the slow cooker. It's such an easy recipe. Just throw it all in and let it cook. Enjoy!

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  10. my meat shredded so much that I couldn't even separate the sauce from the meat. did I cook it too long? luckily I had some extra enchilada sauce that I poured over top. I'm hoping it turns out!

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    1. Hmmm...either the meat pieces you started with were too small (mine are usually about 1 to 1 1/2" chunks) or you cooked it too long. Darn. How did it taste, anyway? Did you cook it on LOW for 7-8 hours? Let me know because I might need to adjust my recipe for others.

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  11. This looks fantastic! Often during the week we have many activities and it is diffcult to come up with new and interesting meals that are quick. I never thought to use the broiler! My family loves Mexican food and this will surely be a big hit.

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    1. This is a perfect meal for a busy lifestyle! Hope you enjoy it!

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  12. I found this on pinterest and made it tonight with venison instead of beef (because thats what I had on hand). It was wonderful! Thanks for the recipe. -Sarah

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    1. I love that you used venison! And I'm glad you enjoyed the dish as much as I do. :)

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  13. I just made this dish and it was fantastic. My family loved it and I plan on making it again. It rivals anything from a mexican restaurant. Thanks for posting it.

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    1. Thanks for the kind words, Jerri. Like I said, I think it's the best Mexican food in Iowa. :) I'm glad I am able to share it.

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  14. Made it tonight and my husband REALLY liked it! So glad to have something new to add to the rotation! Thanks

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    1. I can truly appreciate the idea of having something new in the dinner rotation. :) Thanks for letting me know!

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  15. Made tonight for dinner. Yummy! Sice there are only two of us I am going to freeze the rest for possible enchilada or tacos fillings for later. Thanks for a great recipe!

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    1. You are welcome! Thanks for letting me know you liked it! :)

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  16. FP~ This was delicious!! I made it for Cinco de Mayo with Mexican rice, elote and ,of course, Agave nectar margaritas. I ended up doubling the recipe, which it did easily, I just had to increase cooking time to 12 hours on low in my crock pot. I will be featuring it on my food blog because this was nothing less than restaurant quality! My only concern was the saltiness of the sauce today, so next time I make it (and there will be several times) I am going to use my own enchilada sauce where I can control the salt in the sauce.

    Awesome recipe though...Awesome recipe!

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    1. Thanks, Naomi! I'm glad you enjoyed it! It really does have too much salt than is reasonable, especially considering my recent high blood pressure diagnosis, but I actually do enjoy the saltiness. Let me know when it's up on your blog AND how it goes with home made enchilada sauce. :)

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  17. I'm so excited to have found this--I'm in South Dakota, and we have one decent Mexican restaurant here in town that serves this. My husband & I have just recently discovered both the burrito version & just the beef on a plate version (it comes with a delicious slaw & tortillas on the side), and I was hoping to find a make-at-home version. Thank you!

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    1. You are welcome, Rachel! Please let me know how it turns out for you!

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    2. I did make these last night, and I am happy to report that my husband and I inhaled them! I can't wait to try this again--My son won't go near them (anything he thinks he won't like is automatically too spicy), so next time I think I'll use hot enchilada sauce for an extra kick.

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  18. I'm topping these burritos with diced tomatoes, sour cream & sliced black olives.

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    1. Ah! Sounds like a good Mexican restaurant presentation! :)

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  19. This looks like pure heaven! I'm making these on Friday for a friend of mine and our families. I wasn't able to find beef bouillon at Sprouts, so instead I bought beef broth. Would this work in place of cubes? If so, how much would you mix in?

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    1. I think I use the beef bouillon for the salt factor, so I think if you were to add one teaspoon of salt, that would work, and it will still taste great. Taste the beef after it's cooked to see if you'd like to add more salt than that. Adding more liquid would make it too watery, so I don't recommend the beef broth. Since you have the beef broth now, you might want to use it the next time you make chili, if you make chili. I sometimes replace the water called for in chili recipes with beef broth or water/bouillon to pump up the flavor.

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  20. You are awesome...thank you for your help!! ;) So excited to make them today!

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    1. :) You are welcome. I try to be helpful. Hope they turn out for you!

