Enchiladas are often a mess of ingredients in a casserole pan, the two main ingredients being tortillas and a heavy blanket of cheese. But it doesn’t have to be that way. In this Primal enchilada recipe, it’s all about the meat.

Chuck roast is slow-cooked with fresh tomatoes and dried chiles. The result is tender, shredded beef and a thick, mildly spicy sauce. Serve in a bowl with avocado, green onion and other garnishes, or spoon the beef onto Primal tortillas. Either way, Primal enchiladas are a filling and healthy meal.

Set aside an hour for cooking and then walk away while the meat and sauce do their thing in the oven. Ancho chiles give the sauce a smoky, earthy flavor and are only mildly spicy. They can be found at most grocery stores. If you want a sauce with more kick, chop up a hot pepper and throw it in the pot, too.

Serves: 4 to 6

Time in the Kitchen: 1 hour, plus 4 hours in the oven

Ingredients:

• 2 Ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock (350 ml)
• 4 pounds boneless beef chuck roast (1800 g)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt (10 ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper (2.5 ml)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (2.5 ml)
• 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
• 5 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano (5 ml)
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatoes, chopped into small pieces (680 g)
• Garnishes: avocado, green onion, sautéed green bell peppers, sour cream, cotija cheese

Instructions:

To soften the chiles, boil them in the beef stock for 10 minutes.

Use a scissors or knife to cut the chiles into thin strips. Set the chiles and stock aside.

In a small bowl mix together the salt, pepper and cumin.

Cut the roast into 4 or 5 pieces. Rub the salt mixture all over the meat.

Melt the coconut oil in a wide Dutch oven or heavy oven-proof saucepot. When the pot is hot, add the pieces of roast (you might have to do this in batches), browning each piece of meat well on all sides. This will take about 10 minutes total for each piece of roast.

Remove the meat from the pot and turn the heat down to medium. Add the onion and garlic. Saute for 5 minutes or more, until the onion begins to soften.

While the onions and garlic cook, preheat the oven to 325 ºF (163 ºC)

Scrape the onions and garlic into a blender. Add the chiles and beef stock and oregano. Blend until smooth. Add salt to taste.

Add the enchilada sauce back to the pot. Add the tomatoes and their juice.

Bring to a boil, using a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any bits of meat that have stuck to the bottom.

Add the meat back to the pot, cover with a lid, and transfer to the oven. Braise for 4 hours, until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick.

Serve the meat in a bowl with garnishes or on top of Primal tortillas.

*This recipe has not been tested in a slow cooker, but you can give it try on low heat for about 8 hours.

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