The BEST Cheese Enchiladas recipe uses corn tortillas, red enchilada sauce, and plenty of cheese! This meal is easy, delicious, and made in just 30 minutes!
Looking for more Mexican food? Try my Chicken Tinga, Fajita Bowls, or Wet Burrito!
Why I love this recipe:
- Quick – This meal is ready to eat in just 30 minutes! Perfect for a busy weeknight or whenever you want an easy dinner.
- Delicious – These cheese enchiladas remind me of the ones I fell in love with when I lived in Mexico.
- Simple – Only a few ingredients needed for this meal the whole family will love!
How to make Cheese Enchiladas:
Warm Tortillas: warm corn tortillas on a hot dry skillet, for a few seconds on each side, until softened and pliable.
Assemble Enchiladas: Pour ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13” pan. Fill each corn tortilla with a handful of cheese. Roll tightly, and place seam side down in the pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Top with remaining ½ cup of cheese.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with shredded cabbage, cotija cheese, chopped tomatoes, and a drizzle of sour cream.
Serve with a side of Mexican Rice, refried beans and Horchata!
What kind of tortillas for enchiladas?
In Mexico enchiladas are typically made with corn tortillas, but if you enjoy flour tortillas, those will work great. It’s important to warm the corn tortillas to make them easier to roll for enchiladas, and to prevent them from cracking. To warm the corn tortillas, place them on a hot, dry, skillet or griddle and cook them for 15-30 seconds on each side.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Cheese enchiladas can be prepared several days in advance, if desired. For best results, place enchiladas in baking dish, and store in the fridge, separately from the sauce. Alternately, assemble the entire dish, with sauce on top, a few hours in advance.
To Freeze: Assemble enchiladas then cover in plastic wrap and tinfoil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before uncovering and baking.
Recipe Variations:
- Bean and Cheese Enchiladas: Add a scoop of my Homemade Refried Beans in the tortilla with the cheese.
- Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas: Add shredded chicken to the enchiladas, or check out my Loaded Chicken Enchiladas recipe.
- Cheese Enchiladas with Green Sauce: Swap out the red enchilada sauce for salsa verde or green enchilada sauce.
Serve With:
- Authentic Mexican Rice
- Pico de Gallo
- Homemade Refried Beans
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Horchata
- Tres Leches Cake
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Recipe
Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 12-14 white corn tortillas
- 5-6 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 20 ounces red enchilada sauce , homemade recommended, or canned
- 1 cup cabbage , thinly shredded
- 1 roma tomato , diced
- 1/4 cup crumbled cotija cheese , for topping (optional)
- sour cream , for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Warm corn tortillas on a hot dry skillet for a few seconds on each side, until pliable.
- Assemble: Pour ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13'' pan. Fill each corn tortilla with a handful of cheese (reserving about ½ cup for sprinkling over the top, at the end). Roll tightly, and place seam side down in the pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Top with remaining ½ cup of cheese.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with shredded cabbage, cotija cheese, tomatoes, and sour cream.
- Serve with a side of Refried Beans and Mexican Rice
Notes
Nutrition
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I originally shared this recipe August 2016. Updated September 2022.
Wow!! Wow!! WOW!!! Everything about this recipe: easy to out together, reminded me of my childhood and my mama’s home cooking!!! This is something she made frequently!!! So SO GOOD!!!
Not bad … But still much prefer cheese n onion enchiladas. Also enchilada sauce from scratch is so much a better taste
Made these last night for dinner, they turned out great! Also beautiful presentation we served this alongside pork pazole and refried beans… delicious! Posted pic on Instagram 😊
Can’t wait to try it. Question:I am looking for an enchilada sauce that is more “orangy” colored than the red sauce. My favorite from 20 years ago.
Sorry but a Mexican enchilada.is never put in the oven.here us a link to how we make them in Michoacan Mexico
https://youtu.be/OmVLLFQaEzk
I would never top them with cabbage otherwise they sound good
Great recipe. Once you get the tortilla warming down, it’s smooth sailing!
Really enjoyed these this evening as part of the weekly plan. They were super easy to put together and tasted great. The only drawback was our enchilada sauce was spicier than anticipated (not the fault of the recipe) and so it was a bit less kid friendly than I hoped. My main modifications were blending several cheeses I had (cheddar, mozza and havarti) and I grated in half a zucchini I had for a bit of veggie. Will definitely make again- much easier than I thought! Thank you!
Tried this for lunch today, was very tasty and extremely cost effective, will be making this again for sure. Thanks for the recipe!