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!!!
I’ve made this a couple of times and it is easy and comes out great. The most recent time I used half monterey jack half cheddar and I added some roasted vegetables in place of some of the cheese. I’ve made several recipes from your site now all winners.
Made these for supper and served with your instant pot Mexican rice and some instant pot black beans I had in the freezer! Just my husband and I and we ate well over half of it!!!😳 😄
I gave it a go, added a little beef. They were amazing! The recipe was easy to follow and things turned out great. I also liked that prep was easy, there weren’t a lot of dishes to clean up and the process from start to finish didn’t take a long time.
Sooo good! Clean plates all around! Family raved and asked for more! Next time I’ll make extra for lunches.
Hubby loved the nostalgic taste…just like tv dinner but better!
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.
Just viewed a recipe to add sour cream to the red sauce. I think that would look orange.
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!