Cheese enchiladas are the dish you make when you want something warm and filling without turning the kitchen into a project. This cheese enchiladas recipe uses a homemade red sauce built from pantry spices, so you get real flavor without opening a can. Soft corn tortillas get filled with a blend of melted cheddar and Monterey Jack, rolled tight, then baked until the sauce bubbles at the edges. It comes together in under an hour and works just as well for a weeknight dinner as it does for company. Once you taste the sauce, the store bought version will not compare.
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons chili powder , Not cayenne. Regular chili powder is milder and works better here.
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 0.5 teaspoon garlic powder
- 0.5 teaspoon onion powder
- salt , To taste
- 12 corn tortillas , Small to medium size, not the large burrito style
- 3 cups shredded cheese , A mix of cheddar and Monterey Jack melts best
- 0.5 cup white onion, finely diced
- black olives, sliced , Optional
- fresh cilantro, chopped , Optional, for topping
- 9 by 13 inch baking dish
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Mixing bowl
- Skillet for warming tortillas
- Tongs
- Box grater
- Aluminum foil
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Make the red sauce on the stovetop.
- Warm the tortillas so they roll without cracking.
- Fill each tortilla with cheese and onion, then roll it tight.
- Line the baking dish, cover with sauce and the rest of the cheese.
- Bake until the cheese melts and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and lightly grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with butter or a light coat of oil so the enchiladas do not stick as they bake.
- Set a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the oil or butter. Let it heat for about a minute, until it moves easily around the pan and looks shiny rather than dull.
- Whisk in the flour and chili powder right in the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring the whole time, until the mixture darkens slightly and smells toasted rather than raw and dusty.
- Pour in the broth slowly while whisking constantly. Adding it too fast is the main reason the sauce turns lumpy, so take your time here.
- Stir in the cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and a pinch of salt. The sauce will look thin at this point, which is normal.
- Let the sauce simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon and leave a clear line when you run your finger through it.
- Take the sauce off the heat and taste it. Add more salt if it needs it, and a touch more chili powder if you want a deeper color and stronger flavor.
- Warm the tortillas one at a time in a dry skillet over medium heat, about 15 seconds per side, until they bend without cracking. Stack them under a clean towel to keep them soft while you work.
- Spoon a thin layer of sauce into the bottom of the baking dish and spread it around with the back of a spoon so the tortillas do not stick to the pan while baking.
- Place about 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese and a small pinch of diced onion in the center of each tortilla. Resist the urge to overfill, since a thinner layer rolls much more easily.
- Roll each tortilla tightly and set it seam side down in the baking dish so it does not unroll while the rest of the batch is finished.
- Once all the tortillas are rolled and lined up snugly in the dish, pour the remaining sauce evenly over the top, making sure every tortilla gets covered.
- Sprinkle the last of the shredded cheese over the enchiladas in an even layer, right up to the edges of the dish.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil, making sure it does not touch the cheese, and bake for 15 minutes so everything heats through evenly.
- Remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 8 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted, slightly bubbling at the edges, and just starting to turn golden in a few spots.
- Let the dish sit for 5 minutes before serving. This short rest gives the sauce time to settle so the enchiladas hold their shape instead of sliding apart when you plate them.
- Stick with corn tortillas instead of flour. Corn holds up better against the sauce and gives you the texture people expect from this dish.
- Warm the tortillas before you fill them. Cold tortillas crack and fall apart the second you try to roll them.
- Shred the cheese yourself instead of buying the bagged kind. Block cheese melts smoother and clings to the sauce better, since bagged shreds are coated in starch to keep them from clumping in the bag.
- Do not rush the toasting step for the flour and chili powder. Thirty extra seconds here removes the raw, slightly bitter taste that undercooked spice can leave behind.
- Keep the sauce a bit thinner than you think it needs to be. It thickens more once it bakes in the oven, and a sauce that looks perfect on the stove can turn too thick once it sets.
- If you like a bit of char, broil the finished dish for 1 to 2 minutes at the very end. Watch it closely so the cheese does not burn, since broilers work fast and a few extra seconds makes a big difference.
- Taste the sauce before it goes anywhere near the tortillas. It is much easier to fix seasoning in the pan than after everything is assembled and baked.
- Let the cheese come closer to room temperature before shredding if your kitchen runs cold. Cold cheese is harder to grate evenly and tends to clump on the grater teeth.
- Overfilling the tortillas. This makes them hard to roll and they tend to split open in the dish once the sauce is added.
- Using tortillas straight from the fridge without warming them first. They will crack instead of bending, and cracked tortillas fall apart during baking.
- Pouring too much sauce into the bottom of the dish before adding the tortillas. This makes the bottoms soggy instead of just tender, and the enchiladas can end up sitting in a pool of liquid.
- Skipping the rest time after baking. The filling slides out if you cut into the dish too soon, since the sauce needs a few minutes to firm up slightly.
- Baking uncovered the whole time. The tortillas dry out before the cheese has a chance to fully melt, which leaves you with tough edges.
