Cheesy Enchilada Rice Skillet
The easiest enchilada you will ever make. No rolling, no folding. Just throw everything into a skillet and you’re set!
Cheese + red enchilada sauce + green enchilada sauce + rice. Now that’s my kind of dinner.
Now I’m not really sure what to really call this. I think of it as an inside-out enchilada. Or a glorified Mexican fried rice.
Either way, this beats any kind of rice I have ever had. And being Korean, I’ve had many rice dishes in my day.
Best of all, this skillet is completely customizable to what you have on hand – feel free to throw in more veggies or even grilled chicken for extra protein.
Quinoa would also be a wonderful healthy substitute for the rice, although I would personally end up having the double the servings instead!
Cheesy Enchilada Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked rice
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 small onion, diced
- 1 bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup canned corn kernels, drained
- 1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- ¾ cup Old El Paso™ mild enchilada sauce
- ½ cup Old El Paso™ mild green enchilada sauce
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon cumin
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup shredded Mexican blend cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
- In a large saucepan of 1 1 /2 cups water, cook rice according to package instructions; set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic, onion and bell pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until onions have become translucent, about 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in rice, corn, black beans, enchilada sauces, chili powder, cumin and oregano until well combined and heated through, about 2-3 minutes; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Remove from heat and top with cheese. Cover until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.
- Serve immediately, garnished with cilantro.
Did you make this recipe?
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Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Old El Paso. All opinions expressed are my own.
So good and easy to put together. We used the leftovers for nacho topping.
Can you make this in a instapot?
With what can i substitute red and green enchilada sauce? It’s impossible to find these in our stores in Cyprus.
best thing i ever made i will have this very often
I tried this recipe and i enjoyed it very much. I left out the corn and I didn’t have green enchilada sauce so I added more of the red along with some jalapeño peppers.
O M G! I made this with Morning Star Vegan Chorizio crumbles and used jasmine rice. Delicious!!!! This was made in 20 minutes and WILL BE my go to meal!!!!!!
This looks delicious! I don’t have green enchilada sauce.. can I substitute more of the mild enchilada sauce?
This is a family favorie. Last time I made it, I served it with warmed tortillas.
Yum! Added some mex seasoned chicken and used Trader Joe’s enchilada sauce which is my go to. Served with salsa, sour cream, avocado and cilantro.
Can you make this with cauliflower rice?
Delicious, makes alot.I added a cup of diced zucchini and 1 can diced green chili I used vegan cheese and sauce and then baked uncovered at 375 for 10 mins
One of my family’s favorite meals! My kids don’t like green pepper so I make the recipe exactly as is but leave that out and they love it! I stuff green peppers with the rice for me and my husband and bake. So so good!
Could I use frozen corn? Thanks!
Sure! 🙂
This is so delicious! My vegetarian, 11 year old daughter, asks for this at least once a week. My husband and I will have it as a side and she has it as her meal. I’ve made as is and also substituted salsa verde, for the green enchilada sauce, when my store is out. It’s delicious no matter what. She likes to top it with some diced tomato and sour cream.
Another home run! Your recipes don’t need tweaking; they’re just so friendly and forgiving. I added some squash, fresh tomatoes, and a jalapeno. A little guacamole and sour cream went well with it.
This would be a standout at any gathering. It blows 7-layer dip out of the water! I’d cut back on rice and serve it with tortilla chips.
I am such a fan.
Delish – everyone loves it!
Delicious! I made this and let my mother have some, she wanted the recipe too!
Great!
I need to make some freezer friendly dishes for my son who was just diagnosed with leukemia. Is this one that will freeze well?
So good and so easy! Great flavor and my new comfort meal. I need to work on portion control…
I have made this before for my family and it was so good! Thinking of doing a taco bar for a party and adding this. Do you think I could keep it warm in a crock pot and it still be ok?
What a great idea! But unfortunately, without having tried this myself, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment when making substitutions and modifications.
Can I just add a bag of frozen rice (cooked)?
Of course!
