Why am I calling these enchiladas Weeknight Bean and Cheese Enchiladas? Because they’re basic. Nothing frilly or fancy, just simple, basic enchiladas. But there are three things that, IMHO, turned these very basic enchiladas into something quite extraordinary. Read on to see the secret to making your enchiladas next level.
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How to Make Good Enchiladas
There are three simple things that make a really good enchilada, IMHO:
- Toasted corn tortillas
- Enchilada sauce that doesn’t come from a can
- Insanely good refried beans
Numbers one and two only a few minutes to complete, and make a huge difference in the end flavor and quality of the enchiladas. Number three might take a little longer, but it can be done ahead of time so that there’s no extra work on your weeknight. And if there is one of the three that I had to compromise on, it would be number three.
What Kind of Tortillas to Use for Enchiladas
Corn tortillas are best for making enchiladas. They hold up better to enchilada sauce and give a great toasty corn flavor, as long as you take the extra step to toast them. Toasting the tortillas in a dry skillet before assembling the enchiladas gives them a nice nutty flavor, makes them stronger, and prevents them from cracking open in the oven.
What Kind of Enchilada Sauce?
My Easy Red Enchilada Sauce only takes about 5 minutes to make, but makes a world of difference compared to canned sauce. Sure, it’s not full-fledged, grind-your-own-dry-peppers, from-scratch sauce, but we’re going for the best “weeknight” version here. This sauce still has an intense flavor that drenches the enchiladas and really takes the dish to the next level.
Bean Options
Refried beans are best for enchiladas. I made my (not) Refried Beans, from scratch, in the slow cooker the day before, but this can be done anytime ahead and the beans kept ready and waiting in the freezer.
If you don’t want to make your own beans from scratch, you can still doctor up two cans of beans. I suggest mincing a clove of garlic, finely dicing a jalapeño, sautéing both in a splash of oil until soft, then adding the beans, some cumin, and maybe even a splash of your favorite hot sauce (Cholula would be nice).
Cheese Options
Cotija is really great for topping enchiladas. If you can’t find Cotija, or it’s too expensive, you can go with my second favorite option: pepper jack. The creamy melty texture of pepper jack is also awesome with enchiladas.
Toppings for Enchiladas
I like to add a bit of chopped cilantro to the top of my bean and cheese enchiladas after baking, for a little punch of freshness. If you’re not into cilantro, sliced green onion also goes well with these flavors and also provides a little fresh green flavor. I also doubled down on creaminess and added sliced fresh avocado (again, after baking).
Weeknight Enchiladas
Servings 4 4 enchiladas eachIngredients
SAUCE
- 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil ($0.08)
- 2 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.30)
- 2 Tbsp flour ($0.02)
- 2 cups water ( $0.00)
- 3 oz. tomato paste ($0.33)
- ½ tsp cumin ($0.05)
- ½ tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)
- ¾ tsp salt ($0.03)
ENCHILADAS
- 16 small corn tortillas ($0.93)
- 4 cups refried beans ($1.60)
- 8 oz. Pepper Jack, shredded (2 cups) ($2.29)
- 1/2 large avocado, sliced thin ($0.75)
- 1/4 bunch cilantro (or green onions), roughly chopped ($0.25)
Instructions
- Begin by making the sauce. In a small sauce pot, combine the chili powder, flour, and oil. Heat over a medium flame, while stirring, for one to two minutes to toast the spices and flour. Whisk in the water, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Allow the mixture to come to a simmer, at which point it will thicken. Once thick enough to coat a spoon, taste and add salt as needed (1/2 to 3/4 tsp). Set the sauce aside.
- Toast the tortillas in a dry skillet over medium flame until they are just flecked with brown on each side. The tortillas should be slightly more firm, but still pliable enough to roll. Stack the tortillas on a clean plate as they come out of the skillet.
- Prepare a casserole dish by coating with non-stick spray, then spread a layer of enchilada sauce over the bottom (1/2 to 1 cup). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Add about 1/4 cup of refried beans to each tortilla, plus a small pinch of shredded cheese. Roll the tortilla tightly around the beans and cheese, then place seam side down in the casserole dish. Continue until all of the tortillas are filled. Pour another 1/2 to 1 cup enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas in the dish, leaving some of the edges exposed so they can become brown and crispy. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake the casserole in the oven for 25-30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and bubbly around the edges and the center is heated through. Top with thin slices of avocado and chopped cilantro leaves (or sliced green onions).
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!Scroll down for the step by step photos!
How to Make Enchiladas – Step by Step Photos
Note: I only baked a half batch for the photos because I lost my large casserole dish. Oops!
Combine 2 Tbsp chili powder (mild, salt-free blend), 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, and 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil in a small sauce pot.
Let those three ingredients simmer together (stir frequently) for about two minutes. This toasts the spices and flour and creates a roux that will thicken the sauce.
Whisk in 2 cups water, 3oz. tomato paste (half of a 6oz. can or about 4 Tbsp), 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. Allow the pot to come to a simmer, at which point it will thicken. When it’s thick enough to coat a spoon, turn the heat off and add the salt (1/2-3/4 tsp). Set the sauce aside.
Toast 16 small corn tortillas in a dry skillet over medium heat until there’s just a hint of brown on each side. This strengthens the tortillas so they don’t fall apart, and also gives them a nice nutty flavor. Just stack them on a clean plate as they come out of the skillet. (I usually do two in a skillet at a time).
