Entomatadas Recipe

The ingredient list may look familiar, but these Entomatadas have carved out their own space at the table of Mexican cuisine.

And yes, it's the ratios that make this dish work.  By keeping the sweet, roasted tomato flavor at the forefront, and sending the onion and heat to the background, you'll get a unique, delicious meal made from ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen.  Sound good?

How To Make Entomatadas Tomato Sauce

If there's too much onion or jalapeno then you risk heading into Salsa territory, and we want to stay in the land of Entomatadas as it is quite a nice place to visit!

So just a hint of onion and heat will do the job, and when combined with some cheese and Crema you've got a quick meal that might surprise you with its light, delicious flavor.

Here's a look at the core ingredients of the sauce:

5-6 plum tomatoes
1/2 onion
1/4 jalapeno (plus more to taste)
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup stock (optional)

We'll start by roasting the tomatoes in the oven (400F) for 20 minutes or so.   Other ways to roast the tomatoes.

Meanwhile, saute 1/2 an onion and a single garlic clove in some oil over medium heat.

I usually just peel the garlic clove and plop it in whole as all of this is going in the blender eventually.

Once the onion starts to brown you can add the mixture to a blender along with the roasted tomatoes, a 1/4 jalapeno, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Combine well and take a taste.

As mentioned, I prefer Entomatadas with just a whisper of heat but you can always increase the heat level by simply adding more jalapeno.  And don't forget that the heat level of jalapenos can vary based on growing conditions so it's always a good idea to start small and do some taste testing along the way.

Heat up a dollop of oil over medium heat in a saucepan and add the tomato mixture from the blender.

Let this simmer for a few minutes and depending on the consistency of the sauce you can add 1/2 cup of stock at this point.   I usually do but you can consider this optional -- adding some stock (or water) will keep the sauce liquidy, but you can serve it chunky if you want.

As with enchilada dishes, it's quite common to give the tortillas a quick fry in some oil to make them more pliable.   I usually skip this step because it seems like you can get the same effect from the oven (or a dry skillet), but keep in mind that you can always flash fry the tortillas in some oil if you want.

After heating up the tortillas in the oven for a couple minutes, dredge them in the sauce to give them a good coating.

 

A bit of cheese inside the tortillas is a real treat, and the light flavor of some Queso Fresco is a good fit.  What is Queso Fresco?

 

 

I also added some leftover Charro Bean puree to this batch but this is definitely optional.

 

Traditional Entomatadas are served up with just cheese inside so consider making at least a couple of them with cheese only to see how that works for your palate.

Refried beans, shredded chicken, or protein of your choice are all viable options for future batches (or half of this 6 tortilla batch).

Sure, you can roll them up like enchiladas, but folding them on their sides gives 'em some personality and that's what I did for this batch.

If you put melting cheese inside the tortillas or you simply want to warm them up then you can give them a few minutes in the oven, but if using Queso Fresco or Cotija cheese you can skip that step as those cheeses don't really melt.

Be sure to give them a top layer of the delicious Entomatada sauce as you should have plenty of it.

And if you get a chance please try them with some Mexican Crema!

Combining the light, vibrant tomato sauce with Crema is a real treat and helps give Entomatadas their deserved spot at the dinner table.

Buen Provecho.

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