These Cheese Enchiladas {Enchiladas de Queso} are filled with a mixture of silky queso fresco and Sun-Maid Chili Spiced Golden Raisins, coated in a robust homemade enchilada sauce, and topped with more bubbly cheese. Vegetarian Mexican food at its tastiest!
I can’t believe we find ourselves in February already! It’s so crazy how fast time is going by. Especially since I practically never leave the house, but alas, here we are with the beginning of Lent right around the corner.
Our family isn’t Catholic, so we don’t observe Lent, but every year I get a flood of requests for meat-free meals from so many of you, so when Sun-Maid asked if I’d create a delicious recipe with their new, limited-time Chili Spiced Golden Raisins, I wanted to come up with something plant-based for the Lent season.
sun-maid chili spiced golden raisins—my newest obsession
Okay, so I’m a big-time snacker and these new Chili Spiced Golden Raisins that Sun Maid just came out with have upped my snack game by about 110%.
Sun Maid basically took sweet, chewy golden raisins and dunked them in a blend of spicy guajillo and cayenne peppers, accented with fresh lemony tang, for an incredibly addictive, better-for-you treat.
They are sweet and spicy, with a lovely kick of sour. I’ve been eating them by the handful but also have paired them with cheese, mixed them with whole almonds as an impromptu snack mix, and sprinkled them on my morning oatmeal. They brighten everything they touch; you have GOT to try them!
Here’s the thing though, they are only available for a limited time at select Costco stores in Los Angeles, Central California, and San Francisco, so visit your nearest location before they sell out, okay?!
now, about this recipe
Hopefully you’re all now convinced to pick up a bag of Sun-Maid Chili Spiced Golden Raisins, because I want you to make these enchiladas!
This Cheese Enchiladas recipe is crazy good. It is pure comfort food.
The filling is a mixture of raisins and creamy, silky queso fresco. They are covered in one of THE BEST red enchilada sauces and then topped with shredded cheese and baked until golden and bubbly.
There are a few steps to the recipe but you can prep a lot of it ahead so it’s not too much work at once. Let’s break it down!
If you need more info on any of the Mexican ingredients in this recipe don’t miss my Mexican Pantry Guide!
the red sauce
Let’s start with the enchilada sauce. You can make this up to 3-4 days in advance and keep it covered in the refrigerator. Or if you are really ambitious make it up to a month in advance and freeze it!
It’s a three-step situation. The first is to roast some cherry tomatoes, onions, and garlic until they are soft and caramelized.
While those are working away in the oven, soak some dried ancho chiles in hot water until soft, about 15 minutes.
Last, blend everything together with the chile-soaking liquid, apple cider vinegar, oregano, and salt until smooth. Careful blending hot ingredients though—remove the plastic insert of your blender and hold a folded in half piece of paper towel over the top instead so it doesn’t explode all over you!
how to make cheese enchiladas
The word enchilada, literally means, to cover something in chile, or in this case chile sauce, so that is what we are going to do.
- The first step is to make the enchilada sauce and the cheese filling. You can make both of these things a couple days in advance.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange the oven rack at the top of the oven—this will help the cheese brown without the sauce on the bottom burning.
- Spread about 1 cup of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Lightly fry the corn tortillas in hot oil for about 15 seconds.
- Dunk in the enchilada sauce.
- Fill with about 2 tablespoons of the filling.
- Roll up and place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the top and sprinkle with the cheddar cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake at 350F for 20 minutes.
variations
There is more than one way to make these comforting enchiladas. Once you’ve got the main idea, think about maybe……
- Adding cooked shredded chicken to the filling for chicken enchiladas.
- For a more authentic version use Queso Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese instead of the queso fresco and aged cheddar.
- For a less authentic (but easier) version use warm flour tortillas instead of the lightly fried corn tortillas.
how to serve
After the enchiladas are done baking, I like to top them with minced cilantro, pickled red onions, and thick slices of avocado. Sour cream is also nice.
more vegetarian recipes to try!
- Rainbow Veggie Quesadillas
- Roasted Squash Soup with Coconut and Chile
- Fried Plantain Cemitas Sliders
- Vegan Ceviche with Avocado and Lime
- The Easiest Creamy Mexican Vegetable Soup
- Green Chile Vegan Pozole
- Vegan Chipotle Mushroom Tacos with Jicama Salad
ready to try these cheesy enchiladas?
