Shrimp Enchiladas
Delicious, creamy shrimp enchiladas are made with shrimp, onion, red bell pepper and plenty of cheese, all rolled up in corn tortillas and smothered with green chile sauce. This enchilada recipe is easy to make, super tasty and sure to become a family favorite!
Making enchiladas at home is actually quite easy to do! These shrimp enchiladas taste like they came from a restaurant and are the perfect way to enjoy shrimp.
Mmmmm just seeing the photos of these shrimp enchiladas is making me crave them all over again.
I made these a few weeks ago for Brad and I and they were so insanely delicious! I love ordering shrimp or seafood enchiladas when we go out for Mexican food. But this was my first time attempting shrimp enchiladas at home. I’ll definitely be making them again! These flavorful, creamy shrimp enchiladas are worth every second of tortilla rolling. Brad and I devoured these and he’s already requesting that I make them again soon. That should tell you something right there!
If you like shrimp, I know you will enjoy these incredibly tasty enchiladas just as much as we do! To make this recipe as straightforward as possible, I’m sharing some quick tips, answering common enchilada questions, and giving plenty of variation ideas. Let’s get to it!
ingredients for green chile shrimp enchiladas
This shrimp enchilada recipe is extremely flexible when it comes to ingredients. Feel free to get creative and customize your enchiladas with whatever cheese, veggies, tortillas and toppings you like best! In general, you will need:
- Olive oil. For cooking the veggies. Use as much or little as you need.
- Onion + garlic. Gives these enchiladas delicious aromatic flavor.
- Red bell pepper. You can really use any color of bell pepper. Keep in mind that red peppers are the sweetest, yellow and orange peppers are mild, and green peppers can be somewhat bitter.
- Jalapeño. Adds Mexican flavor. These enchiladas are not very spicy, if you want more spice, feel free to add in the seeds.
- Shrimp. I recommend buying shrimp that’s already been peeled and deveined to make prepping this dish a breeze. Fresh or frozen shrimp will work, if you are going to use frozen shrimp, thaw it by placing it in a bowl of cool water for a few minutes.
- Cream sauce. You guys are going to LOVE the flavor of this creamy green chile sauce. It’s a mix of butter, flour, milk, sour cream, green chiles, salt and pepper.
- Cheese. I like to use a Mexican blend shredded cheese for these shrimp enchiladas. Cheddar, pepper jack, Monterrey jack, or other shredded cheeses would also work great.
- Tortillas. Corn tortillas are traditional in enchiladas, but I typically use a corn-flour blend tortilla, since they are much easier to roll. Any favorite tortillas will work.
- Optional for serving. Serve your enchiladas with a variety of Mexican toppings. We love fresh cilantro, Pico de Gallo or salsa and avocado slices or guacamole.
how to make shrimp enchiladas
These shrimp enchiladas start by cooking the veggies until soft and then the shrimp for about 5 minutes. While those ingredients are cooking, you can be stirring together the cream sauce.
Now it’s time to assemble the enchiladas!
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Spread a thin layer of cream sauce over the bottom of the baking dish. If using flour tortillas, I would skip this step because they tend to become soggy.
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Warm the tortillas until soft and pliable. Spoon the shrimp mixture down the center of each tortilla and sprinkle with cheese.
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Roll up each tortilla tightly, then arrange in the baking dish so the seam is down.
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Pour the creamy green chile sauce over the tops of the tortilla rolls. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the sauce.
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Bake for about 30 minutes or until cheese has melted and sauce is bubbling. Enjoy with your favorite toppings!
tips for the best seafood enchiladas
This seafood enchiladas recipe really is so simple, but here are some tips to make sure your enchiladas are awesome every single time!
- You can make these enchiladas as mild or as spicy as you like by adding in the seeds of the jalapeño or even by using two jalapeños. You could also use spicy green chiles for a kick!
- To soften corn tortillas, wrap 4 to 5 tortillas at a time in a damp paper towel and cook for about 30 seconds in the microwave. If you’re not using corn tortillas, this probably will not be necessary.
- Serve these enchiladas with Mexican rice, homemade guacamole and homemade salsa for a complete meal.
- For a make-ahead meal, assemble these enchiladas up to about 4-6 hours before you plan to cook them. Simply, cover and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to bake and eat.
enchilada variations
These shrimp enchiladas are SO good as-is, but feel free to get creative with your ingredients!
- Protein. Want to try something other than shrimp? These are delicious made with cooked chicken too!
- Cheese. I typically use a Mexican cheese blend when I make enchiladas, but you can try pepper jack, regular Monterey Jack, colby or cheddar cheese.
- Filling. You can add other ingredients to the filling such as corn, black beans, or diced tomatoes.
- Sauce. Instead of the cream sauce, you could use green or red enchilada sauce.
what tortillas are best for enchiladas?
Enchiladas can really be made with any preferred tortilla variety. Traditionally, corn tortillas are used for making enchiladas. Sometimes I use the La Tortilla brand whole wheat tortillas because they roll up really easy. To lower the calories, sometimes I even use low calorie or low carb wraps. Be sure to use the 8 to 10-inch size tortillas so that they hold plenty of filling, but they also fit into the baking dish. See the tips section, above, for how to prepare corn tortillas for enchiladas.
how long do leftovers keep?
Shrimp enchiladas are best enjoyed immediately. However, leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for about 2-3 days. The sauce will thicken up when it’s chilled and won’t be as creamy.
what to serve with seafood enchiladas
We love to enjoy these shrimp enchiladas with our favorite Mexican toppings and sides! Sometimes I make a light, fresh green salad with chopped tomato, diced avocado and this chipotle ranch. Just don’t forget the homemade salsa and skinny margarita!
I am all about Taco Tuesday, but once you try these enchiladas you may have to cheat on those tacos for a while! 😉
more favorite enchilada recipes
If you try this shrimp enchiladas recipe, let me know! Leave a comment and if your family loves it as much as mine does, be sure to give it a five star ⭐️ rating! Also, tag @kimscravings on Instagram with a picture of your creation. It’s so fun to see what you’re cooking! Be sure to subscribe to our mailing list to receive more healthy delicious recipes straight to your inbox.
Shrimp Enchiladas
Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed and minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds shrimp, shells removed, deveined, and chopped
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
FOR THE CREAM SAUCE
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 (4.5-oz.) can green chiles
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
ASSEMBLY AND GARNISH
- 8-10 medium corn tortillas
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided
- Freshly chopped cilantro, for garnish
- Pico de Gallo or salsa, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F and spray a 9x13" baking dish with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and jalapeño and cook until softened, 5-6 minutes. Then, add garlic and cook for 1 additional minute. Add shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook until shrimp is pink and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- To make the sauce, melt butter over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Then, whisk in flour and cook for about 1 minute. Whisk in milk and sour cream until no lumps remain. Add green chiles, cumin, and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until mixture gets a bit thick, about 5 minutes.
- To assemble enchiladas, spread a thin layer of sauce into baking dish. Spoon about ⅓ cup shrimp mixture into the middle of a tortilla then sprinkle with cheese. Roll tortilla and place seam side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Pour sauce over enchiladas then top with remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly, 30 minutes. Garnish with cilantro and serve with Pico de Gallo and/or salsa.
Notes
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