These Stove Top Enchiladas are so easy to make and taste just like baked enchiladas, without all the work! You can easily customize them to fit your needs and they’re already vegetarian and gluten free.
*This post was previously published on 8/24/15. I have now updated it with more helpful information!
Enchiladas are one of my favorite meals. I almost always order them when I’m eating at a Mexican restaurant and I make them at home often. However, they can be a little tedious to make. I came up with these Stove top Enchiladas because they’re really easy to make and tastes just like regular enchiladas!
WHAT ARE STOVE TOP ENCHILADAS?
I kinda made up the name Stove top Enchiladas when I first made these years ago. I also like to call them one pot enchiladas or chopped enchiladas.
Stove top enchiladas are made with all the same ingredients as I would normally put in my regular enchilada recipe, but instead of stuffing the corn tortillas and rolling them up, you chop up the corn tortilla, crisp them up and then mix all the other ingredients together. Everything is cooked on the stovetop and there is no rolling involved!
STOVE TOP ENCHILADA RECIPE INGREDIENTS & SUBSTITUTIONS
- Corn Tortilla – I like to use corn tortillas because they’re traditional in enchiladas and they hold their texture better than flour tortillas would.
- Black Beans – You can use any bean you like but black beans are my favorite and go well with Mexican inspired recipes.
- Vegetables – I like to call these summer style stovetop enchiladas because I used onion, corn, bell peppers, zucchini and summer squash. You can really any veggies you like though.
- Enchilada Sauce – I like to use mild red enchilada sauce but green sauce would work great too!
- Spices – I use cumin, paprika, granulated garlic, onion powder and salt and pepper. Feel free to use more or less of each of the spices!
- Cheese – I just used a milk Monterey Jack cheese but any cheese would work! If could also use vegan cheese or even omit the cheese altogether if you like.
HOW TO MAKE EASY ONE POT STOVE TOP ENCHILADAS
These enchiladas are so easy to make and there are just a few steps:
- You start by chopping up the corn tortillas and lightly crisping them in the pan with a small amount of olive oil. Scoop them out of skillet and set aside.
- Next, chop all your veggies and cook them for a few minutes, until soft. Add in all the remaining ingredients, plus the reserved chopped tortillas.
- Mix everything together and let cook until enchiladas are bubbling and heated through.
- Top the enchilada skillet with some grated cheese, turn off the heat and cover until cheese is melted. So easy!
RECIPE FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
- Can I use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas? Of course, just prepare them the same way as you would the corn tortillas.
- Can I use different vegetables than what the recipe calls for? Yes, you can use whatever vegetables you like, just make sure they all take about the same time to cook.
- What kind of enchilada sauce should I use? Any kind you like. You can use red or green. My favorite store-bought enchilada sauce is the Hatch brand. You can also use homemade if you like.
- Can I melt the cheese in the oven? Of course you can! It will probably just take a minute or two.
- Are these stovetop enchiladas freezer friendly? Yes! I would suggest freezing them before melting the cheese on top. I would freeze in a freezer friendly ziplock bag and make sure all the air is out. You could also just freeze in any other air tight container.
- How long will these enchilada keep in the refrigerator? 3-4 days.
- How should I re-heat these enchiladas? I would suggest re-heating either in the microwave or on the stovetop.
CHECK OUT EXACTLY HOW I MADE THESE STOVE TOP ENCHILADAS BELOW!
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One Pot Stove Top Enchiladas – Summer Style
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
These One Pot Stove Top Enchiladas are so easy to make and taste just like regular enchiladas! You can easily customize the ingredients to fit your tastes and they’re even freezer friendly!
Ingredients
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 8 corn tortillas, cut into one inch pieces
- 1/2 yellow onion, small diced
- 1 small zucchini, small diced
- 1 small yellow squash, small diced
- 1 small red bell pepper, small diced
- 3/4 cup fresh corn kernels
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 cup grated cheese, divided
- 1 1/2 cup enchilada sauce
- Cilantro leaves for topping, if desired
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet (10-12 inch) over medium heat and add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Add corn tortilla pieces to the pan and cook for five minutes, until slightly crispy. Remove tortillas and set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan and add the onions and a pinch of salt. Cook onions for 2 minutes and then add the zucchini, squash, pepper, garlic, corn, black beans and all of the spices. Stir until everything is combined and cook for ten minutes, until vegetables are tender.
- Add the corn tortillas back in along with 1 cup grated cheese and stir. Next add the enchilada sauce and stir again. Top with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, turn the heat off and cover for 5 minutes, until cheese is melted. Top with cilantro leaves, if desired.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Dinner, Gluten Free
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Mexican
Hi Izzy, thanks for this recipe. I am not too familiar with Mexican food but I want to make this dish for book club get together this month and was wondering what could be good accompanying dishes for this? please could you advise when you have time, thanks a mill x
Hi Cheron! A few sides I can think that would go well with this would be salad, chips and salsa, spanish rice, or a Mexican style slaw š
Just made this tonight and it was a big hit with my husband and kids. Husband was very skeptical until he tasted it. I left out the corn and added sauteed chicken breast. Also threw in tortilla chips instead of frying my own corn tortillas. Served with green onions, sour cream, guacamole, and sliced olives as optional toppings on the side. Thanks for sharing!!
