These Tex Mex Cheese Enchiladas are a quick and delicious meal filled with melted cheese and covered in tangy homemade red enchilada sauce. Pair with traditional sides for a perfect weeknight meal.
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time20 minutesmins
Total Time30 minutesmins
Servings: 6
Calories: 772kcal
Ingredients
Red Enchilada Sauce (Chili Gravy)
1/4cupcooking oilvegetable or canola
1/4cupall purpose flour
3tablespoonschili powder
2teaspoonscumin
2teaspoonsgarlic powder
1teaspoonoregano
1/2teaspoonsalt
3cupschicken broth
Enchiladas:
12corn tortillas
3tablespoonscooking oilvegetable or canola
24ouncesshredded sharp cheddar cheese
1yellow oniondiced
Garnish (optional)
freshly chopped cilantro
finely diced onion
Instructions
To make the red enchilada sauce:
In a large skillet, combine 1/4 cup cooking oil, flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, and salt and cook over medium heat, stirring regularly.
Add the chicken broth slowly, whisking constantly to combine. Continue to add until all the chicken broth is whisked in and the mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5-10 minutes or until the enchilada sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
To make the cheese enchiladas:
Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
Place 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce in a large casserole dish and tilt it until it is evenly spread over the bottom. I used a 9x13" casserole dish.
In a small skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Once hot, place each tortilla in one by one flipping quickly to coat each side with the hot oil. Add additional oil as needed and repeat until all tortillas are flash cooked.
Once the tortillas are done, take a tortilla, place 2-3 tablespoons of cheese in it and about 1 teaspoon diced onions (optional), then roll it tightly and place seam side down in the casserole dish. Repeat until all enchiladas are rolled. You should reserve about 1 cup of cheese for topping.
Cover with the remaining sauce and then sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese over the top.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the edges start to bubble. Remove from oven and garnish with your choice of freshly chopped cilantro or onion.
Notes
Time Saving options:
Skip the homemade enchilada sauce and use a large can of store bought red enchilada sauce
Use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. If using flour tortillas, you do not need to prepare them by cooking in oil. You can skip right to rolling them up.
How to Store: Store covered in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.How to Freeze: Assemble the enchiladas in a baking dish. Skip the baking step and cover the dish to store in the freezer.When ready to bake, add an additional 15 minutes to the bake time, removing the foil towards the end to brown.How to Reheat: To reheat leftovers, bake in a preheated oven covered with foil for 10-15 minutes or until heated through.How to Scale: This recipe make 12 enchiladas. It can easily be halved or doubled to make a different size recipe. Adjust the baking dish if needed.