20+ Easy Enchilada Recipes

January 02, 2020
Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr
Enchiladas are a can't-lose dinner: They're not difficult to prepare, kids love them, and they're even more delicious the next day. With that in mind, make one of these easy enchiladas for dinner tonight, or prepare one for a fun, prep-ahead breakfast.
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Creamy Chicken and Collard Green Enchiladas

Photo: Hector Maneul Sanchez; Styling: Caroline M. Cunningham
Creamy Chicken and Collard Green Enchiladas Recipe

Collards pair well with this chile sauce, but you can substitute other hearty greens too, like kale. To easily prep collard greens, simply submerge the leaves in a sink full of cold water, swish them around, then let them soak for a few minutes so the grit falls to the bottom of the sink. If using kale, be sure to remove the tough, fibrous stems before chopping—they're not so good for eating. 

 

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Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe

Chipotles can be a touch spicy, but you can use only half of what's called for to decrease heat and still get great smoky flavor.

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Beef and Cheddar Enchiladas

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Claire Spollen
Beef and Cheddar Enchiladas Recipe

A decadent beef roast fills these mouth-watering enchiladas. This unique Tex-Mex dish is sure to have everyone begging for the recipe.

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Juan Luis Green Chile-Chicken Enchiladas

Greg DuPree
Juan Luis Green Chile-Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Charleston chef John Lewis infuses classic chicken enchiladas with the flavors of his native El Paso (influenced by Texas, Mexican, and New Mexican cuisine). Pro tip: save leftover green-chile sauce (flecked with fiery Anaheim and Hatch chiles) for an elevated update on queso, breakfast tacos, or chile rellenos. 

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Mini Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Photo: Steven DeVries; Food Styling: Catherine Crowell Steele; Prop Styling: Heather Chadduck Hillegas
Mini Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas Recipe

Everyone loves enchiladas but all that rolling and filling can be a little labor-intensive on a busy weeknight. So we figured out a way to bake up a pan of delicious mini enchiladas in three easy steps! First, tuck small flour tortillas into two muffin pans and bake until browned to make crispy shells. Next, fill the prepared shells with a mixture of black beans, refried beans, enchilada sauce, green chiles, and shredded Monterey Jack cheese. Use a mild enchilada sauce and omit the chiles if your family doesn’t like a lot of heat. Bake the mini enchiladas until the cheese melts, then top each one with shredded lettuce, pico de gallo, sour cream, and scallions. Serve with your favorite green salad (a serving size is three mini enchiladas per person) for a fast and family-friendly meal that will be on your dinner table in 30 minutes. 

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White Bean Enchiladas

White Bean Enchiladas Recipe
The reader loves experimenting in the kitchen, and is always on the lookout for low-fat ideas. This reader once came across a lasagna recipe that called for white beans instead of cheese; that's what inspired this dish. These enchiladas are really easy to make, and you can put them together up to a day ahead. They reheat well in the microwave, too.
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Stacked Chicken Enchiladas

Photo: Jennifer Causey; Styling: Ginny Branch 
Stacked Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Because you layer this Tex-Mex dish instead of rolling each enchilada individually, you save time in the kitchen, and the results are ultimately healthier.

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Breakfast Enchiladas

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro, Laura Zapalowski
Breakfast Enchiladas Recipe

Associate Food Editor Mary Allen Perry likes the make-ahead ease of this breakfast casserole recipe.  Prepare the recipe, without baking, and refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes; bake as directed. Tip: Make the Cheese Sauce before scrambling the eggs so the sauce will be ready to add at the proper time.

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20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas

Caitlin Bensel
20-Minute Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Quick tip: While the sauce cooks, shred the chicken. For a spicy kick, top with chopped jalapeños.

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Simple Enchilada Casserole

Time Inc. Video Studio 
Simple Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Spicy, creamy, and wholly comforting! 

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Roasted Chili Verde Chicken Enchiladas

Roasted Chili Verde Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

Skip red enchilada sauce in favor of homemade chili verde in this Mexican classic. The heat level of poblanos can range from mild to spicy. Removing the seeds lessens the kick.

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Stacked Shrimp Enchiladas

Photo: Greg Dupree; Styling: Audrey Davis
Stacked Shrimp Enchiladas Recipe

Making enchiladas the traditional way--filling each tortilla and rolling it up--is a bit of a project for a weeknight. This quicker version brings enchiladas to the table faster with no loss of flavor.

Wine pairing: Quivira 2015 Sauvignon Blanc (Sonoma County; $17).

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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce

Photo: Kelsey Hansen; Prop Styling: Kashara Johnson; Food Styling: Adam Hickman and Briana Riddock
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas with Red Sauce Recipe

Are you ready for the best chicken enchiladas of your life? While you could use a rotisserie chicken for this cheesy enchilada recipe, poaching chicken breasts in a delicately flavored liquid both creates succulently tender meat (that won’t dry out as the casserole bakes) and adds another layer of flavor to the dish. The key to successful poaching is temperature control; you want to keep your poaching liquid from ever reaching a boil. In fact, you should aim to keep the water at a state of releasing wispy spouts of steam from the surface, but never bubbling, throughout the entirety of the cooking process. (It’s not nearly as intense/difficult as it seems.) You should also try to purchase chicken breasts that are roughly the same size so that they cook at the same rate. While the total prep time on this recipe isn’t exactly what you might consider “speedy,” it’s a fun dish to prepare and assemble with another helper in the kitchen. Prep a pan (or two, so you have one for the freezer!) on Sunday to enjoy heading into a new week. Featuring smoky ancho chili powder and some of the poaching liquid, the homemade enchilada sauce is another distinguishing delight of this dish; however, if you’re looking to shave time off of the recipe, you can substitute store-bought sauce. And if you opt to use rotisserie or leftover chicken as a shortcut, but still want to make your sauce from scratch, simply substitute water and/or chicken stock for the liquid called for. 

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Morelia-Style Enchiladas

Morelia-Style Enchiladas Recipe
These Michoacan-style enchiladas are simply folded or rolled for tortillas napped in a chile sauce, not the baked casserole as in the U.S.

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Creamy Chicken Enchiladas

Creamy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

If you're looking for an easy Mexican main dish recipe, try these creamy chicken enchiladas. Eight ingredients and a few minutes of prep time are all you need to get these enchiladas baking away in the oven.

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Smothered Enchiladas

Photo: Lee Harrelson; Styling: Jan Gautro
Smothered Enchiladas Recipe

Spiced ground beef wrapped in tortilla, covered in cheese, and smothered with a homemade sauce? Yeah, we'll have that.

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Make-Ahead Breakfast Enchiladas

Photo by Teresa Sabga
Make-Ahead Breakfast Enchiladas Recipe
Prep tonight, enjoy tomorrow

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Chicken Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas Recipe

These easy, cheesy chicken enchiladas come together in a snap and are faster and way more delicious than fast food.

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Black Bean, Corn, and Zucchini Enchiladas

Black Bean, Corn, and Zucchini Enchiladas Recipe

These quick and easy zucchini enchiladas are an easy weeknight family favorite whether you’re vegetarian or not. They feel light and healthy, but they’re still filling and satisfying. The secret is all in the homemade sauce: chunky tomatoes and onions, minced garlic, chili powder, honey, and ground cumin make a huge difference here, so don’t skip it. Plus, it’s even better the next day. Try serving with rice, quinoa, diced or sliced avocado, sautéed onion, a dollop of sour cream, or a squeeze of lime juice. 

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Chicken Enchilada Casserole

Photo: John Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Chicken Enchilada Casserole Recipe

Tex-Mex chicken enchilada casserole is a delicious dinner main when you are craving Southwestern-style comfort food without the notorious gut-busting casserole calories. Scoring in at under 375 calories, this lightened up enchilada bake is a win-win for your taste buds and keeping your diet in check. For busy weeknights, this time extensive dish can be made ahead of time. Simply prep the casserole and refrigerate for up to two days or freeze for up to a week. 

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Skillet Enchiladas Suizas

Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Torie Cox
Skillet Enchiladas Suizas Recipe

No filling. No rolling. These are our easiest enchiladas ever. Serve this crowd-pleasing skillet supper straight out of the skillet and let everyone add their own toppings for a fun family dinner. Lime wedges, thinly sliced radishes, crumbled cotija cheese, sliced scallions, pickled red onions, and pickled jalapeño slices are all tasty additions.

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Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner; Styling: Cindy Barr
Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas Recipe
Trade the traditional enchilada sauce for a creamy, cheesy topping on this 40-minute Mexican chicken casserole. Your family will never know they're enjoying a lightened meal.
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