Viral ‘Lazy’ Enchiladas Recipe Is Cheesy, Saucy and So Easy to Make in 20 Minutes: Perfect for Your Dinner Crowd

When you’re short on time, it may feel like your meal options are limited — but that certainly doesn't mean they have to be bad. Having a well-stocked pantry is a lifesaver when it comes to crafting unique dinners on the fly. Usually, the Mexican classic dish known as enchiladas take a while to make from scratch. However, there's a viral "lazy" enchiladas recipe that uses some ingredient shortcuts to help you prepare the dish much more quickly. Keep reading to learn how to whip up this dish that delivers on big flavor any night of the week!

The basics of enchiladas

Traditional enchilada recipes involve filling tortillas with a meat, cheese, or vegetable mixture; rolling the tortillas; smothering them in red or green sauce (often prepared from scratch); and baking the dish. Although these steps produce tasty results, they can be daunting when you’re in a hurry. Luckily, there's a speedier way to whip up enchiladas for your dinner crowd.

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Shortcut method for baked enchiladas

In a video, food blogger Ana Regalado ( @saltycocina ) shows how you can save a couple of steps with her recipe for Lazy Enchiladas. First, she uses frozen taquitos because they’re tacos that are already filled and rolled. Rather than making homemade enchilada sauce, she pours canned sauce over the taquitos before sprinkling with cheese. As the enchiladas are baking, she prepares toppings like lettuce, tomatoes, and cilantro for serving. This method produces a flavor-packed dish and requires less than 30 minutes of cooking.

A mouthwatering lazy enchiladas recipe

Here, you'll find Regalado's recipe for these delicious enchiladas. Feel free to mix-and-match ingredients like the taquitos or cheese for a batch of enchiladas that will fulfill your need for a cheesy and saucy meal!

Lazy Enchiladas

Ingredients:

• 1 box of chicken and cheese taquitos, approximately 12
• 2 cups green or red enchilada sauce
• 1 cup shredded Mexican-style cheese blend
• Cooking spray
• Toppings such as shredded lettuce, onions, tomatoes and cilantro
• Refried beans and rice (optional for serving)

Directions:

• Active : 10 mins
• Total time : 32 mins
• Yield : 3 to 4 servings

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Spray baking dish with cooking spray; place taquitos in single layer. Lightly coat taquitos with cooking spray and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Remove from oven and pour enchilada sauce over taquitos. Bake for an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is fully melted. Remove from oven and cool 5 minutes.
4. Serve hot with fresh toppings, refried beans and rice. Serve and enjoy!

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My taste test

My enchiladas consisted of beef taquitos, green sauce, and the cheese blend. I also served them with sour cream, HERDEZ Chipotle Salsa Cremosa , and chopped cilantro. I'll admit I was doubtful as to whether this recipe could come close to the authentic Mexican enchiladas I'm used to — but it was much better than I expected. The enchiladas were hearty thanks to the beef filling, the green sauce added a tangy flavor, and the salsa cremosa gave the dish a medium-spicy kick. A dollop of sour cream and sprinkle of cilantro rounded out the richness from the rest of the ingredients. I'm glad I came across this recipe — it's the perfect way to satisfy my enchilada cravings on busy nights.

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