Cheese and Onion Enchiladas
These Cheese and Onion Enchiladas are smothered in a savory, chili-forward red enchilada sauce and melted cheese, then baked until hot and bubbly. It’s a comforting and crowd-pleasing meal that’s perfect for any night of the week.
While I’ve used canned enchilada sauce in the past for convenience, there really is nothing quite like a homemade sauce for your enchiladas. The flavor is so rich and vibrant, and it’s incredibly easy to make too! Prepare your sauce ahead of time for quick and convenient use when making these cheese and onion enchiladas or to enjoy with an array of other Mexican-inspired recipes.
What are cheese and onion enchiladas?
These cheese and onion enchiladas with homemade red sauce are a hearty and comforting Tex-Mex dish, featuring soft corn tortillas wrapped around a simple filling of shredded Mexican cheese and finely chopped onion, then smothered in a rich, savory red enchilada sauce made with chili powder, garlic, oregano, and tomato paste.
The assembled enchiladas bake covered until the cheese melts, then uncovered until the sauce bubbles around the edges, with an extra layer of sauce and gooey melted cheese on top. These ultra-comforting, meatless enchiladas are best served with fresh toppings like cilantro, sour cream, salsa, and avocado for a bright, complete meal.
Why you’ll love this cheese and onion enchiladas recipe
- The recipe features a rich, homemade red enchilada sauce for superior depth of flavor.
- A simple, meatless filling of melted cheese and finely chopped onion wrapped in authentic corn tortillas is all you need for an outstanding meal.
- Make these cheese and onion enchiladas in just 30 minutes from scratch! I really love this for last-minute entertaining. A quick dish with so much flavor!
Ingredients needed to make cheese and onion enchiladas
- Red enchilada sauce: This homemade red enchilada sauce consists of finely chopped onion sauteed in olive oil, chili powder, all-purpose flour for thickening, tomato paste for concentrated flavor, minced garlic, dried oregano, pepper, and chicken broth.
- Flour tortillas: Flour tortillas are our favorite, but you can use corn tortillas, which makes the dish a little more authentic.
- Mexican cheese blend: I’ve used a Mexican blend that includes cheddar cheese.
- Onion: Finely chopped and added to the shredded cheese filling when assembling these cheese and onion enchiladas.
- Garnish: Enjoy each serving with your favorite enchilada toppings, such as a dab of salsa, sour cream, and chopped cilantro. Lime wedges are great for serving alongside your enchiladas.
How do you make cheese and onion enchiladas?
Make the sauce:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and position the rack in the middle. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a skillet over medium heat, warm the oil until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the chili powder, flour, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it cook for about 4 minutes, until slightly thickened, then remove from heat.
- Measure out 2 cups of the sauce and set them aside. Pour the remaining sauce into the prepared baking dish.
Assemble the enchiladas:
- Stack the tortillas, wrap them in a damp dish towel or damp paper towels, and microwave for about 30 seconds, until pliable.
- Place ¼ cup of cheese across the center of one tortilla with chopped onion. Roll the tortilla tightly around the cheese and onion and place it seam side down into the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining 17 tortillas, arranging the enchiladas side by side in a single row on top of the sauce.
- Pour the reserved 2 cups of sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
Bake and serve:
- Cover the dish and bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
- Remove the cover and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
- Sprinkle with finely chopped onions, and serve with lime wedges, sour cream, and chopped cilantro.
Serving
Enjoy individual servings of these cheese and onion enchiladas topped with your favorites, such as salsa, sour cream, fresh cilantro, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, and chopped avocado chunks.
Serve your cheese and onion enchiladas alongside a side of Mexican Rice Salad, Homemade Refried Pinto Beans, Charred Grilled Corn Salad, Easy Corn Pico de Gallo Salad, or Mexican pasta salad.
For a boost of protein, consider adding Mexican Chicken Marinade to the plate for the juiciest, best grilled chicken.
Round off the meal with a bowl of Mexican Vanilla Ice Cream and a drizzle of Chocolate Syrup.
Sandy’s tips and substitutions:
- Storage: Once completely cool, store leftover cheese and onion enchiladas with red sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. For the best results, reheat your leftover enchiladas at 350°F in the oven for 15-20 minutes, covered with foil to prevent drying out.
