How to Make Enchiladas

Last Updated: August 4, 2021

Enchiladas are a tasty Mexican dish that is made of a corn tortilla rolled around a cheesy filling. Enchiladas can be made with a variety of ingredients, such as beef, cheese, vegetables, or seafood. If you want to know how to make enchiladas, just follow these steps.

Ingredients

Simple Enchiladas

2 cans enchilada sauce, preferably Las Palmas
1 bag boneless, skinless, boiled chicken
1 bag shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cans sliced black olives
1 10 count bag tortillas
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
Sour cream
3 tsp. cilantro

Tex-Mex Enchiladas

3 tbsp. grapeseed oil
12 corn tortillas
1 chopped medium onion
1 minced clove of garlic
1 cup prepared salsa
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 cup water
1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
olive oil
1 lb. mild grated cheddar cheese
3 tbsp. cilantro
1 cup sour cream
1/2 head iceberg lettuce

Seafood Enchiladas

1 chopped onion
1 tbsp. butter
1/2 lb. fresh crabmeat
1/4 lbs. shrimp
8 oz. Colby cheese
6 10-inch flour tortillas
1 cup half and half cream
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup melted butter
1 1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. garlic salt

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Making Simple Enchiladas

1
Preheat your oven to 350ºF (176ºC).
2
Heat 2 tbsp. of vegetable oil in a pan.

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3
Fry 10 corn tortillas. Start by placing one tortilla in the pan. Cook it for 2-3 seconds, lift it with a spatula, and add another tortilla underneath it. Cook this one for 2-3 seconds, lift both tortillas again, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat this until you've cooked all of the tortillas, adding more oil during the process if it's necessary. As the tortillas brown, remove them from the pan and rest them on a paper towel to absorb any excess fat.
4
Heat 2 cans of enchilada sauce in a small pan. Heat the sauce just until it's nice and warm.
5
Dip the tortillas in the sauce.
6
Place the tortillas on the counter. This is the first step to distributing the ingredients into the tortillas.
7
Sprinkle 1 bag of boneless and skinless shredded boiled chicken down the middle of each tortilla.
8
Sprinkle 1 bag of shredded Monterey Jack cheese over the chicken. The cheese and chicken should be evenly distributed over all of the tortillas.
9
Top the enchiladas with 2 cans of sliced black olives. Distribute the olives evenly over the enchiladas. The olives should be pitted and thinly sliced.
10
Roll the enchiladas. Roll them in a cigar shape so that the ingredients are firmly in the center.
11
Place them seam-side down into a baking dish. This will ensure that they don't unravel while you're cooking them.
12
Place the enchiladas in the oven for 20-30 minutes.
13
Serve. Sprinkle them with 3 tsp. of diced cilantro for garnish and serve them with a side of sour cream.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Making Tex-Mex Enchiladas

1
Preheat your oven to 350ºF to (176ºC).
2
Heat 3 tbsp. of grapeseed oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
3
Fry the tortillas. Place one tortilla in the pan. Cook it for 3 seconds, lift it with a spatula, and add another tortilla underneath it. Cook this one for 2-3 seconds, lift both tortillas again, and add another tortilla underneath. Repeat this process until you've cooked all of the tortillas, adding more oil if necessary. As the tortillas brown, remove them from the pan and rest them on a paper towel to absorb any excess fat.^{[1]
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4
Sauté 1 chopped medium onion and 1 minced clove of garlic. Sauté them in the remaining oil until the onion and garlic brown a bit, and then turn off the heat.
5
Add 1 cup of salsa to the mixture.
6
Dissolve 3 tablespoon (44.4 ml). of tomato paste in 1 cup of water. Add this mixture to the pan.
7
Add 1 cup of crushed fire roasted tomatoes to the mix. Add a teaspoon of sugar to this mixture if it tastes too much like vinegar.
8
Cover the bottom of a large casserole pan with olive oil.
9
Sprinkle 1/2 lb. of mild grated cheddar cheese over the tortillas. Make sure the cheese is evenly distributed over 2/3 of each tortilla.
10
Roll up the tortillas in the casserole pan. Roll them all up and place them in the pan, seam-side down, to keep them from unraveling.
11
Cover the tortillas with the sauce. Pour the tomato, onion, and garlic mixture evenly over all of the tortillas.
12
Cover the tortillas with the remaining 1/2 lb. of cheese.
13
Place the tortillas in the oven for 10 minutes. It can take a bit less time or a bit longer, depending on how long it takes the cheese to melt.
14
Serve. Garnish the enchiladas with 3 tbsp. of cilantro and serve them a side of sour cream and sliced iceberg lettuce dressed with salt and vinegar.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Making Seafood Enchiladas

1
Preheat your oven to 350ºF to (176ºC).
2
Peel and devein 1/4 lbs. of shrimp. To peel the shrimp, just pull the skin off of each shrimp, starting with the head. To devein the shrimp, make a ¹⁄₄ inch (0.6 cm) cut into the back of each shrimp and pull out the dark vein with your hands or the knife. Repeat this process until you've deveined all of the shrimp.^{[2]
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3
Sauté 1 chopped onion and 1 tablespoon (14.8 ml). of butter in a large skillet. Sauté them until the butter is transparent. Then, remove the skillet from the heat.
4
Stir in 1/2 lb. of fresh crabmeat and 1/4 lbs. of shrimp.
5
Shred 8 oz. of Colby cheese.
6
Mix half of it into the seafood.
7
Place a large spoonful of the seafood mixture into each tortilla.
8
Roll up each tortilla and arrange them on a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Place them on the dish seam-side down to keep them from unraveling.
9
Make the sauce. Combine 1 cup of half-and-half cream, 1/2 cup of sour cream, 1/4 cup of melted butter, 1 1/2 tsp. of dried parsley, and 1/2 tsp. of garlic salt garlic salt together in the saucepan. Stir the mixture until it's blended and lukewarm.
10
Pour the sauce over the enchiladas. Distribute the sauce evenly over the enchiladas.
11
Sprinkle them with the remaining 4 oz. of Colby cheese.
12
Bake the enchiladas in the oven for 30 minutes.
13
Serve. Enjoy these tasty seafood enchiladas as a main course.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Making Other Enchiladas

1
Make Mexican Enchiladas. Make these tasty Mexican enchiladas with cheddar cheese and a variety of spices.
2
Make Green Enchiladas. Make these enchiladas with chicken, white cheese, and fresh tomatillo sauce.
3
Make Chicken Enchiladas. Make these enchiladas with chicken, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and a variety of spices.
4
Make Sour Cream Enchiladas. These enchiladas are made with a healthy portion of sour cream as well as ground beef or chicken.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do I keep my enchiladas from falling apart?

Randall Chambers
Personal Chef
Randall (Randy) Chambers is a Personal Chef and the Owner of Luxury Meals From Home based in Arvada, Colorado. He has more than 16 years of commercial kitchen experience, five years of sous chef experience, and two years of experience as an executive chef. Chef Randy draws inspiration from his half Bolivian background and his forte is South American cuisine. He holds an Associate’s degree in Culinary Arts from The Art Institute.

Randall Chambers

Personal Chef

Expert Answer

I would heat them up a little bit, on the stove or in the microwave. Just get it warm!