The BEST Cheese Enchiladas recipe uses corn tortillas, red enchilada sauce, and plenty of cheese! This meal is easy, delicious, and made in just 30 minutes!
Looking for more Mexican food? Try my Chicken Tinga, Fajita Bowls, or Wet Burrito!
Why I love this recipe:
- Quick – This meal is ready to eat in just 30 minutes! Perfect for a busy weeknight or whenever you want an easy dinner.
- Delicious – These cheese enchiladas remind me of the ones I fell in love with when I lived in Mexico.
- Simple – Only a few ingredients needed for this meal the whole family will love!
How to make Cheese Enchiladas:
Warm Tortillas: warm corn tortillas on a hot dry skillet, for a few seconds on each side, until softened and pliable.
Assemble Enchiladas: Pour ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9×13” pan. Fill each corn tortilla with a handful of cheese. 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, chopped tomatoes, and a drizzle of sour cream.
Serve with a side of Mexican Rice, refried beans and Horchata!
What kind of tortillas for enchiladas?
In Mexico enchiladas are typically made with corn tortillas, but if you enjoy flour tortillas, those will work great. It’s important to warm the corn tortillas to make them easier to roll for enchiladas, and to prevent them from cracking. To warm the corn tortillas, place them on a hot, dry, skillet or griddle and cook them for 15-30 seconds on each side.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: Cheese enchiladas can be prepared several days in advance, if desired. For best results, place enchiladas in baking dish, and store in the fridge, separately from the sauce. Alternately, assemble the entire dish, with sauce on top, a few hours in advance.
To Freeze: Assemble enchiladas then cover in plastic wrap and tinfoil. Freeze for up to 1 month. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator before uncovering and baking.
Recipe Variations:
- Bean and Cheese Enchiladas: Add a scoop of my Homemade Refried Beans in the tortilla with the cheese.
- Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas: Add shredded chicken to the enchiladas, or check out my Loaded Chicken Enchiladas recipe.
- Cheese Enchiladas with Green Sauce: Swap out the red enchilada sauce for salsa verde or green enchilada sauce.
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.
- 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.
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1/4 cup chili powder is insane. I used just 3 teaspoons and people were commenting on how spicy it was. 1/4 cup will render it inedible. Also my enchiladas were dry so it may have been better to add the sauce after baking the tortillas or something.
I’m wondering how these are making them with thin flour tortillas? I’m making them today and just wondering if they will turn out? Thanks!
Using flour tortillas would work fine! Just warm them up a little before rolling them with the cheese inside.
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!!!😳 😄