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  21. These were incredibly delicious and so easy! Thanks for sharing.

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    1. You're welcome, Katilyn! Thanks for letting me know!

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  22. I have this in the slow cooker right now and it smells Simply AMAZING!! This was such easy prep work thanks for the recipe!! I'll let you know how it turns out.

    Thanks, mommyx's2

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    1. I think you'll really enjoy it! I'm glad I was able to share the recipe. I look forward to your report.

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  23. Ok...Soooo my husband and kiddos just took their first bite and it's Officially a Hit!! Totally delicious. I also added a small can of diced green chilles and it added just that touch of flavor we love in Mexican food (not too much heat) Thanks again for a fantastic recipe!

    Mommyx's2

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    1. I LOVE it! You're welcome for the recipe too. :)

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  24. We cooked a big pork shoulder/butt in the crock pot and had some left over. I was wanting to substitute the beef for pork, still using the beef bouillon cubes for a little flavor. Hope it turns out. This looks really good.

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  25. I am going on a trip and was wondering if I could prepared the meat beforehand and freeze it to use when I get there. Warming it up and then following the other steps. Please let me know if you have tried this way. Thank You!

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    1. I've never tried that, but I really think it would work. I would make sure to take along an extra small can of enchilada sauce, just in case when it thaws, you end up with a dryer product. Does that make sense? It seems to me that often if I freeze something with a sauce or a soup, the texture sort of seizes up on me upon thawing. Adding another small can of sauce would bring it back to life, I think.
      At any rate, please let me know if you try it and it works. I'd like to know. :)

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  26. Just put this in the crock pot! Added some extra garlic because the hubs worried about the salt from the bouillon, so hopefully it doesn't change it too much. I grew up eating Mexican food made by people from Mexico and haven't found anything I love since moving to Kentucky.

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    1. Your husband SHOULD be concerned about the salt. Since I now have high blood pressure, I either have to make my own flour tortillas for this, or I eat it with corn tortilla chips that are low sodium. It's still more sodium than I ought to have, but I don't eat this every day, right? I am interested to know how it turns out with the garlic, so be sure to let me know!

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    2. Would love to know how it turned out. I was thinking of leaving out bouillon too. This looks so delish!

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  27. Found this recipe via Pinterest and we loved it! Thank you!

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  28. Made this tonight. Added chipotle peppers and adobe sauce, nixed the bouillon cubes. Delicious!!

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  29. I just put this in the crockpot, I'm concerned I may have made an oopsie. Do you just put the bouillon cubes in the pot or do you boil them in water first to make the broth and pour that in the crockpot?

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    1. Nope; you did it right. It all gets dispersed somehow. Hope you enjoy it! :)

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  30. This recipe totally made my day! I live in Texas and you would think that they have good Mexican food (which they do) but I also being from California prefer the Mexican food there better. No one here understands why. They are always telling me that all Mexican food is the same but hopefully after I make this and they try it they will see where I am coming from. I am more than excited to make this!!

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  31. Wow! Just ate and these were delicious!! I added some green chilies for a little kick. Better than a restaurant! Thanks for the recipe. So easy...my kind of cooking!

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  32. i am excited to try the recipe - but you need to go to El Azteca in Ames. they have great mexican food :) my husband spent a month in mexico and when he came home he said their food was most authentic.

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    1. Thanks for the tip. I'm going to have to go visit El Azteca soon. :)

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    2. El Azteca is the best in central Iowa!

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    3. El Rodeo used to be pretty good. I haven't lived in Des Moines for several years, but when I did my friends and I always ate there and enjoyed the food. Sometimes the flavor of the food will depend on who's in the kitchen, especially with the salsa. We discovered that we prefer the university or Euclid ave. restaurants over the one on Douglas ave.

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  33. I have this in the crockpot right now and it smells wonderful!! I added some onions and diced tomatoes to mine sonhopefully it still turns out :-)

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  34. Very excited to try this recipe! Would it work to use a roast? I have one sitting in the freezer that needs to be used up.

