Enchiladas Potosinas

Enchiladas Potosinas are corn tortillas infused with a red chile sauce, filled with a delicious filling and topped with yummy toppings. 

Enchiladas or empanadas? Although at first sight these enchiladas seem to be empanadas, they are actually called enchiladas! I know it seems a bit strange when they look so much like empanadas but yes, these are actually called “Enchiladas Potosinas.”

A bit of history…

As the name implies, these enchiladas potosinas came about from the state of San Luis Potosi, Mexico. 

These enchiladas were actually created completely by accident by a woman named Doña Cristina Jaloma.

Doña Cristina made extra money for her family by making homemade tortillas. She would often bring her “nixtamalized corn” to a nearby mill to be ground into fresh masa (corn dough).   

One day when she picked up her masa, it had a reddish tint to it. When Doña Cristina asked why, she was told it was because the mill had recently ground up some peppers and the residue from the peppers was left behind which affected the color of the dough.

Because Doña Cristina could not just throw away the dough and start over again, she simply took the dough home and created her tortillas as usual. It turns out her family really enjoyed the tortillas and found that the peppers actually gave the dough great flavor. 

Little did Doña Cristina know that these “red tortillas” would soon also become a favorite for her customers.   And as they say, the rest is history!

Ingredients for Enciladas Potosinas

Red Chile Sauce Added to the Masa Dough

• 1-2 ancho chile peppers or guajillo peppers
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ cup water

For Tortillas

• 1½ cups masa harina (I use the Maseca brand) 
• 1 cup warm water
• ¹⁄³ cup of red chile sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt

Filling

• refried beans
• ½ onion 
• cheese such as queso fresco, monterey jack or oaxaca cheese
• jalapeño pepper (optional)

Toppings

• Mexican crema (Mexican Cream) or sour cream
• shredded lettuce
• chopped tomatoes
• sliced white or red onions
• sliced avocado or guacamole

How to Make Enchiladas Potosinas

(I normally like to use Ancho chiles but I only had guajillo peppers at hand so I used them but the process is the same.)

1. Rinse and de-stem peppers and remove seeds.
2. Place peppers in a pot with enough water to cover and boil for 10 minutes over medium high heat to soften.
3. Discard the water from the pot. Add the peppers to a blender with spices and water. Blend until smooth and a puree forms. Set aside.

Note: If you see pepper specs in your puree and would like to remove them, simply strain sauce through a wire mesh strainer. I normally just leave them in. 

Filling for Enchiladas

1. Add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet or pot and saute onions over medium heat until onions are translucent.
2. If using jalapeño, add now and cook until softened.
3. Add refried beans and stir. Heat until beans are just warm through. Set aside.

Now Prepare the Dough

1. Add the masa harina to a medium sized bowl. Add the chile puree, water and salt to masa.
2. Using your hands, knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.
3. Form dough into a large ball and then into 10 smaller equal sized dough balls.
4. Cover the dough balls with a clean moistened kitchen towel or moistened paper towel to prevent them from drying.
5. Take a ziploc bag and using scissors cut down both vertical sides so you have to flaps but still connected at the middle or simply cut all sides so you have two pieces. Place one ball at a time in between the ziploc bag sheets. 
6. Using a tortilla press, pie bowl or heavy skillet, press down on dough ball gently to form a disc.

Note: If you didn’t strained your chile puree you may see pepper specs in the dough, which is completely fine. I think it gives it character!

For the Next Step…

For the Next Step…

To fill the enchiladas, you have two options….. You can either flatten and form one disc at a time, add filling and immediately add to a skillet to cook.

Or you can do as I do and flatten all dough balls into discs, add filling (and cheese), wrap in parchment pieces (cut into squares),  and then cook enchiladas when they are all ready.  

1. Fold enchiladas over to form half moons and seal by pressing down gently at the edges.
2. Cover with a moist clean kitchen towel or use parchment paper.

1. Once all enchiladas are formed, heat a skillet over medium heat.
2. Add a tablespoon of oil and spread on pan.
3. Add a few enchiladas at a time and cover pan. Cook for a few minutes.
4. Lift lid and turn enchiladas over and cook on the other side.
5. Remove enchiladas from skillet.
6. Continue to cook the rest of the enchiladas.
7. When you are ready to eat the enchiladas, add about half an inch of oil to a skillet and heat oil over medium high heat. 
8. Add a few enchiladas at a time and crisp on each side.
9. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
10. Top enchiladas with shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, avocado slices and Mexican creme or sour cream. Enjoy!

Other Possible Fillings

Mexican Picadillo

Carne Asada

Carne Molida

Shrimps

Chicken or Pork Guisados

Queso fresco with salsa mix

Sauces to Serve with Enchiladas

Super Easy Jalapeño Salsa

Best Mexican Salsa Recipe (Salsa Verde)

Avocado Salsa Verde

Habanero Tomatillo Salsa

Hyper-Delicious Tomato Jalapeño Salsa

Authentic Mexican Guacamole Recipe

Avocado Cilantro Sauce

For more Enchilada and Empanada Recipes, you will also love these:

Cheesy Beef Enchiladas in Green Sauce

Authentic Mexican Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Spicy Black Bean Empanadas

Beef Empanadas

Empanadillas de Carne (Puerto Rican Empanadas)

Mexican Empanadas with Green Sauce

📖 Recipe