Shred 8oz. of pepper jack (2 cups). Begin to preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Coat a casserole dish with non-stick spray, then pour a layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom (use about half, leaving half to pour over top). Spread about 1/4 cup refried beans down the center of each tortilla and top with a pinch of shredded cheese (make sure to save about half of the cheese to top the casserole). Roll the tortillas up tightly, then line them up all snug in the casserole dish.
Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over top of the rolled enchiladas.
I like to leave the edges of my tortillas “unsauced” so they get nice and crispy and lightly browned. More texture and more flavor!
Sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top…
Bake the casserole in the preheated 350ºF oven for 25-30 minutes, or until the enchilada sauce is super thick and bubbly, and the edges of your tortillas are nice and golden brown.
Top with thin slices of avocado and chopped cilantro (or green onions).
Seriously, these Bean and Cheese Enchiladas make me want every day to be a weekday. SO GOOD.
Who says basic equals boring?
Hi Beth!
I was just wondering if it is okay to freeze any leftover enchiladas that there may be? I am trying to compile a list of recipes off of your site that would be great for freezing!
Thanks a bunch! :)
I do think these will probably freeze well. :)
do you think these would hold up just as well with flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas?
I often make enchiladas with flour instead of corn. The flavor and texture is definitely different. Flour tortillas do get quite mushy, but I kind of like that sometimes, which is why I use them occasionally. If you don’t like mushy, stick to the corn.
I have tried many enchilada sauces and yours is the BEST! It’s my go to for all my enchilada dishes.
Hello,
I can always count on you for last minute dinner ideas. I browse through and see what I can make based on the ingredients I already have.
I made these enchiladas and I had the following modifications:
– I used potato instead of beans (didn’t have beans). I boiled the potatos and mashed them, added a little bit of milk, salt and pepper
– I added a dash or ground oregano to the sauce
Delish!
I am Mexican American and I usually make the sauce from scratch, which is a little labor intensive.
The recipe for the Weeknight Enchiladas is one of the BEST recipes I’ve ever made from Budget Bytes!! This was my first time making enchilada sauce from scratch, and honestly, it’s better than the canned version. I’ve added shredded chicken to the filling, since my sister isn’t a huge fan of vegetarian dishes. Also, I used a combination of Monterey jack and cheddar cheeses, and garnished the enchiladas with some green onions. I was able to make sixteen enchiladas, so there will be leftovers. Thank you so much, Beth for this phenomenal recipe!!! :-)
Wow, Beth! I can’t believe how good this is. I made these as an experiment, not thinking it would be so much better than canned beans and sauce. What a difference! LOVE them.
This is an awesome recipe! Especially the enchilada sauce – it was very quick to make and tasted wonderful! I live in Egypt so I can’t get refried beans, so I used chickpeas and mixed them with some spices – mainly cumin and paprika – worked great. Black beans would work too.
refried beans is cooked red beans with onion, garlic, and spices
I am a convert thanks to this recipe. Never again will I buy canned enchilada sauce. I didn’t know how bad it was until I tried the real deal, these enchiladas were luscious and restaurant-quality. Thank you!
How is it possible that this enchilada sauce is so AMAZING when it’s made with just a few staple pantry ingredients?! I used black beans and baked butternut squash cubes, along with the cheese and green onions for a filling and it’s my new fave weeknight dinner. Can’t wait to experiment with other fillings. Thank you for another amazing and affordable recipe!
Hi,
I love your blog and have tried many of your recipes (with much success). Your step-by-step photos make following the recipe a cinch!
Have you given any thought about adding some nutritional facts broken down by serving (i.e. weight)? I know it would be quite a bit more work, but it would make tracking macros SO MUCH easier. I know that I sometimes skip over recipes that do not include them.
Thanks and please keep up the awesome work,
Andrew
I absolutely LOVED these!!! Im pretty picky about enchilada sauce but this recipe had me licking the spoon!! I had extras which headed up nicely for lunch !! Cant say enough about this recipe..MUST TRY! What a great introduction into the blog as well… Ive now tried 3 other dinners and loved each one. This is my new go to for recipes… sorry Pintrest!
I was super excited to try this recipe. I love all Mexican food and this one looked simple and delicious. We regularly make your black bean and avocado enchiladas, so often that I double the enchilada sauce and throw the other half in the freezer for the next meal. I also made your refried beans recipe over the weekend and wish I had doubled it! So with those two components already prepared this was a breeze. So simple and I will be adding it to our regular rotation. Thank you, Beth for all that you do. I come back to your blog time and time again for good reason!
Just finished eating these. So simple, so tasty! This recipe really depends on using quality ingredients. Your recipes for refried beans and enchilada sauce really make this recipe great. Thanks Beth!
I made this yesterday and it was so awesome I had to have it for breakfast this morning! I made the refried beans, enchilada sauce and tortillas all from scratch, which was a bit of an endeavour but super tasty! I didn’t have an avocado to go with it but the dish is still great without it. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Very good! Used 1/8 teaspoon cayenne and it was moderately spicy. Used bagged shredded cheese, but next time I will grate my own. Only thing I would do differently is to cover the pan with foil for baking, and maybe remove last 10 minutes to crisp up and get the cheese bubbly. I also prepped this by assembling the enchiladas earlier in the day and kept them covered in the fridge until dinner time.