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    1. I'm sorry I never replied to this. I just realized I had a bunch of comments awaiting moderation. I need to get more organized and not trust my email notifications. Roast would work too. I've used roast, top sirloin, and stew meat, but I think I stick with stew meat because it's already cut up. The only problem with roast is that sometimes it's too lean and the final product ends up a little on the dry side.

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  35. Oh how I miss California. Moving to NJ put a HUGE damper in my Mexican food intake. However I did learn to make some serious Mexican food...I had no choice. This recipe really is easy and I hope it really is as good as you all say. I will be making it soon!

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  36. I'm going to be trying this soon! It sounds amazing! Have you eaten at Raul's? My hubby and I LOVE mexican food and have found Raul's to have the best tacos and tamales around.

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    1. I think I've been to Raul's--in West Des Moines, right? I think I had a chicken chimichanga there that was open, which was tasty, but different. I'll have to try the tamales there.

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  37. Just started this in the crock pot! Cant wait till dinner! This looks wonderful.

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  38. I made this the other day! I have to say this was the most delicious burrito I have ever made! This is a keeper and I have passed it on to a lot of friends and family!

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    1. Awesome! You just made my day! I love it when people share my recipes with others. It means they really, really liked it. :)

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  39. I love casa gamino....I grew up eating at the paramount location and still visit when I'm in the area. Can't wait to try your recipe. Ty

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    1. I'll be in SoCal next month, and I WILL be eating at least one meal at Casa Gamino. :)

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  40. Thank you for the recipe. It is wonderful. I tried an altered version by using boneless chicken leg meat and the green enchilada sauce. It came out just as wonderful. So happy to have this for the summer time.

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  41. Wow! I just have to say what a small world. I found this recipe on Pinterest. I now live in a small town in MT but am from So. Cal and grew up on yummy Mexican food from Casa Gamino's. I can't wait to try your recipe and thanks for bringing back the memories!

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    1. Well, I don't think it's quite as good as Casa Gamino's, but then you're as hard up for great Mexican food as I feel I am, it satisfies. :) fortunately my husband took this post as a challenge and has since found some good Mexican food around town. Not chile Colorado, but some tasty carne asada. Let me know how you like the recipe when you try it!

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  42. Colorado and Chicago also have excellent Mexican food! Chicago, for that matter, you can find nearly any kind of ethnic food. However, I moved to Indiana recently and found myself either making my husband's family recipes or driving to Chicago for a good taste of Mexico. I am going to try these - they look SO yummy! Thanks for sharing - look like Chimichangas by the way.

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  43. I made this tonight for the family and everyone loved it, even my super picky 7 year old boy said he LOVED it. Thanks for sharing, it was so easy and so YUMMY. My husband felt like it was a little dry so he spooned the sauce from the crock pot over his and it made them perfect for him, he said.

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  44. Sorry, I'm partial to New Mexico chili! I like it HOT! I do not like tex-mex, just not the same good ole chili flavor. I'll have to try this one though, because it just looks good. Thank you for sharing it.

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    1. Well, in that case, if and when you decide to try this recipe, be sure to use your favorite HOT enchilada, or even red chile, sauce. I mean, you can't go wrong with beef, cheese, flour tortillas, and your favorite sauce, right? :)

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  46. I was wondering, has anyone tried this with chicken? And would I just add chicken bullion? I only have chicken today, but I really wanted to try this!

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    1. I've seen people comment either here or on Pinterest that they used chicken and they loved it. I would use chicken bullion instead of beef, and I might even mix in some jack cheese or pepper jack for the topping.

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  47. This was a hit tonight and even better there's enough for lunches later in the week!! I did modify it a bit by only using 1 bouillon cube and adding a drained can of Ro'tel tomatoes with green chilis. I had the same shredding meat issue as another commenter, but by putting the mixture through a strainer, I was able to get the sauce needed to top the burritos. Thanks for the recipe, a great use for stew meat in the summer!

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    1. You're welcome, and I'm glad it worked out for you! I'm enjoying hearing about all the different variations people are putting on this to make it their own. :)

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  48. Going to try this recipe, my husband is from southern AZ and misses the good santa fe mexican food, hopefully this will help! If anyone has santa fe mexican recipes, send them my way please :)

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  49. Im thinking im going to try this weekend but I'm wondering if I could just put a roast in instead of chunks and cook so I get bigger chunks off of it. I'm also going to use a local Mexican restaurants enchilada sauce.