- Using a chili powder blend that already has salt in it without tasting the sauce first. It is easy to oversalt this way, especially if you also add salt separately out of habit.
- Not whisking the flour and chili powder constantly while it cooks. Even a few seconds of neglect can let the mixture scorch at the bottom of the pan, which turns the whole sauce bitter.
- Crowding the baking dish so tightly that the enchiladas touch on all sides. Leave a small gap between each roll so the sauce can reach every surface.
- Swap Monterey Jack for pepper jack if you want more heat built into the cheese itself.
- Add cooked shredded chicken or seasoned ground beef to turn this into a heartier main dish that stretches further for a family.
- Use vegetable broth and leave out any meat for a fully vegetarian version that still tastes rich because of the toasted spices in the sauce.
- Stir sauteed bell peppers or corn kernels into the cheese filling for extra texture and a bit of natural sweetness.
- Swap the chili powder for ancho or guajillo powder if you want a deeper, smokier sauce with a slightly fruitier background flavor.
- Flour tortillas work in a pinch, though the texture ends up softer and less traditional, and they tend to soak up more sauce than corn.
- For a milder version, cut the chili powder down to 2 tablespoons and skip the cumin, which is the spice most people notice first when a sauce reads as spicy.
- Add a layer of refried beans underneath the cheese before rolling for a Tex Mex style enchilada that eats more like a full meal on its own.
- Top the finished dish with a handful of chopped green onion and a squeeze of lime right before serving for a brighter finish.
- Mexican rice or cilantro lime rice
- Refried beans or black beans
- A simple green salad with a lime dressing
- Sour cream and fresh salsa on the side
- Sliced avocado or a scoop of guacamole
- Warm tortilla chips
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The flavor actually deepens a little on day two as the sauce continues to soak into the tortillas.
- Freeze the baked enchiladas in a freezer safe dish for up to 2 months. Wrap the dish tightly in plastic wrap and then foil to keep the sauce from drying out in the freezer.
- Thaw frozen enchiladas in the refrigerator overnight before reheating, rather than trying to reheat them straight from frozen, so they warm through evenly.
- Reheat in the oven at 350°F, covered with foil, for about 15 minutes, or until warmed through. Remove the foil for the last few minutes if you want the top slightly crisp again.
- For a single serving, microwave for 1 to 2 minutes and check halfway through, since microwave strength varies a lot between models.
- Avoid microwaving for too long. The tortillas turn rubbery if they sit in the microwave past a couple of minutes, and the texture does not recover once that happens.
- If the sauce looks like it has thickened too much after storage, stir in a splash of broth or water while reheating to loosen it back up.
Yes. Assemble the whole dish, cover it tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Add about 5 extra minutes to the bake time if it goes into the oven cold, and check that the center is fully hot before serving.
They are probably too cold or too dry. Warm each one in a dry skillet for about 15 seconds per side before you fill it, and keep the warmed ones stacked under a towel so they stay soft while you work through the batch.
Yes, though the flavor will be milder. Taste it first and stir in a pinch of cumin or chili powder if it needs more depth. A homemade sauce still gives you more control over saltiness and spice level.
Not really. It is mild as written, closer to a warm, savory flavor than an actual spicy one. Add diced jalapenos to the filling or use a spicier cheese if you want more heat.
Yes, as long as you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. Everything else in the recipe, including the cheese and tortillas, is already vegetarian.
A mix of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack gives you the best combination of flavor and smooth melting. Straight cheddar works too, it just melts a little thicker and holds its shape more.
Not easily. The oven is what melts the cheese evenly and lets the sauce set around the tortillas. A stovetop version tends to leave the cheese unevenly melted and the tortillas soggier.
Let the dish rest the full 5 minutes after baking, then use a sharp knife or the edge of a spatula to separate two or three enchiladas at a time before lifting them out.
- This recipe makes 6 servings, or about 12 enchiladas total, which usually works out to 2 per person as a main course.
- The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead and kept in the fridge until you are ready to assemble, which makes this an easy dish to prep in stages.
- Lightly frying the tortillas in a little oil before filling adds extra flavor and helps them hold together better, though it is not required if you are short on time.
- Use a deep dish if you double the recipe so the sauce does not overflow while baking, and add a few extra minutes to the covered baking time to make sure the center heats through.
- Let the dish cool for a few minutes before cutting into it so the filling does not spill out, especially if you are serving it to guests and want clean portions.
- If you are cooking for a crowd, this recipe scales well. Just keep the ratio of sauce to tortillas roughly the same as you increase the batch.
Cheese enchiladas do not need a long ingredient list or a complicated method to taste like something worth repeating. The sauce takes about ten minutes on the stove, the filling is just cheese and onion, and the oven handles the rest. What makes this version worth making again is the balance between the toasted, slightly tangy sauce and the cheese pulling apart in every bite. It holds up well as leftovers, adapts easily to whatever cheese you have on hand, and works for both quick dinners and casual get togethers. Once you make the sauce yourself, canned enchilada sauce will feel like a step backward.