Mexican Enchiladas

For the sauce: Heat shortening in a Dutch oven over medium heat then add onion and garlic. Saute the diced onion and garlic until onions are soft, about 5 minutes.

In a small bowl or cup blend the flour, chili powder and seasoning packet with 1/3 of the cold water. Whisk into the saucepan.

Add remaining water and the rest of the sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Cook for 5 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.

For the filling: In a skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef with the chopped onion and salt and pepper. When beef is done, stir in the chopped spinach if desired.

Assemble the enchiladas: Preheat oven to 350 F. Spray a 9×13 pan plus a 9×9 pan with cooking spray.

Dip a tortilla in the sauce, then place approximately 2 tablespoons of filling in the middle. Roll up the tortilla and place it seam side down in the pan. Repeat until filling or tortillas run out. If the meat is leftover, just sprinkle the remaining on top of the pans. Pour the remaining sauce over top. Top with shredded cheese.

Bake for 35 minutes, uncovered. If baking from frozen or refrigerated, adjust baking time up, and cover the pan while baking.

Another option for assembling the enchiladas is to make stacks. Use cookie sheets sprayed with cooking spray instead of pans. Dip a tortilla in sauce, and lay it flat on the pan. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of beef on top and repeat layers 3 more times. Make stacks this way until you run out of tortillas or meat. Top with shredded cheese. Bake 25 minutes. Cool 5-10 minutes before slicing into pie-shaped wedges.

Serve with sour cream and salsa on the side.