Then try them again? Once you make them, I have no doubt they will be a frequently requested recipe. Please let me know when you make them by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating) !
Cheese Enchiladas w/ Sun-Maid Chili Spiced Golden Raisins
These Cheese Enchiladas {Enchiladas de Queso} are filled with a mixture of silky queso fresco and Sun-Maid Chili Spiced Golden Raisins, coated in a robust homemade enchilada sauce, and topped with more bubbly cheese. Vegetarian Mexican food at its tastiest!
Ingredients
For the enchilada sauce:
- 1/2 pound (about 1 1/2 cups) cherry tomatoes
- 1 white onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 10 dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded, and rinsed
- 3 cups of the reserved chile-soaking liquid
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
For the enchiladas:
- 1 1/2 cups (about 8 ounces) crumbled queso fresco
- 3/4 cup Sun-Maid Chili Spiced Golden Raisins
- 1 cup neutral-flavored oil like, sunflower, avocado or grapeseed oil
- 12-18 corn tortillas
- 1 cup (about 3 ounces) shredded aged white cheddar cheese
For serving:
- Pickled Red Onions
- Avocado slices
- Minced cilantro
Instructions
- For the sauce:
- Roast the vegetables. Heat oven to 400°F. Combine cherry tomatoes, onion slices, and garlic on a baking sheet. Toss with the 2 tablespoons of sunflower oil, or other neutral-flavored oil and the 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt until evenly coated. Spread into an even layer and roast until soft and caramelized, about 30 minutes.
- Soak the chiles. While the vegetables are roasting, bring a medium saucepan of water to a boil (at least 4 cups). Once it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat and add the dried ancho chiles—make sure you've already removed their stems and seeds. Submerge under the water and soak until soft, at least 15 minutes.
- Blend all together. Transfer the roasted vegetables to a blender. Remove the soaked chiles with kitchen tongs and add them to the blender —save the soaking liquid. Add 3 cups of the soaking liquid, the apple cider vinegar, dried oregano, and the remaining 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Blend on high until smooth. *See note about blending hot foods. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- For the enchiladas:
- Heat oven. Heat your oven to 350°F and arrange the oven rack to the top third of your oven.
- Mix filling. Combine crumbled queso fresco and Sun-Maid Chili Spiced Golden Raisins in a medium bowl.
- Prep baking dish. Spread 1 cup of enchilada sauce over the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce in a shallow pie plate or pan.
- Fry tortillas. Heat the 1 cup of oil in a medium frying pan over medium-high heat. The oil is ready when bubbles quickly surround the tortilla when you dip an edge in the oil. If this doesn't happen, it's not hot enough. Give it another minute and try again.
- When oil is hot enough add a tortilla and let fry until it is warm and flexible, about 15 seconds per side. Remove tortilla from the hot oil with kitchen tongs and let oil drip back into the pan. Lower the heat if the oil starts to get too hot or smoke.
- Dip tortilla in sauce. Coat both sides of the fried tortilla in the sauce and place on a plate.
- Fill and roll. Place 2 tablespoons of the filling on one edge of the tortilla and roll up like a cigar. Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
- Cover with sauce and cheese. Pour any sauce that is left over in the pie plate over the top of the enchiladas then cover with the shredded cheddar cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake. Grease one side of foil with baking spray or oil and place, greased-side-down over the enchiladas. Bake for 20 minutes, then remove and continue baking until the cheese is golden, melted, and bubbly, about another 5-10 minutes.
- Serve. Serve with pickled red onions, avocado, and minced cilantro.
Notes
Be careful when blending hot foods, the heat can cause the ingredients to explode when you turn the blender on. To prevent this from happening, remove the plastic insert from the lid of the blender. Place the lid on top of the blender and cover the open space with a couple folds of paper towel. Hold the paper towel in place with one hand while turning the blender on low with the other hand. Once the mixture starts blending, you can increase the speed until it is smooth.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 332Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 21gCholesterol: 16mgSodium: 198mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 2gSugar: 10gProtein: 6g
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This looks delicious..I happen to have these raisins so I’m going to try this!