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    1. I'm so sorry I never replied to this. Somehow I didn't realize I had a bunch of comments in my "awaiting moderation" section. I need to be more vigilant about checking these things. I hope you tried the roast, because I'm sure it would turn out great. My favorite cut to use is top sirloin, but I usually just use the stew meat because it's already cut up for me.

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  50. In the freezer section, do you have access to frozen red chili? It would be so much better than the canned sauce.

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  51. Ok I am assuming you use the red chile enchilada sauce and not the green one?? :)

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    1. That is correct. I use red enchilada sauce. Others have commented that they tried green chile sauce, though, and liked it. I would probably try the green with pork or chicken rather than beef, but that's me.

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  52. Can't wait to try this! We had a Mexican restaurant here in Ohio that served this and it was the only reason I even went there! They took out off the menu and I quit going there! I'm so excited u put this on here! I'll be trying it tonight!

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    1. I hate it when restaurants to that. I hope this recipe at least comes close to what you liked! :)

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  53. Thank you for this!! We are a military family and currently living in Okinawa, Japan...not exactly a hot spot for Mexican food! This is something I will definitely be making often. I did make a few minor changes (well, more like additions) based on personal preference. I posted it on my blog here
    , with a link back here. Thank you again, I am off to see what other recipes of yours I need to make :)

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  54. I made this a few weeks ago. The meat was really good but we didn't like that the flour tortillas were soggy. I may try it again using corn tortillas.

    Sheri

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    1. Hmm..I think the sogginess of the tortilla is one of the things I enjoy. Another thing you could try is thickening up the sauce on the stovetop by reducing it a little. I get a thicker sauce when I make this on the stovetop. It's also really good if you put the meat in a bowl, top with cheese and broil. Then scoop up with tortilla chips, like you would regular chili.

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    2. Try DOUBLE wrapping your burritos if you don't like the sogginess. I'm from San Diego California and was raised Im Mexican food. So when we ask for our burritos wet, we also double wrap them ;)

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  55. I have been spoiled all my life to live in TX, so Tex-Mex is KING here and it is my favorite type of food, by far. Since it is 100+ degrees here, I am going to forego the oven/broil method and make skillet grilled burritos on the stove=top. I've done this with various "fillings", but I'm super excited to try this beef/sauce in the crock pot! Wish me luck :-)

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    1. Sounds good! Good luck and let me know how it turns out!

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  56. This was an awesome dish! Thank you so much for sharing! I made it tonight and both my husband and I had to stop from eating more than one burrito! It did taste like a restaurant!
    Some amendments: my husband is on a low sodium diet so rather than beef bouillon cubes, I did 2 teaspoons of sodium free organic vegetarian "bouillon" and I felt like that was sufficient flavor. I also added some heat to it by putting some chopped hot peppers (fresh from the garden) after the meat had been cooking for 8 hours. The little kick added something great.
    This couldn't have been easier and we look forward to doing this dinner as one of our new staples! Thank you!

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    1. Thanks for the details on your revisions to the recipe. I too should be on a low sodium diet, so I usually either make my own tortillas (most store bought tortillas are ridiculously high in sodium) or I eat it with corn chips that have little to no salt. I'm going to have to try the organic vegetarian bullion some time.

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  57. I made this today and it was awesome! With the exception that I made it into Chimichangas!! Delicious....thanks for the recipe!

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  58. I love this dish. I added a 4oz can of green chiles and then served topped with lettuce, tomato and avocado. Definitely getting added to the regular dishes - thanks!!

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  59. I am so happy I found your recipe on Pinterest! I too am originally from Southern California and for the past 4 years I have been living in Kansas and they have no idea what good mexican food is like! I grew up eating Tito's Tacos in Culver City as well as Tom's Tacos and Casa Gamino in Anaheim. We have always loved the Chile Colorado burritos from Tito's & Tom's tacos. Whenever a relative comes out from California, we make them buy, freeze and bring us burritos! Your recipe was so dang close, I almost cried (tears of joy)! It's definitely close enough to satisfy our cravings. This is a keeper!! Thank you so much for sharing this delicious and simple (who knew?) recipe!