Hi Mona! I’m so glad to hear you and your family liked it! I love all of your topping choices! š
Found your recipe on Yummly and just made this tonight! It was a major hit! Only thing I did different was add a little ground beef. De-lic-iouso!!!
Thanks so much for your comment, Monica! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! š
OMG gotta love that back story Isadora, lol…the fact that your landlord put in a dishwasher for you but then it broke, TWICE – was an omen for sure! Your mother was definitely teaching a lesson; it wasn’t meant for you to have a dishwasher lol – love it. Great looking recipe; can’t wait to try – and great suggestions by some folks – and I indeed love a man who can cook as well – now if I can just find one, LOL…beautiful website as well:)
Thanks so much!! Thankfully I have a dishwasher that works these days, haha! Although I’m not sure it cleans the dishes as well as I could clean them by hand!
I hope you love this recipe š
Issy, this is my new favorite meal! I used green enchilada sauce, and otherwise followed the recipe. Then I ate it for 4 meals in a row. Billy had some of it, but couldn’t keep up with me on this one. Thanks!
Sho
Yah!! I’ve been wanting to make enchiladas with green enchilada sauce! I will have to try that next time! Also, I just made another version of this with black beans and sweet potatoes and I ate it every meal for about a week! So glad you liked it! xoxo!
I made this last night! I doubled the spices, added 1 tsp of ground coriander, like commenter above suggested (thank you for the tip!). I had to use frozen corn, but it worked out well (it’s not summer, but I’m in a summer mood!). I used way better black bean chips instead of the corn tortilla. We’re staying in a hotel so I thought this would be a better option. It turned out really well, and I recommend it for
anyone who would like to simplify things! For the enchilada sauce, I just added my favorite
salsa until it reached the 1&1/2 cup line. I didn’t
add any salt! The cheese made it just right.
Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly.
Thank you so much for this wonderful recipe, it
turned out perfectly. I will be making this one
again! Perfect one skillet recipe for traveling!
Hi Spencer, that is so great to hear that it was easy to make and that you enjoyed it! I’m also loving all your variations especially using salsa as enchilada sauce! That sounds so good!
Wow! I made this dish tonight for dinner and everyone liked it so much that they each had seconds. Thank you for sharing this recipe. No one even missed the meat! š
Yah! That is so great to hear! It’s one of my favorites too š
First, a fabulous vegetarian recipe. Here are some other remarks. The total calorie count can be reduces by spraying the corn tortillas with olive oil and oven baking them. If you don’t like that then fry the tortillas whole and cut them up afterwards. I think the next time I make this, I will simply add blue corn or regular tortilla chips in the recipe at the prescribed time (and on the side). Next: double the spices. Double all of them. Double the garlic. Also, add ground coriander to the mix (trust me). Next again, Cans of enchilada sauce come in 10 ounces. Unwilling to open a second can for two ounces to satisfy the 1 1/2 cup (12 oz.) call in the recipe, I added a couple of ounces of spice tomato juice and that worked out fine. You can choose between mild or spice enchilada sauce. Finally, while this is a great entree, you could also serve this as a fantastic dip at a party with chips on the side. Leftovers tonight (reheated in the microwave) with chips were super. So you can make it at least a day prior. In sum, an amazing recipe BUT be bold and take to the next level.
Hi Chip! Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment! I love the idea of throwing some corn chips in rather than cooking the tortillas beforehand. I might have to try that next time! I have no doubt that it tastes really good with extra spices too! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe š
Hi Izzy! Yes, there’s a guy who is the cook in the house, and I think this looks like a great and easy recipe. How do you think it would work if instead of making your own corn chips, I would use a ready made corn chip, and cut out the salt. After getting up at 5 AM I’m just looking at ways to make things easier, and still honor the recipe and the time you took to develop the recipe. If you think this would work, do you have any idea how much to use? From what I can find out Frito is gluten free. I know sounds crazy, but it’s a continuing argument between my 80 year old mother who will change a recipe with out at least trying it once the way it was written, and me.
Hi Bob! I love a man who can cook! I think this recipe would turn out great if you used regular chips. When I make my recipe the tortilla doesn’t get super crispy like a chip, I just toast it up a little bit so it will hold up well once combined with the enchilada sauce. But, if you wanted to just crumble a few handfuls of corn chips into the skillet instead of the tortillas I think it would still be good! I would cook it until you get the desired crispyness/softness of the tortilla chips. I am much like your mother and hate following recipes š
This recipe did not turn out at all. The corn tortilla strips shredded up instead of getting crispy and when I added everything together it turned into a mushy soup.
I’m so disappointed. Guess we will be eating out tonight. š
Hi Wendy, I’m so sorry the recipe didn’t turn out for you. I was aiming for the tortilla strips to have the same texture as the tortillas in enchiladas, so it is ok if they didn’t get crispy. I’m sorry it turned into a mushy soup, maybe the ratio of vegetables and beans to enchiladas sauce was off a bit? Again, sorry it didn’t turn out for you š
love your site…so pretty and yummy. Following š
Thank you so much, Irina!! š