5 Ingredient Enchilada Casserole

5 ingredient enchilada casserole is so simple to make it’s perfect for a busy night. Even better is that this recipe uses a lot of on hand and common ingredients that you will either have leftover in the fridge or already stocked in your pantry. It combines all your favorite Mexican flavors into a casserole form. This chicken enchiladas casserole is sure to be one the whole family can enjoy! If you like Mexican cuisine, then you may also want to try these Tex-Mex Egg rolls, Mexican stuffed potatoes, or steak enchilada skillet.

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I’ll be honest, this recipe was born from leftover ingredients I had on hand. I got tired of eating the chipotle grilled chicken thighs I had and was looking for a way to reinvent them. Thus, this chicken enchilada casserole was born. It was so simple to put together as you’re really just assembling the dish and baking it until you melt the cheese. I decided to make this into individual casseroles but this can easily be made in a large casserole dish.

WHY AN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

I love enchiladas, they are truly my favorite Mexican dish to eat when eating out. However, making them at home can sometimes be a chore especially if using corn tortillas. You have to heat them first, then fill them with your filling, then wrap them and ensure they stay closed. When trying to get a meal on the table quickly, that isn’t always the best use of your time. Hence, making this 5 ingredient enchilada casserole. It’s more like assembling a lasagna in layers which makes it more time efficient.

INGREDIENTS FOR 5 INGREDIENT ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Well, given the name, you truly won’t need many ingredients, unless you want to add more. The base ingredients you will need are:

• Corn tortillas
• Chicken thighs
• Baby spinach
• Mexican cheese blend
• Red Enchilada sauce

A few alternatives you can try for the above ingredients are:

• Rotisserie chicken
• Flour tortillas
• Colby Jack cheese
• Homemade enchilada sauce

SUBSTITUTES FOR CHICKEN THIGHS

If chicken really isn’t your thing, you can easily swap it for another protein. Chicken thighs was what I already had cooked and ready to go. This 5-ingredient enchiladas would work really well with some lean ground beef. I personally prefer to use ground beef that is 92% lean with 8% fat. If you don’t like beef, you can use ground turkey which I like to use 93/7 blend. If you lean more vegetarian, adding tofu or a portabella mushrooms would work well in this casserole as well.

However you choose to make this easy recipe, it is sure to be delicious!

HOW TO MAKE 5 INGREDIENT CHICKEN ENCHILADA CASSEROLE

Prep time for this recipe is a breeze. First pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees.

Next heat a large skillet medium-high heat. While the skillet is heating up, shred your chicken and chop the spinach into strips. Next, spray the skillet with cooking spray and add the shredded chicken and spinach to the skillet and stir until the spinach begins to wilt. Next add 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce and 1/4 cup of shredded cheese. Let come to a gentle bubble, then remove from the heat and set aside.

In the casserole dish, put 1 tbsp of enchilada sauce on the bottom of the casserole dish next place 1 of the corn tortillas. Sprinkle with a bit of cheese and top with the chicken mixture. Place the other corn tortilla on top and pour 1/4 cup of sauce on top. Top with rest of the shredded cheese. Repeat this process to make two individual casseroles.

Place the casserole dishes on a cookie sheet and put in the preheated oven. Cook time will be approx. 12 minutes or until the top is melted and golden brown.

Once done, remove from the oven and top with your favorite toppings (optional).

Nutrition facts are based on individual serving size for this simple recipe.

ALTERNATIVE ADD INS & TOPPINGS

Given this recipe was born from truly what I had on hand you can always choose to add some additional ingredients to mix things up a bit. Here are some really good ingredients to try:

• Black Beans
• Refried Beans
• Green Chilis
• Jalapeno’s
• Cilantro

I chose to top my 5 ingredient enchilada casserole with a few traditional Mexican toppings that amped up the flavor. Feel free to add any of the below for additional flavor:

• Avocado
• Black Olives
• Red Onions
• Sour Cream
• Pickled Jalapeños

If you make this spicy enchilada casserole or any of my easy recipes, please leave a comment below! Also, feel free to connect with me on my social platforms as I share more of my healthy recipes! Give a follow at: Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest!