Mexican Enchiladas are one of my go-to weeknight meals! Ooey gooey cheese with chicken and veggies make this recipe irresistible.
“Why don’t you come over for dinner with the kids tonight”! In my seemingly never ending attempt to always make Kenya, Chloe and Gemma’s dinner times fun, those words fly out of my mouth to my mom friends on a weekly basis. And, without fail, moments after asking I think to myself, “Who am I kidding? When am I going to have time to prepare dinner for 4 kids and 4 adults when I’ve already got a crazy day of work ahead of me?”
As a result of my big mouth and boundless optimism, I’ve been forced to become the (self-proclaimed) queen of doubling recipes and freezing them for these types of occasions. And these enchiladas are a perfect candidate for doing just that. No matter if you’re cooking for 2 or 12, there’s nothing easier then pulling these out of the icebox, popping them into the oven and, 30 minutes later, enjoying warm tortillas filled with chicken, veggies and tons of gooey cheese.
At my last impromptu kids dinner, we were all sitting around, chowing down on this Mexican treat, and a mom friend leaned in to me to say, “I can’t believe you had the time to make these!” When it’s really that easy, why not have friends over every night?! If you’re looking for more freezer friendly meals try Crock Pot Meaty Pasta Sauce, Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites, Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas or this hearty Beef Stew in the Crock Pot.
Let me know what you think of these Mexican Enchiladas and tag me on social media if you make them!
Mexican Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 chicken breasts or 2 cups chicken, cooked and shredded
- 1 cup frozen corn, defrosted
- 1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend
- 1 28 oz can enchilada sauce
- 8 flour tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat and cook onions and salt for 3 minutes.
- Add red bell pepper and sauté for another 2 minutes.
- Add cumin and garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Remove the mixture from the pan and place in a bowl. After the mixture has cooled, add the chicken, corn, and 1 cup cheese and mix to combine.
- Pour half of the enchilada sauce in a 9 x 11 inch baking dish.
- Divide the mixture (about 1/2 cup each), placing it in the middle of each tortilla and rolling it up like a wrap (burrito shape).
- Place the rolled enchiladas close together, seam side down in the sauced baking dish. Continue to roll the rest of the filled enchiladas.
- Once you have finished making the stuffed enchiladas, pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over them and top with 1/2 cup cheese. *If you’re planning on making this dish another day, cover it and freeze at this point.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake in the oven for 15 minutes (30 minutes if you are starting with frozen enchiladas.
- Serve.
Notes
- Enchiladas will stay in the freezer for up to 4 months. For best results, prepare enchiladas then freeze. Do not bake.
If I use corn tortillas instead of flour, does that change cooking time? Do you not te amend corn? My daughter is gluten sensitive.
I made these last night with chicken poached in vegetable broth and my husband loved them! I used Rick Bayless’ Frontera sauce in a bottle and fresh whole wheat tortillas from Whole Foods. Also skipped the garlic and cumin since I didn’t have it, but didn’t miss them at all. I used a 3 quart glass pan and still could only fit 5 tortillas since they were big. Thanks for the recipe!
I made these from the Weelicious book and LOVE them! Thank you!
You do not have to thaw it before putting it in the oven, as long as your casserole dish is strong enough to handle going from the freezer to the oven!
Yumm..these are good. Would love some tips on how to freeze casseroles without having to use up my casserole dish. And, am I understanding it correctly that you don’t have to thaw before putting in the oven?