Can I use cauliflower rice instead ?
Has any one tried that?
That’s a brilliant idea. It never occurred to me to freeze rice. Definitely a time saver!
Yum, I know exactly what we will be having this weekend, thanks to you. Can hardly wait.
That’s great! Please let us know how it turns out!
This is a fantastic, fast and delicious meal. My boyfriend and I do “Meatless Monday”. This was perfect for making some meatless tacos! Add some fresh tomato and guacamole and you’re all set. Thanks for this wonderful recipe! Will definitely be cooking it again 🙂
You are so welcome Christina! Thanks for sharing how it turned out 🙂
Just wondering…. has anyone checked the green enchilada sauce? As someone new to being GF due to sensitivity, I’ve been tediously reading labels and noticed this one has wheat on the label. Do you have to have the green sauce? I don’t want to risk a flare up….
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
Very easy and very delicious! Will definitely be making this again soon!!
Made this tonight 4/4/18, turned out really good
Dinner tonight!! Thank you!
Will be subbing cauliflower’rice’ for the rice (lower carb) and in the crockpot it will go. Can’t wait!
This was so delish and my sons and hubby loved it too. i did add a diced jalapeno pepprer put salt .5 or so! <3 <3
This was yummy. Added chorizo to it for my hubby. Ended up adding in more rice and more of the sauces.
What color of bell pepper do you recommend?
I personally love red bell peppers but any color should work just fine!
I have enjoyed cooking several of your recipes, and I am always looking for new ones. I am a single parent, trying to feed myself and my teenage son, who has several food allergies including dairy, corn, peanuts, and tree nuts, except almonds. I can use Daiya cheddar cheese shreds (vegan) whenever cheese is needed in a recipe, but I need to make this recipe without corn. My son is a meat lover, so I’ll add some chicken to this recipe and maybe some chopped jalapeno. Any other suggestions to make this without adding corn?
You can certainly omit corn here without compromising taste!
This is a new family fav! For the life of me, I can not find enchilada sauce at the store so I used salsa but I’m sure enchilada sauce would have made this even better.
Easy, fast, one pot, vegetarian, veggie and protein packed. This one checks all the boxes!!
Made this tonight as one of my kids has decided she doesn’t like meat – which I totally support, but will take a little extra planning for me. We recently threw a batch of bell peppers on onions into our smoker, that is what I used – added some great smoky flavor! Thanks for the ah-mazing recipe!
Could this recipe translate to a crock-pot recipe for large gatherings? Thank you! This meal has become a family favorite!
Unfortunately, without further recipe testing, I cannot answer with certainty. As always, please use your best judgment regarding substitutions and modifications.
This was delicious, Chungah! My husband sent me the recipe as a special request (Andy from AdThrive – saw it on your site and thought it was a must-try.) 🙂 He was right – we loved it! I made it exactly as you wrote it, except I added some browned taco meat to “beef” it up – ha! – and everyone was able to customize it to their liking, by adding jalapenos or hot sauce for extra spice, etc. One of my kids ate it in a tortilla and the other ate it with chips as dip. Total win, just like all your recipes have been for us so far. I don’t know how you always come up with simple, easy recipes that taste great every time. Thanks for this one!
How can I double this recipe? Or should I make 2 separate pans? Help! I need to feed 8!
You can double the recipe in a large enough pan or in 2 separate pans. It’s up to you!
Would love to share this recipe in a cookbook I am putting together for my cousin and her husband-to-be.
I made the rice ahead of time, and added the whole 15 oz cans of drained beans and corn. Taste tested and added more cumin and some chili powder but it seemed bland. When served, added a few tablespoons of jarred salsa on each serving because it was still too bland. (We are used to hot and spicy Tex-Mex here.) The salsa really made all the difference. Served with Guacamole and tortilla chips. Very filling! Good dish that is adjustable to everyone’s spice tolerance.
Does it make four servings as a main dish or a side dish. For a graduation party my daughter is having a taco/ nacho bar. I would like to bring this as a side to serve along side. And I will be using a crock pot to keep it warm so I will let you know about that.
