This Vegetable Burchiladas feeds a crowd, is totally customizable, and is a godsend for when you have assorted leftovers. Sure, it helps to have ready-made enchilada sauce around, but here, I've made it using just canned tomato sauce and dried spices.

The fillings are fully cooked, or they should be! We just need a half an hour in the oven to heat the dish, meld the sauce into the tortillas and crisp up those edges a teensy bit, which is why we cover the dish in the first half of the baking and then bake it exposed for the rest of the time.

An enchilada is what you make of it, and with spiced tomato sauce, and gooey cheese on top, it's really a very comforting meal. I've made so many variations of this, and the best part is that it is different every single time. So take this recipe as an outline, and steer it in whichever direction you desire.

Truth be told, we cook more Mexican food at home than Indian food. Maybe it's the six years in Florida, maybe we look more Latina than the half-Indians that we are :D Maybe it's just that it's easier and faster to get it on the table. For all those reasons and more, you will find more Mexican food on my table. Sorry not sorry :D

Ingredients:

Spice Mix:

• 4 tbsp Mexican chili powder (blend of dried Mexican chilies, cumin, oregano, garlic and salt)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Quick Enchilada Sauce:

• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 480 ml (2 cups) canned tomato sauce
• 120 ml (1/2 cup) water

Filling:

• 1 tsp vegetable oil
• 4 cups chopped vegetables
• 100 g (1 cup) Mexican cheese blend (cheddar & Monterey Jack)
• 1/2 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 jalapeños, sliced

Assembling:

• 12 flour tortillas
• 2 cups of Mexican rice (optional)
• 1 tbsp butter or vegetable oil
• 100 g (1 cup) Mexican cheese blend
• Cilantro leaves to top

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, combine the Mexican chili powder, garlic, cumin, oregano, sugar and salt.
2. Reserve half of this mix by placing it into another small bowl or a pinch bowl.
3. Into the large bowl, toss the chopped vegetables with the spice mix.

Quick Enchilada Sauce:

1. Heat the oil on a large sauté pan, then add the cumin seeds.
2. When it starts sizzling, cook the onions.
3. As it begins to turn translucent, add the reserved half of the spice mix, along with the tomato sauce and water.
4. Bring this to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Transfer this sauce to a bowl.

Filling:

1. In the same pan, with a little bit of oil, sauté the marinated chopped vegetables until just done, then add about 1/4 cup of the prepared enchilada sauce to give it a bit of gravy :)
2. Turn off the heat, then fold in the cheese, cilantro, and jalapeños.

Assembling:

1. Butter or oil a 9x13 inch baking dish, then spread about half the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the dish.
2. Start making the tortilla rolls by placing 1/3 cup of mixed vegetables (and possibly some Mexican rice) in it, then placing it seam-side down on the sauced baking dish.
3. Repeat until all tortillas are filled and placed.
4. Pour the remaining sauce on top and between the rolls. 
5. This helps separate the rolls when cooked :)
6. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

Baking:

1. Cover with parchment paper, and then foil. The parchment paper prevents the sauce and cheese from sticking to the enchiladas. The foil is required to fully cover the dish to keep the tortillas from drying out.
2. Bake for 25-30 minutes, then remove the foil and parchment and bake a further 10 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the top with some cilantro leaves before serving.

To serve

Directions:

Pozole Soup