Cheese Enchiladas with Red Chile Sauce

Rating: 3.93 stars
28 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 14
  • 4 star values: 7
  • 3 star values: 2
  • 2 star values: 1
  • 1 star values: 4

Intense, earthy and absolutely addictive, New Mexico's cheese enchiladas showcase red chile sauce at its most elemental, thickly blanketing tortillas and melted Cheddar. We've added some extra creaminess and body with locally popular pinto beans, to cut down on the classic's load of saturated fat. Top with shredded lettuce and minced onion.

Cheryl & Bill Jamison
Source: EatingWell Magazine, September/October 2010

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Recipe Summary

active:
20 mins
total:
1 hr
Servings:
8
Nutrition Profile:
Low-Calorie
High Fiber
Gluten-Free
Vegetarian
High Calcium
Bone Health
Healthy Aging
Healthy Pregnancy
Low Added Sugars
Nutrition Info
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Ingredients

Red Chile Sauce
Enchiladas

Directions

  • To prepare sauce: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and continue cooking until the onion is translucent and soft, about 2 minutes more. Stir in chile powder. Add broth, water, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thickened and reduced by about one-third, about 20 minutes. (The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.)

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  • To prepare enchiladas: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch (or similar-size 2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.

  • Combine beans and yogurt in a small bowl.

  • Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce in the baking dish. Arrange 4 tortillas in the dish, overlapping them to cover the bottom. Top with half the bean mixture, using the back of a spoon to spread it thin. Scatter 2/3 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons onion on top of the beans. Top with one-third of the remaining sauce, 4 tortillas, the remaining bean mixture, 2/3 cup cheese and the remaining

  • 2 tablespoons onion. Spread half of the remaining sauce on top and cover with the remaining 4 tortillas. Top with the remaining sauce and the remaining 2/3 cup cheese.

  • Bake the enchiladas until hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional minced onion, if desired.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the sauce (Step 1) for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:
280 calories; protein 11.8g 24% DV; carbohydrates 29.9g 10% DV; exchange other carbs 2; dietary fiber 6.5g 26% DV; sugars 2.1g; fat 13.6g 21% DV; saturated fat 5.9g 30% DV; cholesterol 29mg 10% DV; vitamin a iu 2709.3IU 54% DV; vitamin c 6.5mg 11% DV; folate 42.5mcg 11% DV; calcium 249.5mg 25% DV; iron 2.1mg 12% DV; magnesium 34.3mg 12% DV; potassium 299.9mg 8% DV; sodium 650.2mg 26% DV; thiamin 0.1mg 8% DV.
Exchanges:

2 1/2 starch, 2 medium-fat meat

Reviews (27)

