Ground Elk Enchiladas with Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce

We are almost done using up all of our ground cow elk from 2014 which means we are making room for 2016’s harvests. And with our northern Nevada morning temperatures now in the low 30’s, it was time to clean up the garden and figure out what to do with all of my unripened green tomatoes.

After searching the internet and talking with good friends, I was inspired to make a KILLER green tomato enchilada sauce. Of course this sauce has to have a little kick for me, so I added an entire can of green chiles and a lot of cumin. I won’t lie… there’s a slight HEAT factor to this sauce, but you can always tone down the heat by adding a bit of sour cream. ~Enjoy!

Substitute: Ground Bison, Venison or Antelope meat

Yields 6 Cups of Enchilada Sauce

Green Tomato Enchilada Sauce

• 4 cups green tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 27 oz can whole green chilies, chopped
• 14.5 ounces chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Elk Enchiladas

• 2 pounds ground elk
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups shredded Monterey jack cheese
• 14-16 flour tortillas

Directions

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions sautéing until softened and translucent about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a few minutes. Stir in the chopped green chilies, chopped green tomatoes and chicken broth. Reduce heat and cover with a lid simmering until the tomatoes break down about 10 minutes. Stir in cumin, oregano and salt. Remove from heat. Pour the mixture into a blender add the cilantro and blend until smooth.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Using the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add ground elk to skillet and cook until lightly browned. Stir in cumin, chili powder, oregano, onion powder and salt. Remove from heat when done. Add 1 cup shredded cheese to elk and stir together.

Using a glass baking dish or foil pan, coat the bottom with a little green tomato sauce. Fill flour tortillas with heaping spoonfuls of ground elk, roll and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat until done. Pour the green tomato enchilada sauce over the top of the flour tortillas. Top with the remaining cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 10 minutes. Remove when sauce is bubbly and cheese is melted.

If you’ve made any of our recipes, we’d love to hear from you. Send us an email or leave us a comment below the recipe you’ve used. You can also comment on our Facebook, Pinterest or Instagram pages.