This makes roughly four servings as a main.
I need to serve 8 as a side. Should I double the entire recipe?
Yes.
I made this and we loved it. I think next timeI will use day old rice. I thought it got a little mushy.
Loved this! I used one can each red and green enchilada sauce. Used some homemade taco seasoning I had, probably double the amount called for. And cheddar because that’s what I had on hand. Yummy!!
I think next time I’ll add some chicken to make it a meal.
I make this recipe quite often! Sometimes I add ground turkey/beef or pulled chicken. I pretty much always have everything on hand, and if not it’s pretty cheap. I also like to top it with pepper jack cheese and add a little slap ya mamma for extra spice 🙂
I made this for two weeks in a row! It is delicious. The first time I kept it vegetarian, and the second week I added ground beef with taco seasoning. This is SO good and so easy to make. I did use double the water to rice ratio since that’s how I always cook my rice. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this recipe exactly and it was delicious. I was wondering if you meant to use a bit more water in the rice…usually its equal parts. It worked and was a great addition to my “meatless mondays”!
You can use more or less water – it really depends on personal preference.
I added half of a very large zucchini and topped with cheddar cheese (the only cheese I had on hand). Because it was game-night, I left the mix on a second too long and the rice got a little crunchy on the bottom, but this only added to the dish.
I can give this dish no higher praise than to say it has made it into my recipe box. Looking forward to trying the one-pot zucchini and mushroom pasta next!
I made this tonight it was amazing! So tasty! I added chicken and spring onion and then some sour cream once i served it up! One of my bew faves. Thank you!
just made this tonight and it turned out great. I did use two cups of water for the rice and added sliced olives and a bit of cabbage with the onions/green peppers. Turned out so well that it will be a regular in our household. very generous portions too. I would like to add that every recipe I have tried on your website has always turned out so tasty!!
Thank you so much! I just found your blog after my six kids found the show “Master Chef Junior!” They all have this bug to learn how to cook with me. I was tired of my tried and true recipes and wanted to add new ones to our mix. Yet, I get overwhelmed by long grocery lists, complex ingredients, and time consuming recipes. (My kids are 9, 8, 5, 4, 2, and 16 months!) Your beautiful pictures, easy instructions, and simple ingredients have given us ample material to learn from and work with together. They each pick out a recipe for us to try together and they get a night in the kitchen with me on their own. Then their sibs and Dad rate the dish! 🙂 When we made your cheater Korean barbeque and rice last week my 4 year old said, “Spot on!” So far everything we have made has been spot on. My kids and husband have devoured every dish. My 16 month old particularly loved this Cheesy Enchilada Rice! I was afraid it would be too spicy, but it was mild enough for him. We added leftover grilled chicken and tripled the recipe for our large family! (My eight year old son had to do the math homework!) Delicious! Thanks for your hard work!
This was really good and so easy and fast!!! I didn’t have any meat thawed out today and have been trying to do more meatless meals and this was perfect!!!! I am saving this for later!
holy smokes this was good! I added a can of Rotel (husband loves tomatoes!) and it was FAB!
I’d like to try this for a large group gathering. Could you bake it as a casserole instead of making it in a skillet?
Yes, absolutely.
My goodness!!! I made this for my husband and he could not stop raving about it! After one huge helping, he went back and threw some more into a warm tortilla with hot sauce, sour cream, avocado, and green chiles. Amazing!!! I am making this again tonight (along with your Mexican Corn Dip) and wanted to know what size skillet did you use? I used my biggest one and it was still hard to work with as it made a HUGE amount of food (not complaining!!!). Thanks!!!!!!!
I’m so glad you tried this. And I just love the idea of wrapping this up in warm tortillas! As for the size, I believe this one here is a 12-inch skillet.
I can only describe this dish in one word…DELICIOUS!!!!
Could I use brown rice?
Yes, of course!