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    1. I don't know how, but I had a whole pile of comments awaiting moderation that I just now discovered, and yours was in the pile. So funny that you mention Tito's and Tom's because that's one of my brother's must-haves when he returns home to SoCal. :)He goes to Tom's Tacos in Anaheim, which used to be Tito's Tacos (I think).
      And I'm glad to be of help to a fellow former-Californian-turned-Midwesterner. :)

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  60. I made this tonight with flank steak on high for 4 hrs, I Fried some chorizos in a skillet and added Rosaritas refride beans. I gav the guys a choice of putting the beans and cheese in a buritto style or enchilada style with beeans on the side. Served with Guacamole and sour cream, one word Awesome!!!! Thanks for this

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  61. Delish! Made these last night. Did not have any refried beans =( But I made my own enchilada sauce then added a chopped onion and a can of green chilis. Can't wait to try again when I have beans! Thanks!!!

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    1. Glad you enjoyed the recipe with what you had. I like how flexible this one is, and I NEVER put beans in the burritos I eat. Just for my family. :)

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  62. This looks really good as is. I would also like to try with pork and a green chili enchilada sauce. I feel your pain about mexican food in iowa, my hubby and I drive truck and know the midwest isn't a hotspot for ethnic cooking other then european. we had chinese (laughing..) in Kansas..oy! not recommended!

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    1. Pork and green chili sounds good. If you make that and think of it, please let me know how that turns out. Perhaps I'll try that soon too, though. Thanks for validating my perspective on Midwest ethnic food. :)

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  63. I would love to have one of these right now! Just found your pictures on pinterest and am happy to have this recipe!

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  64. This is what I'm cooking tonight, but after we put them on our plate we will put shredded lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream on top. Yum yum!!

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  65. I made this to tonight with a buffalo roast. We don't really eat roast do we had a lot from having a buffalo we raised butchered. I used a cam of green enchilada sauce, a can of red sauce and a can of rotel sauce. It was amazing!! Thanks for the recipe!

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    1. Interesting! Sounds good! Thanks for letting me know you liked it. :)

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  66. Have you ever tried it by making your own enchilada sauce? I'm from Texas and I'm half Mexican, my grandmother on that side is from New Mexico so she makes her own enchilada sauce from dried New Mexico chiles. I make the same sauce whenever I make my traditional "stacked" New Mexico enchiladas and I'm curious to know what the difference is since I've never had canned enchilada sauce.

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    1. I do need to just try making my own sauce to see the difference for myself, although, I'm assuming that the Californian Mexican restaurants I'm eating at make their own enchilada sauce. I need to get my hands on a tried & true recipe.

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    2. Well, I'll try it with both, I dont' know the difference between New Mexico and California sauces. My grandmother's recipe is just to get a bag of dried (red) New Mexico chiles, destem them, then open them and pull out the seeds and membranes. Then you boil them in water for about 45 mins or until they are soft. Drain and blend with clean water (a lot of people use the water from the pot but she says it makes the sauce bitter), just enough water to come a little more than half way up the chiles in the blender. Then you strain it through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer to get the skin bits out (not digestible). She doesn't season the sauce until she's ready to use it and all she uses is garlic salt, I've seen other that use some cumin and maybe Mexican oregano.

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    3. Thanks for the recipe, Vanessa! I'm going to give it a go when I get home to Iowa. I'll let you know how it goes! :)

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  67. If you can find frozen red chili baca, I use that If I'm out of Las Palmas. I also use the red chili baca to make tamales each year for Christmas! It is good in both. I also do it in my crock pot. I like to make a rou (sp)? out of it and add to the crockpot when meat is done then let it cook for a little longer. I always add cloves of garlic to my meat and have used every kind of meat imaginable! Great recipe!

