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Cheese Enchiladas with red sauce are cheesy, delicious comfort food. This authentic cheese enchilada recipe is so easy with just a handful of ingredients and it’s on the table in less than 30 minutes.
Serve these easy cheese enchiladas with Mexican Rice and Refried Beans for an authentic, restaurant quality Mexican meal.
Table of Contents
Homemade Cheese Enchiladas
These cheese enchiladas are a must make! They are super simple, with just 3 main ingredients and they are super easy to make.
The recipe can easily be doubled to feed a crowd and they’re great for potlucks and parties. They freeze beautifully either before or after baking, and everyone loves them. This is seriously the best cheese enchilada recipe!
Ingredients for Cheese Enchiladas
With only a few ingredients, the quality matters, so aim for the good stuff, especially the cheese.
- Corn Tortillas – I prefer Mission or Guerrero brand tortillas, but the important thing is to make sure they won’t crack. You want to use white corn tortillas because they are softer than yellow.
- Cheddar-Jack Cheese – Freshly grated off the block. If you can’t find a block of Cheddar-Jack blend, use half sharp cheddar cheese and half Monterey Jack cheese.
- Red Enchilada Sauce – My favorite brand is Hatch Chile Red Enchilada Sauce. If you have a favorite recipe, you can make it yourself. You need about 2 ½ cups.
- Toppings – Diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, crumbled cotija cheese, sour cream. These are optional and only for serving, but make for a pretty presentation.
How To Make Easy Cheese Enchiladas
See recipe card below for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
- Preheat your oven and grease a large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Spread some enchilada sauce in the bottom of the dish.
- Soften tortillas in the microwave. Dip them in sauce just to lightly coat them, and sprinkle cheese down the center. Roll it up and place seam side down in the dish.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese on top of the enchiladas and bake for about 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
FAQs
I like any kind of cheddar (mild, medium, or sharp) mixed with Jack cheese. Other Mexican cheeses like Asadero, Oaxaca, and Chihuahua cheese are ideal because they melt nicely. Do not use pre-shredded cheese as it contains additives that can impact its ability to melt properly. Grate the cheese yourself off the block.
Sure! You can add shredded chicken, pork, or beef, or make Ground Beef Enchiladas.
This happens when the tortillas aren’t warmed enough to make them soft and pliable. You can heat the enchilada sauce before dipping, or lightly fry the tortillas in a skillet with a little vegetable oil.
Serving Suggestions
Top a pan of cheesy enchiladas with shredded lettuce or cabbage, sour cream, diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, or chopped cilantro.
Or set up a toppings bar for everyone to top their own individual servings.
Pair with Mexican rice, Cilantro Lime Rice refried beans, Mexican Black Beans, or Slow Cooker Mexican Beans.
Variations
- As mentioned above, you could add meat to the cheese for meaty enchiladas.
- Mix the cheese with cream cheese and green chiles for an extra creamy filling with a kick.
Make Ahead, Storing and Reheating
Make Ahead: You can assemble the pan of enchiladas a day in advance. Cover and keep in the fridge for up to 24 hours or until you’re ready to bake. Bake uncovered. You can also freeze the prepared pan for up to 3 months. Thaw before baking.
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.
Freezer: Cover cooked enchiladas and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw completely before reheating.
Reheating: Reheat individual portions in the microwave for 60-90 seconds.
- Use freshly grated cheese for the best texture and flavor.
- If you don’t want to go the extra step of dipping the tortillas in sauce, you can skip it and just warm the tortillas in the microwave. They have the potential to crack slightly, but you won’t notice once you pour the sauce on.
- You can also use flour tortillas if you want, they will be larger so you won’t need as many, but they are also softer and more pliable than corn. This also means they could get soggy if you use too much sauce.
More Mexican-Inspired Recipes
Cheese Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 12 fresh corn tortillas
- 5-6 cups freshly grated cheddar-jack cheese or a combination of the two
- 20 ounces red enchilada sauce mild or hot
- Toppings – diced tomatoes, sliced green onions, crumbled cotija cheese, sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a large baking dish (9”x13”) with nonstick cooking spray.
- Spoon about a ½ cup of enchilada sauce into the baking dish and spread to coat evenly.
- Microwave tortillas for about 30 seconds to soften.
- Dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to lightly coat. Sprinkle a handful of cheese down the center of each tortilla (reserve about ½ – ¾ of a cup for topping). Roll tightly and place seam side down into the baking dish.
- Pour remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas. Top with remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Top with garnishes, if desired.