Do you think this recipe could be frozen?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! Please use your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
I never comment on blogs, but this was sooooo good I had to comment!! We gave up meat for Lent and I’ve had to really dig to find good vegetarian recipes – this one was a winner! I used taco seasoning mix in lieu of the seasonings and used medium enchilada sauce for a little extra kick. We ate with tortilla chips – almost like a dip. Can’t wait to make it again!
We had this tonight and it was very good. The only change green and yellow peppers and no corn. Yum!
Just made this. It was tasty. I added 3 chicken breasts, shredded. Also, after following the instructions, it seemed rather dry so I added the rest of both cans of enchilada sauce. It didn’t spice it up too much and the end result was much moister.
Hey, do you have any ideas for what to do with the leftovers? My husband and I made it and LOVED it for dinner last night, but we have lots of leftovers 🙂
We ate the leftovers as is and dipped them in tortilla chips too!
To clarify… only use 1 1/2 cups of water for the rice rather than the 2 1/3 cup on the box instructions?
Yes – 1 1/2 cups should be more than enough but if you like your rice a little bit more moist, then please feel free to add more water as needed.
I found this on Pinterest and just made it – so easy and delicious! Perfect for dinner or lunch!
I made this for dinner this evening and made a few variations. I used quinoa rather than rice and added ground chicken as my husband doesn’t care for meatless meals. I couldn’t use green enchilada sauce because it had wheat in it and my mom ate dinner with us, and she’s gluten free at the moment. But I added some green chiles in its place and used some of my husbands homemade enchilada sauce. I know this would have been delicious as you have it because this was sooooo delicious.
We just made this tonight and it was so delicious! We made it with quinoa and our homemade red enchilada sauce. We topped it off with some avocado and greek yogurt and piled it all on a bed of chopped up romaine to get some greens in :). My husband loved this and it will become a regular dish at our house! Thanks!!!
I love all the recipes of yours that I have made so far! Thanks for all your hard work =). This year I made a Christmas turkey because I missed out on cooking for Thanksgiving due to sickies. So, I am now looking for dishes that I can incorporate left over turkey. I am also married to a second generation Mexican….so this looks perfect!
After the rice and onions are cooked could this be out in a crock pot to keep warm for an hour or two?
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried this myself – please use your best judgment to utilize a slow cooker to keep warm.
This looks delicious and I love that it’s vegetarian. I am off to pin it now.
Can I just use more of the enchilada sauce instead of buying the green sauce too?
Yes, that should be fine, but I highly recommend using the green sauce as well to obtain the best results possible.
This was easy and delicious. I did add 1lb of ground beef and next time I’ll add diced tomatoes with green chiles. My husband also loved this. Thanks for a great recipe.
This was very easy and delicious. I add 1 lb of browned ground turkey and scliced black olives!
I am teaching my daughter in law how to cook 1 thing like rice and make it into several different meals. Last night it was chicken and rice. Tonight it will be a variation of this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
This is good. Thank you for the recipe.
I used your homemade enchilada sauce.
Why don’t you recommended that recipe instead of bought sauce?
Bridy, I love my homemade enchilada sauce recipe but when I’m in a pinch, I always have Old El Paso enchilada sauce on hand just in case!
?, I am trying to make meals ahead for when a fellow church member has her baby. This sounds great. But still learning on freezing.
Thanks in advance and for sharing this great item.
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! I recommend using your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
Tried this for dinner tonight. My meat eating hubby liked it, he put it in a tortilla . Finally a meatless meal option in our house. Thanks!
I’m just learning to cook and I came across this recipe so I decided to make it for my family. They absolutely loved it! It was delicious! I added extra chilli. Amazing recipe Chungah 🙂
We tried this today, and it was absolutely delicious! The whole family LOVED it (even the little ones)! We did add some extra spices because our family likes spicy food! Recommend that everyone tries this recipe! Great recipe!
This was AWESOME, gluten free and made super delicious leftovers. Thanks for my favorite mew go to recipe.
Can you freeze left overs of this dish? It is very good!!