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  68. Making tomorrow can't wait!
    Renee ~ Houston Tx

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    1. My family and I get pretty excited about these burritos too. :)

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  69. Oh my...I made my own enchilada sauce that can be found here http://www.recipegirl.com/2006/05/01/enchilada-sauce/ as I have to be able to control the sodium. I also used about half the bouillon. The burritos turned out fantastic, topped with sour cream, tomatoes and lettuce! Will make again, maybe adding a little more "oomph" to my sauce, as it was pretty mild. Thank you so much for the recipe!

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    1. Thank you so much for the enchilada sauce recipe! So far I think I've gotten two to try. I love the pics of yours. I should also control the sodium more. I have two ways of doing that: making my own flour tortillas, or eating this with corn tortilla chips instead of wrapped. Either way, it's still yummy. :)

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  70. This was tasty! My whole family enjoyed it. Thanks for the great recipe!

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    1. I love it! Thanks for letting me know, Katie!

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  71. Mmmm, not really Mexican but it looks nice and cheesy which is always good :)

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    1. Mmmm...you must not be from Southern California, because this dish is served regularly in many Mexican restaurants there. It seems that even within the U.S. there are regional variations on what passes for "Mexican food."

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  72. This was really good! I eat Primal so the tortillas were a no go for me, but if you want something with a kick for brunch... lemme tell ya that this is equally amazing as an omelet filling and topper! Thank you for the awesome idea and I'll be making this again for sure.

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    1. Mmmm...Omelets. Sounds tasty to me! :) Glad you were able to use the recipe and especially that it was flexible enough to use in your favorite way.

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  73. These sound delicious and i will be trying them soon. I grew up in So Ca. and ate at Casa Gamino every Fri. night in OC. Having moved to Northern MN its been hard to find authentic Mexican Food this far north. Everything here is toned down for the Norwegian pallet. I feel your pain. I always add diced onion and green chilis to ours but Ive never tried it in a crock pot. I cant wait to try it!

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  74. I grew up in So. California and ate every week at Casa Gamino. Having moved to Northern Mn i feel your pain. The Mexican food here has a milder taste to appeal to the Norwegian pallet. Im looking forward to trying this recipe. Do you ever add onions or canned green chilis to it?

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    1. Hey! It's nice to hear of another immigrant to the Midwest who is dissatisfied with the available Mexican food. :) I never add anything other than what I listed, but lots of commenters have said they've done it with green chile sauce, added onions, tomatoes, and other things. I think it's a pretty flexible recipe so you can add the flavors you like. Let me know if you try it and how you like it. It tastes particularly good in the middle of winter, by the way. :)

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  75. I made these tonight and they were really good! The meat was extremely tender and flavorful. A wonderfully easy and delicious meal for a busy work night!

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  76. Has anyone substituted chicken for the beef in this recipe? I am curious to try it but worried how it might come out.

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    1. I don't know if anyone has actually tried it with chicken. If you do try it, you might need to cook it for less time. Let me know if you give it a go.

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  77. Has anyone tried using chicken breast instead of beef for this? I am curious to try but worried about the outcome.

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  78. This was amazing! My daughter ate just the meat with my homemade refried beans. I used Hatch enchilada sauce which was excellent. Thanks for the great recipe! You know it's good when even the kiddos love it!

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    1. Thanks! And you are so right about the kiddos. Last time I made it my 11 year old did a fist pump with a "YES!" and my 10 year old is asking for this for his birthday dinner. Gotta love it. :)

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  79. Yum, this looks good. Here in Texas, we can find authentic Mexican restaurants on every corner, even here in our small town. That said, my family never tires of it, so I like cooking it at home, too. Can't wait to try this!

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    1. Sigh. Enjoy all of the yummy Mexican food down there in Texas. Hope this recipe compares! :)

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  80. I made these with chicken instead of beef as I had a TON of chicken in my freezer, I also added jalapeños, and since I used chicken I used chicken bouillon ... They turned out great!

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    1. Excellent! Thanks for letting me know. A few people have been asking about whether you can use chicken. I'm glad to hear that you can. :)

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  81. I also only had to cook mostly thawed chicken breasts on high in my crockpot for 3 hours! I put them in late and by three hours the chicken breasts were falling apart and were easy to shred.

