Make enchiladas the SUPER easy way with no tortilla-rolling required. This layered enchilada bake has all of the best flavors of enchiladas but takes half the time to make, and is stuffed full of lean protein and lots of vegetables!
When I first started this blog, I was all about the staged photos of me cooking glamorously in my (parents) kitchen - see below. Maybe I had watched too much Giada de Laurentiis on the Food Network and I thought that sort of curated view into one’s cooking process was what you were supposed to share, and what people wanted to see.
I should probably thank my dad for taking all of these photos of me smiling at my food back in the day!
Truthfully, however, the way I cook ain’t so pretty all of the time. Especially now that I have a small kitchen with no counter top or table that’s the right height for chopping, and you have to move chairs to open drawers. I’m constantly dropping food - Nate even caught me drop a mushroom on the floor the other day while I was cooking us breakfast and I just tossed it right back into the pan. He was flabbergasted, like, “you didn’t even look to see if anyone was watching!!” and while we were eating he kept going with every bite “am I eating the floor mushroom?”
I’m pretty convinced that the fact that I eat off the floor is like the main reason I never get sick. I’ll take double the floor mushrooms, please and thank you.
The great thing about this enchilada bake is that it’s fool proof. You really have very few places in these steps that you can make a kitchen error or a floor mushroom incident. There’s no technique in enchilada rolling required. It’s perfect for my small kitchen situation, as well as quick and healthy weeknight dinners.
I will note that while I say this cuts perfectly into four servings, if you’re a hungry couple like us, you’ll each have one serving and then jointly pick at another serving until it’s gone. Then only one person gets leftovers for lunch the next day.
- 8 tortillas
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded (I did this in a crockpot, but you can simply roast)
- ½ white onion, diced
- 2 green peppers, julienned
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 can of pre-made enchilada sauce
- ½ cup of warm water
- A couple of tablespoons of salsa
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp chili powder
- Olive oil
- Cilantro, avocado, and green onion for garnish
- In a medium saucepan, sautee the onions and garlic until translucent
- Add the chicken, peppers, cumin, chili powder, and salsa and cook for 3-5 minutes over medium heat
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F
- In an 8x8 baking dish, layer 4 tortillas
- Cover with a layer of the chicken mixture
- Cover with another 4 tortillas
- Add another layer of chicken mixture
- Pour the enchilada sauce over the entire enchilada bake
- Pour the warm water around the sides of the bake, so it reaches the bottom of the baking dish
- Bake for 15 minutes
- Take out of the oven, top with cilantro and chopped green onions
- Serve with avocado and enjoy!
If you like this, you’ll love: Lightened Up Chicken Enchiladas
Thanks for stopping by! 
I watch way to much Giada too 🙂
I make a veggie version of this- so good!
Julie @ Running in a Skirt recently posted…Travel Dreams for 2016 & How I Plan My Adventures
I’ll have to check out that recipe!
Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it! I’ve made your Kale & Delicata squash salad more times than I can count :).
I LOLed at the SomeeCard- All the recipes that feed 4 people, I’m like, please… feeds two very active people with enough for one serving of leftovers (maybe!).
So glad to hear it! Thank you for stopping by, and let me know how this turns out!
There ain’t nothing wrong with a little floor mushroom, haha! Gotta get that healthy bacteria in your gut, right? 😉
And that e-card…OMG, so true!! lol
Sarah @ Making Thyme for Health recently posted…Point Reyes + Hiking Alamere Falls
Haha! I figured a lot of people could relate!
This looks SO good! I definitely need to try this with my nomato sauce!
The floor mushroom comment killed me, hahahaha!
All the flavors of an enchilada minus all the rolling?! WINNING! Loving this bake, girlfriend! This is easy dinner perfection! So much yum! Cheers, girl!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary recently posted…Brown Sugar & Pecan Baked Cake Donuts with Bourbon-Maple Glaze
I’ve had a few too many rolling fails in the past! Takes too long!
Foolproof recipes are the only ones I’ll attempt since I suck at cooking 😛 also, enchiladas happen to be one of my favorite foods in the world. Every time I tell Danny I feel like Mexican food he says, “You mean you feel like enchiladas.”
Lol!! I love enchiladas. I make tacos a lot more often just because they are easier…
LOL, the floor mushroom!! Too funny! I love this enchilada bake… looks so yummy and such a great, healthier version of Mexican. I’ll definitely have to try this!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel recently posted…Milk Chocolate Easter Egg Cookies