Family Recipe - Easy Tex-Mex Cheese Enchiladas (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good enchiladas? ›

Fry each of your tortillas in hot oil before adding in your enchilada filling. This will help keep the tortillas from soaking up too much of your sauce too quickly, which can also cause them to break apart.

Cotija cheese is one of the most used varieties in Mexico. You'll find it in several different recipes such as enchiladas, tacos, beans, salads, and soups. It's a white crumbly variety with a similar flavor and texture to feta.

Monterey Jack is a mild, creamy cheese that melts easily and adds a smooth texture to the enchiladas.

Spoon enchilada sauce over the tops of the tortillas ensuring they are completely covered - uncovered spots will come out tough and hard - then sprinkle reserved cheese on top. Cover baking dish with nonstick sprayed foil then bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and sauce is hot and bubbly.

Toppings: When it comes to enchiladas, I vote the more toppings the merrier! Any combination of chopped fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, diced red onion (or quick pickled red onions), sliced radishes, fresh or pickled jalapeños, sour cream or Mexican crema, and/or extra cheese would be delicious!

Las Palmas makes the best green enchilada sauce at the grocery store. It's a little tangy, super savory, and it tastes very fresh, even though it's canned enchilada sauce. If you're a green sauce lover, you will be thrilled with this premade enchilada sauce. You won't just want to stop at enchiladas!

Corn tortillas are traditional for enchiladas, but flour tortillas also work. Choose 7- or 8-inch flour tortillas or 6-inch corn tortillas—they fit best in most pans. Recipes vary, but for a 3-quart rectangular casserole dish, you will need about eight flour or corn tortillas. Get colorful!

Queso Blanco

Translated to “white cheese,” this option is yet another crumbly cheese for Mexican food. It's softer than Cotija, making it a more subtle option for refried beans, salads, and enchiladas. Queso Blanco is unique in that it melts well without melting completely.

What is Enchilada Sauce? Red enchilada sauce may also be called salsa roja, salsa roja para enchiladas or mole rojo. It is a sauce made out of ancho/ pasilla/New Mexico and/or Cascabel chiles, onion, garlic, tomatoes, broth, cumin, oregano, etc. all blended together then simmered until thickened.

It isn't necessary to cover enchiladas while baking. All of an enchiladas components are cooked and you are just heating them through when you bake them. Ideally your ingredients will be room temperature, not ice cold, when you assemble the enchiladas.

Are enchiladas better with corn or flour? ›

While some recipes use flour tortillas, corn tortillas are traditional — and for good reason — are the better option for enchiladas.

If you are actually following a quality enchilada recipe, you should have already dipped your tortillas into your chosen sauce before baking. This process softens the tortilla and infuses it with flavor, so if you just dump the rest of the good stuff on top of your dish before baking, you are begging for a soggy mess.

After you fry the tortillas, dip both sides in your delicious sauce and cover the entire surface. Then stuff and roll.

Once you get them all into a baking dish (this one's on the small side, so I had to use a second to fit in all the enchiladas I made), pour THE SAUCE over the top. If you like a lot of sauce, and I do, really lay it on thick. If you like things a little less over the top, well, take it easy.

Corn tortillas go well with Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and tamales. They are also perfect for use in tostadas, sopes, and quesadillas. Flour tortillas are often used in burritos, fajitas, and chimichangas. They are also great for making quesadillas, sweet dishes like dessert tacos, and breakfast burritos.

The quick fry does a couple of things.

Second, it adds flavor; the sugar in the tortilla starts to caramelize and the proteins brown. Finally, it adds richness from the oil. But don't stress about the oil—tortillas actually don't soak up too much of it, so your enchiladas won't seem heavy.