- Freezing: Leftover enchiladas will last for 2 to 3 months in the freezer. For best results, wrap the baking dish tightly in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil, or transfer individual portions to airtight freezer-safe containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
- Make ahead: Make your red enchilada sauce 1-2 days in advance and store in a canning jar in the fridge, ready to be used to make these enchiladas or any other recipe that calls for red enchilada sauce! Make sure to give the stored sauce a good shake before using.
- Saucy layers: Adding the enchilada sauce as the first layer in the baking dish not only provides additional flavor to the filled tortillas as they bake, but will also provide just enough moisture so that they don’t harden or crack from drying out. The same applies for topping the assembled enchiladas with this sauce.
- Prevent spillage: Wrap the tortillas tightly around the filling to prevent any leakage while baking. Placing the wrapped tortillas seam down in the baking dish will also help to prevent the filling from escaping.
- Browning too quickly: If your cheesy topping is browning too quickly in the oven, cover the baking dish with foil and then remove the foil 5 minutes before the end of the baking time.
- Don’t overfill the corn tortillas: You will only need ¼ cup of the cheese and onion mixture to place down the center of each tortilla. Any more than that and you will find it difficult to wrap the tortillas tightly.
Variations
- Meaty cheese and onion enchiladas: Add 80% lean ground beef to this cheese and onion enchiladas recipe for all the meat lovers out there! Ground turkey, ground pork, or ground chicken could be used too.
- Green enchilada sauce: Add a simple twist to this dish by making these cheese and onion enchiladas with Homemade Green Enchilada Sauce. It’s gluten-free too!
- Canned/jarred red enchilada sauce: You’re welcome to use store-bought red enchilada sauce. Keep in mind that 2 cans (10 oz) will replace the 2 ⅕ cups of homemade red enchilada sauce.
- Tortillas: Feel free to use flour tortillas instead of corn, if you prefer.
- Filling add-ins: Add beans, lentils, corn, peppers, or fresh tomatillos to the cheese and onion filling while still keeping this dish vegetarian.
For more comforting Mexican-inspired dishes, check out my Mexican Tortilla Lasagna, Mexican Soup, and Cornbread Taco Bake.
More hearty enchilada meals you may want to try:
- Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce
- Cake Pan Layered Enchilada Bake
- Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup
- Chicken Enchilada Pie with Mole
Get the Recipe:
Cheese and Onion Enchiladas
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- ⅓ cup olive oil
- 1 ½ cup finely chopped onion
- 4 Tbsp chili powder
- 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp pepper
- 4 ½ cups chicken broth
For the enchiladas:
- 18 flour tortillas 6", or corn tortillas
- 24 ounces Monterey Jack cheese shredded, 6 cups, divided
- ½ cup finely chopped onion
Garnish:
- Lime wedges
- Sour cream
- chopped cilantro optional
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 450°F and position the rack in the middle. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- In a skillet over medium heat, warm the oil until it shimmers. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened.
- Stir in the chili powder, flour, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, and pepper. Cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
- Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let it cook for about 4 minutes, until slightly thickened, then remove from heat.
- Measure out 2 cups of the sauce and set them aside. Pour the remaining sauce into the prepared baking dish.
- Stack the tortillas, wrap them in a damp dish towel or damp paper towels, and microwave for about 30 seconds, until pliable.
- Place ¼ cup of cheese across the center of one tortilla with chopped onion. Roll the tortilla tightly around the cheese and onion and place it seam side down into the sauce in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining 17 tortillas, arranging the enchiladas side by side in a single row on top of the sauce.
- Pour the reserved 2 cups of sauce over the enchiladas, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top.
- Cover the dish and bake for about 10 minutes, until the cheese has melted.
- Remove the cover and continue baking for about 5 more minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
- Sprinkle with finely chopped onions, and serve with lime wedges, sour cream, and chopped cilantro.
Notes
Sandy’s tips:
- Storage: Once completely cool, store leftover cheese and onion enchiladas with red sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. For the best results, reheat your leftover enchiladas at 350°F in the oven for 15-20 minutes, covered with foil to prevent drying out.
- Freezing: Leftover enchiladas will last for 2 to 3 months in the freezer. For best results, wrap the baking dish tightly in both plastic wrap and aluminum foil, or transfer individual portions to airtight freezer-safe containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the oven.
- Make ahead: Make your red enchilada sauce 1-2 days in advance and store in a canning jar in the fridge, ready to be used to make these enchiladas or any other recipe that calls for red enchilada sauce! Make sure to give the stored sauce a good shake before using.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
