Cheese Enchilada Casserole {Best Red Chili Sauce}

Only 3 Ingredients to Make Cheese Enchilada Casserole

#1. Really Good Enchilada Sauce.

Let's start with the most important ingredient for this casserole - the enchilada sauce.

I love enchiladas in pretty much every way, shape, and form. I love them rolled or stacked into a casserole dish, and filled with any variety of meat, seafood, and veggies.

But, the one ingredient in enchiladas that's non-negotiable is a really good enchilada sauce.

There is no such thing as good enchiladas without good enchilada sauce. In general, there are two types of red chili enchilada sauce:

1. Authentic Red Chili sauce that requires an involved process of toasting, soaking, and pureeing dried red chilis.
2. Easy, simple "cheater" enchilada sauce recipes that rely on dried spices and/or tomato paste as a replacement for puréed red chilis.

This recipe for Homemade Enchilada Sauce gives you the best of both worlds. It's BOTH quick and easy AND made from real red chili.

The secret is to start with frozen Red Chile Purée, found in the freezer section of most major supermarkets. You can also order heat-sealed Red Chile Purée that does not require refrigeration on Amazon.

Red Chili Purée is simply dried red chilies that have been toasted, soaked, and pureed for you. It produces a rich, flavorful, absolutely delicious homemade enchilada sauce that is also incredibly quick and easy to prepare. 👏👏👏

Start with this sauce and you really can't lose.

#2. Lots and Lots of Cheese

What's the best kind of cheese to use in this enchilada casserole? The short answer is, anything you like.

Colby Jack, sharp or medium Cheddar, Monterey Jack, and Pepper Jack are all great choices. You can also use a Mexican Cheese blend, which typically includes Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Asadero, and/or Queso Quesadilla.

I have also made this casserole with Oaxaca and Asadero cheese blends and it's also delicious. Use all one variety or a blend of several.

#3. Corn Tortillas

Use whatever brand of corn tortillas you like, made with white or yellow corn. The size of the tortillas also doesn't matter, just note that if you choose street taco size tortillas, you'll need more than the 16-18 that are called for in this recipe.

How to Make Cheese Enchilada Casserole

If you'd rather roll your cheese enchiladas instead of stacking them, be my guest. Rolled enchiladas, with their centers of melted cheese, are one of my favorite things in the world.

But, layering everything into a casserole dish is just as delicious and so much easier. Here's how to make it:

1. Spread about ¼ cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish.
2. Add a layer of 5 or 6 corn tortillas over the sauce, their edges overlapping. I usually tear a few in half so that I can place the torn straight edges along the edge of the pan.
3. Sprinkle with grated cheese.
4. Pour some enchilada sauce over the cheese.
5. And repeat. Keep layering so that you have three layers of tortillas, cheese, and sauce.
6. Top the whole thing with more cheese.

Cheese Enchilada Casserole FAQs