Unfortunately, I cannot answer this with certainty as I have never tried freezing this myself – there were no leftovers left to freeze! I recommend using your best judgment for freezing and reheating.
This was fantastic – the best beans and rice dish I’ve ever had! I didn’t have the green enchilada sauce, so I just added a bit more red sauce. Also prefer sharp cheddar so used that instead of mexican blend. Other than that followed precisely…everyone commented on how good it was!
This looks really good but I don’t normally do a lot of Mexican food. What do you serve with it? Thinkin about making it this weekend.
You can just serve it as is or with some tortilla chips on the side!
I am going to make this tonight. I was thinking of cooking some chicken and adding some of the cumin and oregano to it to put in a taco shell and them add some of this rice with sour cream, chopped tomatoes and a little lettuce.
Made this for football game day and it was a huge hit. Used medium enchilada sauce and maybe 1/3rd a can of the green enchilada sauce because my pan was too small. This turned out to be good because I think it would’ve been a little too “saucy” had I used to whole can. Also dumped the entire bag of cheese on top instead of just 1 cup. Delicious!
would be great with cooked chicken or even ground chuck
planning o making this tonight. how many servings would this be?
Saliha, please refer to the “YIELD” section in the recipe box for serving size.
So happy you loved this recipe so much! We love it at my house too 🙂
Do you think brown rice would work in this dish?
Yes, absolutely!
bet my kids would go crazy for this – perfect for taco Tuesday
Love cooking in my skillet.. so this recipe is perfect for me! Looks incredibly cheesey and delicious, I must recreate the recipe!
This looks amazing! I totally heart all the flavors!
I’m making this right now & serving with a little sour cream. 😀
im so proudx
This looks like it would be great over Fritos or with tortilla chips for an amazing “nacho” platter!!!
Wow! Another amazing comfort skillet. Love!
The timing of this post could not have come at a better moment for me! I was trying to figure out what to do with a bunch of extra enchilada sauce – problem solved!! Dinner is gonna be taaaasty tonight… 🙂
This looks fantastic! I had a Spanish rice casserole for dinner last night and it was magnificent, could totally do Spanish dinner take two in the near future 😀 Seems to always hit the spot ^ ^
Thanks for the recipe! x
OMG! That cheesy layer on top, so good! Love the ease of this too, and with such big flavor results! : )
Looks like a fun and easy dish!
This looks delicious!!! It would also be great with some chicken in it!!! Thanks for the recipe!!!
I can’t find the ” Milk ” Green Enchilada sauce at my local store…. 🙂 Looks like a great recipe !
I HAVE to make this. I absolutely love Mexican and Tex-Mex food, and this is just about as quick and easy as one can get! I may try hotter enchilada sauces, however, since I prefer a spicy-hot dish over a more mild one. I’m also thinking it would be great spread on top of crisp corn tostadas! Larry
Sounds different. Thank you.
This looks awesome and I love that it’s just one big happy skillet, nothing fussy involved! And is that a new skillet? Looks so shiny and pretty!
Yes, it’s my new favorite go-to skillet! I got a little tired of using a black pan.
One skillet + Mexican wins the day every day!
Looks great, I cannot wait to try it! Do you mean mild green sauce?(not milk?)
We make a version of this, never thought about using enchilada sauce, it’s delicious!
This definitely DOES look easy!! Loving this!
You know what they say, food is the way to the heart!
I browned a lb. of ground sirloin and added a package of Old El Paso taco seasoning mix and water as directed. When the water was absorbed, I stirred the taco seasoned sirloin into the rice and veggie mixture. It added so much flavor. I served with sour cream and everyone raved about it!! Oh, I didn’t have any green enchilada sauce so i just used 1 1/4 c. red enchilada sauce. Thanks for the recipe!!! It is definitely a keeper!
I was thinking of adding ground beef so I am so grateful for your comment!! I am about to prepare this with the ground beef added!! Thank you!!
This dish was great! It was very easy to make and it is a great option if you’re looking for a meatless meal where you can save money & lose weight.