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If you are looking for something simple and delicious for dinner, these Easy Cheese Enchiladas are perfect. Simple and full of flavor. And cheese!
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These cheese enchiladas are to die for! My mom made them for us last time we were visiting and we devoured the whole pan in one sitting. So of course we decided to make them ourselves and they turned out perfectly. Delicious cheddar cheese and Mexican blend wrapped in soft tortillas and covered in beautiful red enchilada sauce, baked to a golden, crispy perfection. Thanks for the yummy cheese enchilada recipe, Mom!
Ingredients in Easy Cheese Enchiladas
Mexican food is one of those great entrée styles that can be so versatile. It’s also filled with the ingredients kids love, so it’s an easy way to please the whole family. After all, it’s cheese and tortillas. And lots of other amazing things! Here’s all you need:
- 1 1/2 cups Homemade Enchilada Sauce – This is truly the easiest, tastiest homemade sauce ever! You can always sub your favorite canned sauce, but try this homemade recipe. Its delicious!
- 12 Corn tortillas – I prefer corn to flour tortillas for this recipe because the flour tend to get soggy.
- Vegetable Oil – about three tablespoons.
- 4 Scallions or green onions – chopped
- Cilantro leaves – three tablespoons, finely chopped
- 4 Cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese – or use any cup cheese mixture you like. Cheddar, pepper jack, mozzarella, Colby jack cheese, Mexican blend, etc.
Add-ins or Substitute Ingredients
This is one of the most versatile enchilada recipes around! Swap out ingredients to make each batch your own.
- For extra kick, sprinkle in little bit of diced green chiles.
- Add a dash of chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder or onion powder for extra spice.
- Toss in some shredded chicken or ground beef.
Vegetarian Enchiladas
This recipe is absolutely vegetarian. You can even add some beans, like black beans, pinto beans or refried beans to the tortillas for some added protein.
How to Keep Tortillas Soft
There are a couple of ways to prep your tortillas so they don’t tear during assembly:
- Place a skillet over medium heat and a little oil. Using tongs, soften each tortilla for 15 seconds on each side in the oil, shake off any excess then transfer to a plate covered with paper towels. Repeat this process with the rest of the tortillas.
- Or you can place a couple of tortillas in a damp paper towel, and microwave for about ten seconds.
Restaurant Style, but Better
I love going to eat at Mexican Restaurants but this recipe tastes just as good as eating out for less money. If you want to make this into a full meal like you would be served at your favorite restaurant, serve this with our Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice, Cheater Refried Beans, and our BEST Guacamole Ever. You and your family will love it!
Our Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice is one of our most popular recipes and we even have a quick video tutorial so you can see how easy it is make. The Mexican Rice is delicious with these Easy Cheese Enchiladas. I like topping these enchiladas with cilantro and olives, but they are also delicious with sour cream, chopped tomatoes, shredded lettuce, and salsa.
Questions
You can freeze leftover enchiladas. Just make sure to cover with foil or place in an airtight container and store in the freezer for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator and then warm in the oven.
Bake uncovered for the first 10 minutes until the tortillas are slightly browned. Then you can lower the oven temperature and cover with foil to finish baking.
Most enchilada recipes call for the tortilla to be stuffed with filling, rolled, placed seam side down, and covered with sauce. However, if you want more of an enchilada casserole, you can try placing the filling and sauce in between layers of tortillas in the pan.
READ NEXT: 75+ Best Mexican Recipes
More Easy Enchilada Recipes
How To Make Easy Cheese Enchiladas
Easy Cheesy Enchiladas
Equipment
- 9×13 inch pan
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Homemade Enchilada Sauce (click for recipe)
- 12 corn tortillas
- 3 tablespoons oil
- 4 scallions chopped
- 3 tablespoons cilantro leaves finely chopped
- 4 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF. Prepare Enchilada Sauce
- Place a skillet over medium heat and a little oil (3 Tbsp). Using tongs, soften each tortilla for 15 seconds on each side in the oil, shake off any excess then transfer to a plate covered with paper towels. Repeat this process with the rest of the tortillas.
- In a bowl, combine the scallions and cilantro with 3 cups of cheese.
- Fill each softened tortilla with about ¼ cup of the cheese mixture and roll it up. Set the rolled tortillas in a row in a baking dish.
- When all the tortillas have been rolled, ladle the sauce evenly over the dish and top with the remaining cup of cheese.
- Bake until bubbly and brown on top, about 15 minutes.
Video
Notes
Serve with:
- For extra kick, sprinkle in little bit of diced green chiles.
- Add a dash of chili powder, cumin, oregano, garlic powder or onion powder for extra spice.
- Toss in some shredded chicken or ground beef.
Super yummy!! Added hatch green chiles & onions & olives made it extra yummy!! Thank you for the great recipe!!☺☺☺
By far a hit in our house. I added some once picante HOT to give it a kick and a blend of cheeses. Wowww. From the first time making this to my 10th time making this, the recipe gets better every time. Thank you.
This was a huge hit at my house! Such a great meal!
This recipe for enchiladas looks amazing and easy to make. Thanks for sharing!
Tried these last night and they were delicious! Not spicy and the whole family loved them!
Is there an alternative for this when your on a diet?
Great question. It depends what kind of diet you are on. If you aren’t concerned about fat content and you’re aiming for low carb, this is a great recipe for you. If you’re counting calories, you will want to watch your portion size and eat it with a big salad or steamed veggies for a well-rounded meal. Keep in mind I’m not a dietician or nutritionist, this is just a suggestion. Thanks for asking!
I found this on pinterest last week and made it for dinner last night. It was a HUGE hit! Can't wait to try more recipes from your blog. Thank you for posting!
I made this for dinner tonight. Not spicy at all. Easy to make. I sprayed the pan (instead of using oil) to soften the corn tortillas. My very picky 5 year old ate it. We served it with sour cream, cilantro and scallions. We made beans and a salad on the side.
We love all things Mexican and this recipe looks so good! I can't wait to make it. I shared your recipe on my Must Try Tuesday blog post today.
http://therickettchronicles.blogspot.com/2012/01/51-must-try-tuesday-january-3-2012.html
I also pinned and stumbled your recipe…hope it brings you lots of viewers!
Happy New Year!
Wende
The Rickett Chronicles
I was just looking for a enchilada recipe. I think I will try these.
By far a hit in our house. I added some once picante HOT to give it a kick and a blend of cheeses. Wowww. From the first time making this to my 10th time making this, the recipe gets better every time. Thank you.
These look scrumptious. Enchilada sauce does take forever to make, but you improvised nicely! The filling sounds delicious too.
The sauce is made as easy as gravy, I used to make it all the time from scratch, but my way is a bit different but they both would taste delicious…
Bookmarked! Can't wait to try this one.