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  83. Didn't read all questions. Sorry. Have you tried slicing an onion and pepper into this and cooking along side meat? I think I'll try that when I make tomorrow.

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    1. I haven't tried it with onions and peppers, but I think others have mentioned doing that and they loved it. It's a pretty flexible recipe in that regard. Hope you enjoy it whatever you try! :)

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  84. I just made these tonight & LOVED them as did my husband. I added ripe olives to the meat after it was done cooking. Have you ever tried using chicken instead? Think that would be good as chicken is my favorite. Hubby wants me to try making the sauce with medium enchilada sauce next time. Live in a suburb of Omaha & these are as good as any I have had in restaurants here.

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    1. Great! Thanks for letting me know! I have not tried making these with chicken, but other commenters have, and they liked it. Does Omaha have any good chile colorado?

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  85. Ahhh I hope you can answer soon! I know it calls for 2 bullion cubes. Should I be turning it INTO bullion (by mixing with a cup of water) before adding it to the crockpot???

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  86. NM. Saw it would make it too watery. Can't wait to eat these tonight!!!

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    1. Great! I'm glad you found the answer because sometimes it takes me a while to reply. Other times I reply so quickly I'm sure people think I sit on my computer all day waiting for comments. :) I hope they turn out awesome for you!

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  87. Made these tonight adn they were awesome! Thanks!

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    1. FANtastic! Thanks for letting me know; and you're welcome. :)

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  88. Made this tonight..delish!!! Thanks for the post

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  89. I make mine with a onion & some jalapeno (2).
    then let everyone make whatever they want with the meat....soft tacos, burritos, or tostadas.....so good :)

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  90. I make mine with an onion and some jalapeno about 2, then let everyone make whatever it is they want ..... tacos, burritos, or tostadas. Everyone LOVES it.

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  91. I am a California transplant living in Minnesota now, do I completely understand your craving for AUTHENTIC Mexican food...there's none here either so I've been trying to make all of my childhood favorites myself and this is for sure in my list now! Thanks!!

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  92. I read through the comments to see which enchilada sauce to buy as I really want to try this! I grew up in O.C. and miss SoCal Mexican food. They have OK Mexican food here in Atlanta but it just is no where near the same. I wonder how I missed Casa Gamino. I used to like Mexi-Casa on Lincoln Blvd. in Anaheim.

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  93. Tried this tonight with whole wheat tortillas, black beans instead of refried- and used white queso cheese on top. No bouillon, too salty for our taste. The verdict??? DELICIOUS :) Already have been asked when I'm making it again!! Thank you!!

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  94. Hi, I attempted to read through all the comments to see what kind of enchilada sauce you bought but got lost along the way in everyone else's comments on what constitutes Tex-Mex and which state actually has the best mexican food =) If you mentioned it earlier, I apologize, but if not, can you please tell me what brand of canned enchilada sauce you use or which one you prefer the best? Thanks, I love reading all the comments btw... I'm from Texas and we in no way consider ourselves a Tex-Mex state! We are strictly Mexican Food.... that "other stuff" is just a knock-off!! :D

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    1. I need to just put a note within the recipe about the sauce I use because lots of people ask. I originally used Las Palmas, medium or mild, but those are pretty spicy. Now I use Old El Paso mild (truly mild) because that's what I could find in Des Moines when we moved here. Now that's what my kids are used to, so I usually use that. It has a richer texture than Las Palmas, and probably isn't as "authentic" as Las Palmas, or Hatch, which seems really popular with some people. I think I used Old El Paso in this pic.

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  95. So from reading thru some of the comments, am I to understand that I don't want to make broth with the bullion cubes- just drop them in??

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  96. NM I just finished reading comments.... See what happens when I get to eager?

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  97. I live in central Illinois and we not only have authentic Mexican restaurants here,(Champaign/Urbana), but they have big trucks that sell Mexican food all over. Good, but expensive to buy all the time. I am a fan of crock pot cooking, so thanks for the recipe. I might throw in a small can of mild chopped chile peppers.

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  98. These look really yummy- I like to feel like I am eating more vegetables so I would probably add an onion and some other stuff to the crockpot, but really this is so simple, sometimes you just need an easy dinner. Thanks!

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