Enchiladas – Rich, Creamy, Easy, and Cheesy

Everyone needs a go-to meal that’s quick and easy for a weeknight dinner and no one wants to sacrifice flavor for speed. So I came up with my Easy Weeknight Enchiladas for when I’m just not feelin’ the efforts of a big presentation.

These enchiladas are covered with a blanket of creamy, cheesy goodness. They are served with diced tomatoes and black beans that work together to make a delicious one-pot recipe. This also means less cleanup for me and essentially you!

Bonus: My family loves a topping bar. I like to set out toppings so they can individually decorate their enchiladas. (Which secretly also saves me time but gives a little presentation.) I love to set out extra black olives, hot sauce, cilantro, crema, avocados, jalapenos, lime juice, and even tortilla chips. Did I forget anything?

If you like this recipe, you will love my: Easy Vinha D’alhos – Portuguese Marinade

My Favorite Enchilada Toppings

I love a drizzle of my favorite hot sauce over enchiladas to send them over the top with some additional acidity and spice. I also top mine with some homemade crema! The crema heightens the creaminess levels and helps that cheesy, melty, juicy awesomeness. Plus, crema is relatively easy to make yourself and, in my opinion, better than plain sour cream. 

Making Crema: I make a crema using about 1 tbsp lime juice, 2 tbsp milk, a pinch of kosher salt, and a 1/2 cup of sour cream. Stir until you get the liquid consistency for drizzling.

How Does it Work?

There are a few different ways you can try this recipe. You can use pre-made frozen burritos, but I recommend making your own. Why? It’s not that much extra time, you can prep on a weekend if needed and honestly, it uses leftover ingredients to save money.

To Easiest “Scratch” Enchiladas: Whenever I have leftover chicken, beef, or pork roast, I season it with some taco seasoning, paprika, cumin, and/or even hot sauce. I shred the meat and use it for enchiladas. First I take refried beans, slather them in a plain flour tortilla, add a bit of the seasoned meat, then lastly, sprinkle some Mexican cheese over the meat. Wrap or roll up the stuffed tortilla and place it in a freezer ziplock bag, keep dry until ready to bake. These will freeze for up to 3 months. You can pull them out and use them any time you are ready for some easy Weeknight Enchiladas!

Frozen Burrito Enchiladas: You could use regular pre-made frozen burritos. I would recommend one with some kind of meat either way.

Baking the Enchiladas: The trick is to cover the casserole dish with foil. It creates a steam pack that allows the burritos to cook down, soak up the juices of the vegetables, and soften the frozen burritos without making them too soggy. The oil also helps the cheese melt down to give you that irresistible cheese pull. It even helps with vegan cheese. The oil boosts the fat content that vegan cheese needs to get melty, which can be otherwise difficult to achieve.

Diet-Friendly Variations

You can easily make this dish vegetarian, vegan, dairy-free, gluten-free, etc. The possibilities of diet-friendly adaptations are wide open. Just be sure to use your favorite frozen burritos and toppings that fit your diet style. Of course, the nutritional facts will vary depending on the kind of burritos you choose, as well as cheese or additional toppings.

Finding Ingredients

• Enchilada Sauce Canned – You should be able to find canned Green Chile enchilada sauce or canned Red Chile enchilada sauce at your local grocery store or online. The sauce is remade all you need to do is pour it over your favorite burritos. I love the La Preferida enchilada sauce brand. When I cannot find La Preferida, then I use El Paso. You can easily use any brand or flavor that you prefer for this recipe.
  
• Green Chile Enchilada Sauce is fresh and brighter in flavor. I prefer it for chicken or pork, made with tomatillos, green chilies, garlic, onion, vinegar, and other spices. (Mainly cumin and cilantro.)
  
• Red Chile Enchilada Sauce is deep and earthier in flavor. I prefer it for beef or cheese, made with red chili peppers, garlic, onion, vinegar, and spices such as basil, oregano, and chili powder.
  
• Taco Seasoning – I used to make my own taco seasoning but now I’m lazy and instead use Old El Paso Taco Seasoning.
  
• Vegan Substitutes – I am aware of much dispute over favorite vegan cheese brands out there. I have tried countless myself. At the moment I am digging the Violife Mexican Cheese Blend. I have also used and liked SO Delicious Dairy Free Mexican Style Cheese Shreds. I do not claim it is better than dairy cheese because there are few things in this world that are. However, I have many allergies in my household so we use dairy-free alternatives. Please be sure to select the brand that works best for you and your kitchen.

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