Homemade cheese and onion enchiladas are deliciously cheesy with rich flavor from the traditional corn tortillas and made-from-scratch red enchilada sauce.
⏲️ Time needed
Preparing the enchiladas takes about 15 minutes and baking them takes 40 minutes or so. Total prep time is just under an hour.
🥘 Ingredients
- green onions
- sour cream
- shredded Mexican blend or quesadilla cheese
- homemade enchilada sauce
- corn tortillas
📋 Instructions
Combine the ingredients for the enchilada sauce and simmer for about 10 minutes.
Chop green onions, reserving 2 chopped onions.
Mix all but the 2 reserved onions with the sour cream and 2 cups of the Mexican cheese.
Pour ⅓ of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x12 pan.
Fill each tortilla with an even amount of the cheese mixture, spooning it down the center line of the tortilla. Fold the two unfilled sides to the center, overlapping them, and place the enchilada folded side down in the baking pan. (If the tortillas are too stiff to fold, you can heat them in the microwave under a damp paper towel or carefully steam them for a few seconds over boiling water.)
Pour the remaining sauce over enchiladas in the pan and bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
Top with cheese and reserved green onions and bake until cheese is melted over the top (about 10 more minutes).
❓ FAQ
Certainly! Although the rich flavor of corn tortillas adds to the finished dish, flour tortillas are a perfectly acceptable substitution.
Our homemade enchilada sauce recipe is less expensive than canned sauce and easy to make, but canned sauce can be used. My family prefers Old El Pasa red enchilada sauce, which comes in mild, medium, and hot variations.
You can use either green (verde) or red (roja) sauce in cheese enchiladas. Each has a distinctive flavor, with green chilis as the base for verde sauce and tomatoes as the base for roja sauce.
Oaxaca cheese, or quesilla, is a white cheese that melts easily with a creamy texture that is often used as filling in Mexican dishes. Queso quesadilla, labeled quesadilla cheese in English, is another creamy white cheese that melts easily.
Since these cheeses are not universally available in grocery stores in the US, Mexican cheese or Monterey Jack cheese are often used by home cooks.
Corn tortillas are prone to breaking, and traditionally they are quick-fried and rolled or folded immediately afterward. I find it easier to steam them in the microwave wrapped in damp paper towels.
When shopping for corn tortillas, look for products specifically labeled "soft." These will fold easier.
Recipe
Cheese and Onion Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 bunch green onions, divided
- 2 cups sour cream
- 4 cups shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
- 8 small corn tortillas
Enchilada Sauce
- 22.5 ounces tomato sauce
- ¾ teaspoon oregano
- 2-¼ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1-½ teaspoons onion powder
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Combine 22.5 ounces tomato sauce, ¾ teaspoon oregano, 2-¼ teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon chili powder, and 1-½ teaspoons onion powder in a sauce pan and simmer for about 10 minutes.
- While sauce is simmering, chop 1 bunch green onions, reserving 2 chopped onions.
- Mix all but the 2 reserved onions with 2 cups sour cream and 2 cups of shredded Mexican cheese.
- Pour ⅓ of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 9x12 pan.
- Fill each of 8 small corn tortillas with an even amount of the cheese mixture, spooning it down the center line of the tortilla. Fold the two unfilled sides to the center, overlapping them, and place the enchilada folded side down in the baking pan. (If the tortillas are too stiff to fold, you can heat them in the microwave under a damp paper towel or carefully steam them for a few seconds over boiling water.)
- Pour the remaining sauce over enchiladas in pan. Bake for 30 minutes at 350°F.
- Top with remaining cheese and reserved green onions and bake until cheese is melted over the top (about 10 more minutes).
Notes
Nutrition per serving
🥗 Side dishes
Cheese and onion enchiladas are delicious with Restaurant-Style Mexican Rice, refried beans, or a green salad.
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Julienne
I'm sorry, but these are the worst cheese and onion enchiladas I have ever had. The sauce is bland, and the enchilada filling is just gross - way too much sour cream. I added some extra onion and there still wasn't enough. Just a pasty, tasteless enchilada. I'll be looking for a better recipe.