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Our easy Cheese Enchiladas recipe transforms corn tortillas, red enchilada sauce, and cheese into the most delicious 30 minute meal the whole family will love!
I could live off Cheese Enchiladas.
Sometimes the simplest recipes hit all the right notes, and nothing beats classic cheese enchiladas smothered in a homemade red enchilada sauce. The ingredients are simple and it all comes quickly, with no thawing or chopping. You can make them next-level by using our homemade enchilada sauce, or store-bought is great too, for a really quick and easy dinner.
I'm a Mexican food aficionado and have so many favorite Mexican-inspired recipes, like Chile Verde, Tamales, Tacos Al Pastor, Chilaquiles, Elotes or Pozole Verde.
How to make Cheese Enchiladas:
Assemble: Heat a dry skillet then warm both sides of the tortilla in pan, until softened and pliable. Or, use my easy recipe to make your own corn tortillas. Pour ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13″ dish. Fill each tortilla with a handful of cheese then roll tightly, placing it in the pan with the seam side down. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on top then sprinkle remaining ½ cup cheese on top.
Bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes, until hot and bubbly. Remove from oven and top with shredded cabbage, cotija cheese, chopped tomatoes, and a drizzle of sour cream. Enjoy with a side of refried beans, Mexican Rice, and Horchata.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: You can prep homemade cheese enchiladas several days in advance if you'd like. I recommend arranging the enchiladas in the baking dish then covering well, and storing the sauce in a separate airtight container. Then pour on the sauce and cheese when ready to bake. If you want to assemble it with the sauce, you can a few hours before baking.
To Freeze: Follow the recipe instructions through assembling, but don't bake it. Cover the pan with plastic wrap then tinfoil and keep in the freezer for up to 1 month. Let it thaw completely overnight in the refrigerator before uncovering and baking.
Recipe Variations:
- Bean and Cheese Enchiladas: Fill each tortilla with a scoop of homemade refried beans then sprinkle on the cheese and roll up.
- Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas: Fill each enchilada with cooked, shredded chicken and cheese, or check out my Loaded Chicken Enchiladas recipe.
- Cheese Enchiladas with Green Sauce: Use salsa verde or green enchilada sauce instead of the red.
Serve With:
- Authentic Mexican Rice
- Pico de Gallo
- Homemade Refried Beans
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Horchata
- Tres Leches Cake
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 Cotija cheese, , crumbled, 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. Remove to a plate as they're warm and cover with a kitchen towel.
- 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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe August 2016. Updated September 2022 and December 2024.
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!!!
I am making these tonight for a Lenten supper. I added some sweated onions too. I’m making it as a casserole. I out sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan then 6 tortillas, a generous layer of cheese, onions, another layer of tortillas, sauce, cheese ontions, m9re tortilliasand then the remaining sauce on top. It is in the oven cooking right now. Hope it will be done in 30 to 40 mins. If good I’m taking to church next Friday for our dinner after Stations of the Cross. Wish me luck!
Me too! Just can’t go to stations of the cross since our church is closed 🙁
I added onions and olives.. Its in the oven now..
Looks like a winner. Im going to make this tomorrow. However, I wonder when pre-cooking the tortilla, should there be a little oil in the pan?
The corn tortillas are already a cooked, so a hot dry skillet is best to make them pliable for rolling enchiladas without ripping. If you use oil they will get crispy and may crack when rolling them.
This is the exact ingredient list I have been looking for. I am making it with organic ingredients. Thank you
I made these tonight. I make the corn tortillas pliable by dipping them in sauce first then filling them with cheese and rolling. I also used shredded iceberg lettuce instead of cabbage. I didn’t have cotija cheese so used pecorino Romano cheese instead for the topping.
We love this recipe, thank you! I was wondering if we could make the enchiladas in advance & freeze them uncooked to bake when we’re ready to eat them?
I have numerous Mexican friends including my very best friend from Veracruz and using raw, uncooked tortillas in an enchilada recipe like this without lightly frying them in oil first is illogical to them.
This recipe doesn’t use raw uncooked tortillas. It uses cooked corn tortillas, that are warmed on a skillet to make them pliable.
Have anyone made it with green enchilada sause??
That would be delicious!
I made these today with your red enchilada sauce. They were delicious! Like others, I will never buy red sauce again. I used a combo of Dutch Gouda and medium sharp cheddar. It was a perfect blend. Thank you!
I made these today with your red enchilada sauce. They were delicious! Like others, I will never buy red sauce again. I used a combo of Dutch Gouda and medium sharp cheddar. It was a perfect blend. Thank you!
Help me with this. Where does one put the tomato and the cabbage?
Garnish on top!
Just made it (and the enchilada sauce) tonight.
It was a hit! Made them with flour tortillas, ‘ cause my husband and stepson prefer them. They never even noticed the cabbage. I used a 1/2 lb. ground beef with onion and sweet peppers as well as cheese for the filling. They claim to like enchiladas spicy, but they liked these mild ones better. I served them with Costa Rican rice and beans. My husband and I went there for our honeymoon in 2017. I’ve been making them ever since.