Heat vegetable oil in a large non-stick or stainless steel saute pan, until very hot and nearly smoking
Add your ground beef and brown on high heat
Making sure not to overcook the beef
It is OK if some pieces of the ground beef are still undercooked when you remove from the saute pan.
The goal here is to add color to some of the beef before it finishes cooking later in the sauce.
Remove the beef and set aside.
Turn down the heat to medium
Cook your tomato paste for 3-5 minutes in the fat and drippings from the beef
Making sure to remove any browned beef particles from the bottom of the pan.
Add the chopped white onion and continue to cook for another 5 minutes on medium heat, until the onions are translucent.
Add your tomatoes and peppers and continue to cook down for an additional 5 minutes.
Add your chopped garlic and jalapenos and add the chipotles in adobo.
Add your dry spices and continue to cook for twenty minutes.
Add the ground beef and continue to cook gently on low heat for another ten minutes until the mixture reaches a slightly dry and not dripping consistency.
Turn off the heat, season with salt and pepper, to taste
Add your juice of one lime.
Mix in the chopped cilantro and set aside your beef filling mix for later.
Add a small amount of vegetable oil to a nonstick pan and fry both sides of each tortilla.
Reserve tortillas on paper towels to drain off excess oil.
Preheat your oven to 375F.
Now, you can begin to build your epic enchilada pie
Start with a tortilla on the bottom of your baking dish
Add a scant layer of finely shredded cheese.
Next, add a layer of your beef filling and distribute this filling evenly across the tortilla.
Top the layer of beef with another minimal layer of shredded cheese.
Repeat this process until you have created a stacked and layered lasagna-type enchilada pie.
Top the final tortilla with a layer of cheese and bake at 375F for 20 minutes, until warmed through.
Increase heat to 425F for the final five minutes if you want your top to be browned and crispy.
To serve, cut the pie into slices and garnish with fresh lime, salted avocado, and salt & black pepper.
Add your favorite hot sauce and sour cream if you like!