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.
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
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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 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
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I originally shared this recipe August 2016. Updated September 2022 and December 2024.
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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!!!
Tried this for lunch today, was very tasty and extremely cost effective, will be making this again for sure. Thanks for the recipe!
If you make them in advance do you still put the sauce in the pan first? Wouldn’t they get soggy?
You can just spray the bottom of the pan lightly with cooking spray, add the enchiladas, and reserve the sauce to add separately, later.
Lauren, I haven’t tried your recipe yet, but after baking this, would it be possible to freeze the leftovers for extra meals? There are only two of us in my household.
Yes, you can freeze these after baking OR freeze the portion you plan to save before baking and bake them later!
Cotija cheese is not available here – can Monterey Cheese be used instead
The Cotija is optional. If you can’t find any the closest substitute is feta but you can also leave it off. Enjoy!
Could these be rolled ahead of time and placed in refrigerator until ready to cook?
Absolutely! We hope you love them as much as we do!
Delicious enchilada sauce. Loved the way they turned out. I did have a problem with the enchiladas tearing as I wrapped them.
The sure-fire way is to soften each corn tortilla in a small skillet with a quarter-inch of warm canola or other mild oil in it. Put a tortilla in the oil for a few seconds, then drain the tortilla on a paper towel. Repeat.
You also can try steaming them in the microwave, wrapped in moistened paper toweling, but the results are not guaranteed as they are with the oil-in-skillet method.
You can microwave the corn tortillas for several seconds so they can soften in order to wrap them without tearing.
Ready to rock this recipe. I feel confident after carefully reading your instructions. Will make an additional batch with left over turkey shredded of course. Thanks
love your recipes and thank you for sharing
Your recipes are awesome Lauren ! Thank you ! I have tried several and have been winners with family !
In the recipe it says corn tortillas, but in the video, flour tortillas are used. Are they interchangeable in this recipe? I know that corn tortillas are more authentic.
Thanks.
Yes, you could use either–I suggest corn.