Read More Reviews
28 Ratings
  • 5 star values: 14
  • 4 star values: 7
  • 3 star values: 2
  • 2 star values: 1
  • 1 star values: 4
Reviews:
Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest
karmypoet615@yahoo.com
Rating: 5 stars
08/16/2019
I did not use much chili powder because I do not care for spicy foods, but it was delicious and easy to make. I highly recommend this recipe! I also used chicken bouillon cubes in boiled water because I was out of chicken broth. Read More
RaisinHell91
Rating: 5 stars
08/31/2018
Great recipe. I LOVE cheese enchiladas and this is a great way to enjoy all the flavor with fewer calories. I used store-bought enchilada sauce to save on time and it was delicious. Read More
leilaniola
Rating: 2 stars
03/28/2017
Not a fan! I must admit I didn't make the enchilada sauce I just bought store bought so I can't really rate that part of the dish but after making it it was time consuming and not worth it. I would have stuck with whole bean instead of mashed the texture was just soggy and blah. I will be making traditional enchiladas next time and not this recipe Read More
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Littlewabbit
Rating: 5 stars
12/22/2016
These were delicious! Making them again for the second time this week. I added ground beef. YUM!!!! Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 1 stars
08/03/2015
Extremely Spicy I love spicy food but this recipe was far too hot even for me. My husband could not even eat it. My chili powder was not marked mild spicy etc and I'm sure that had something to do with it but only the mildest chili powder will make this dish edible. I barely managed to finish a serving and had to drink milk after to cool my mouth. Other than the sauce this had the potential to be delicious but the sauce ruined it. Pros: Simple Cons: Spicy Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
03/27/2015
Flavorful Love this dish! I have made it several times and my family really enjoyed it. The flavors go so well together;..the cheese the sauce the refried beans;;;.YUM! Pros: Tasty. Cons: No cons. Read More
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Valasca
Rating: 3 stars
03/02/2014
Needs more sauce I thought this receipe was decent but I think if I make it again I might add a can of tomato sauce to the enchilada sauce. I was expecting the recipe to be saucier than it was. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
02/18/2014
The best vegetarian recipe ever Made this recipe WoW!! It was a hit. To save time I used canned enchilada sauce but added 1 cup water so the tortillas were saturated plus I doubled the amount of cheese. Also to save heating the kitchen in the summer - I microwaved this 20 mins. let sit 1/2 hr. or warm the next day.The next day the flavor intensifies. Pros: Easy & Family Loves It Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/15/2013
Fed the masses and put smiles on faces I had to feed 29 hungry people. We added sides of a salad a tortilla soup and a large bowl of Guacamole. I made three large dishes one with browned hamburger meat. I reduced the amount of chili powder after reading reviews used refried beans and added a dash of cumin. There was nothing left. Pros: Tasty easy Cons: Not many but did reduce chili powder Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/05/2013
My kids loved these enchiladas. To the person who had trouble smashing beans Use a potato smasher and spatula. I will make this recipe again. Read More
The Volk Girls
Rating: 3 stars
01/29/2013
Find a different sauce and this is great! Made the sauce and threw it out. Found a new one I loved and used that. My changes were that I used refried beans with jalapenos for flavor and I warmed the mixture in microwave for 1 minute to soften and make easier to spread. I toasted the tortillas in the 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes just until they became slightly crisp all this made for a really easy assembly. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/19/2012
Great Dish--much better than reviews suggest! Some of the reviews said that this dish was too spicy and that the sauce didn't thicken. I had neither of those problems. I used regular chili powder which was great flavor and while the sauce didn't thicken in the sauce pan it thickened up nicely by the time I'd taken it out of the oven.Delicious! Everybody had seconds! I did use regular refried beans...it's what I had in my cupboard. Pros: cheesy not too spicy Read More
Crztalp
Rating: 5 stars
08/01/2012
Our favorite dish!!! MODS included I see several reviews are upset with the way it taste due to the chili powder from the first time i made this recipe chili powder sounded like a bad idead... instead we use 1 quick easy packet of enchilada sauce mix powder and proceeded with the rest of the ingredients always uping the amount of garlic cuz you can never go wrong with more garlic Pros: tasty mexican food conserving calories Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
04/29/2012
Great with a couple tweaks I made this with a couple of changes. First I did not use a half cup of chili powder in the sauce which sounds like an outright mistake unless you have a very mild chili powder. I instead I used a single Tablespoon of cayenne pepper. I also added a half teaspoon of cumin and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of cocoa powder. Will definitely make again. Pros: Easy unique delicious Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 1 stars
04/09/2012
chili powder too intense The sauce recipe says cook for 20 mins. -- mine took 40 mins. to cook down. Looked good going together. We ate it but nobody wanted seconds and the remainder went to the garbage can. Definitely would NOT make again. Pros: looks good Cons: overwhelming taste of chili powder Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
02/08/2012
A keeper This is delicious! My whole family loved it and left the table saying mom this one is a keeper. I will make a few minor tweaks though as it came out a bit watery (cook's error I'm sure). The flavor is fantastic. I also used a package of dehydrated fat free vegetarian refried beans cooked per the package directions instead of mashing the canned pintos. Also used San Antonio style chili powder since that's what I had on hand. it added a nice amount of heat without making the dish too spicy to enjoy. Pros: Good and healthy without tasting healthy Cons: a little time consuming; chile sauce came out a little watery Read More
lrhayden@hotmail.com
Rating: 1 stars
11/07/2011
Worse meal we ever made I am sitting in front of my full plate right now because this was so bad I couldn't eat it. My husband and I love spicy food but this just tastes like eating pure chili powder. Very disappointing. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
The New Mexico Red Chili is delicious! You will find yourself craving it. Read More
Marcella Steele
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
I could not find the chili powder but I did find the dried New mexican chile so ground them in a spice grinder..I de-seeded them but would either add jalapeno or leave the seeds in for some spice...it is well worth the effort to make the sauce and I used chicken stock...I would use a nice re-fried bean rather then the pinto beans as I found them hard to mash...but will make this again as the flavor was excellent Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
I made this for dinner tonight and it took make a little over an hour to make. The pinto beans were hard to mash and a pain to spread. This dish was okay. I probably won't make it again but I don't really dislike it either. Read More
EatingWell User
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
Yummy! I didn't add quite as much chile powder because I didn't want it too spicy but it was still very good. This is something I could have again and again. Read More
KL.Smith
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
Very Tasty Very tasty! I used dried New Mexican chili's which I ground in the blender to make the chili powder for the sauce. The sauce came out delicious and I love the addition of the bean yogurt mixture to the enchiladas. I didn't have a problem mashing the beans (I just pulled out the potato masher and the mashed up quickly). I will definitely make this again! Read More
Andrea Koder
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
Mmmm mmmm This really didn't take long to make at all and was worth every ounce of effort. While the sauce was cooking I mashed the pinto beans with my potato masher and mixed them with sour cream instead of yogurt. I did end up refrigerating the sauce & bean mixture for another night b/c I also made a lasagne the same night (had high hopes to prep everything on a Sunday). Putting everything together on a weeknight was a snap and provided delicious results. This was creamy yet spicy in a great way. Pros: Yummy and spicy Cons: Good luck finding the chili powder Read More
onlysuzeq@yahoo.com
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
Spicy-Easy-Good Easy to make for those that complained about mashing the beans buy refried because you are lazy. As far as spreading this not a problem. So easy I couldn't believe it. My husband loved it. Served with a spinach salad. Just perfect. We love meatless meals. Don't be scared of the reviews just try it! Pros: Easy Cons: Can be very spicy Read More
jillybeanz
Rating: 1 stars
10/29/2011
Yuck This was disgusting. The sauce was grainy from all the spice. It was also very dry not good. will not make again Read More
Dr. John
Rating: 5 stars
10/29/2011
The best enchilada ever This was so good I will make this again and again and try some variations on the bean yogurt mixture such as using chicken beef or lamb. My sister lives near this town in New Mexico so I had her send me some authentic Chimayo chile powder and it is also available on line. This chile imparts an earthiness and I would say bitterness to the dish that is strangely addictive. I may add some honey to the sauce and try that to help with spiciness that my wife found too much for her taste. Pros: very easy to make Cons: none but depending on the chile powder may be too spicy for some Read More
parvati.s.mukherjee@gmail.com
Rating: 4 stars
10/29/2011
I fixed it. When I made the sauce as directed it had too much heat without enough flavor in my opinion. However after a few small changes I think it's fantastic -- five stars. I only use 1/4 cup of chile powder now and I add a tablespoonful vegetable "better than bouillon" to the sauce as well as a tablespoon of tomato paste. If I don't have tomato paste on hand I use a spoonful of whatever tomato sauce I have. Read More
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