Copycat Carlos O’Kelly’s Cheese & Onion Enchiladas

These copycat cheese and onion enchiladas taste just like the ones you get at a Tex-Mex restaurant. They’re easy to make and always a hit.

Carlos O’Kelly’s is our Tex-Mex restaurant back home in Iowa and it’s my favorite! Every visit – I force my friends to go! We get salsa, queso and cheese enchiladas.

Well, thanks to secrets from a former staffer, I’ve made the salsa & queso recipes (and the flavor on both is perfection!)  – but today – it’s all about the enchiladas. These are simple cheese & onion enchiladas but instead of the regular “red” enchilada sauce – I always get queso! So it’s cheese, cheese and MORE CHEESE!!! 

What are cheese and onion enchiladas made of?

These copycat enchiladas are so easy with only 5 ingredients – here’s what you’ll need: 

• six-inch corn tortillas
  • feel free to swap with flour tortillas if you like – but they’re more authentic with corn
• shredded cheddar cheese
• shredded monterrey jack cheese (not just one cup of cheese – many cups!)
• diced onion
  • How do you cut an onion for enchiladas? You’ll want to do a large dice on these because if you’re making cheese & onion enchiladas – you want to know the onion is in there! Make them about 1/2 inch pieces. 
• Carlos O’Kelly’s Queso – you can use a different queso – but trust me on this – you want to make this recipe- and make the whole batch – the leftovers won’t last long! 
  • For the queso – you’ll need: 
    • butter
    • garlic powder 
    • diced onion
    • diced tomato 
    • diced jalapeños
    • Velveeta
    • sour cream

How to make cheese and onion enchiladas?

These are really easy to make! 

1. Make Carlos O’Kelly’s Queso ahead of time
2. Preheat oven to 450
3. Stir together cheddar & jack cheese in a bowl
4. Take corn tortillas and heat them
   1. either separate them and place in the air fryer at 350 for 2 minutes
   2. heat oil in a skillet and toast them individually 30 seconds on each side
   3. place 3-4 tortillas at a time on a microwave-safe plate and cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 30-60 seconds 
5. Prepare a rectangular baking dish by spraying it with non-stick spray
6. On a cutting board, lay tortilla out and spoon 1/4 cup cheese mixture into the middle of the tortilla
7. Sprinkle 1 Tbsp onion on top of cheese
8. Tightly roll tortillas around the cheese and onion
9. Pour 1/2 cup queso on the bottom of the dish
10. Place each roll seam side down in the baking dish
11. Continue with remaining tortillas
12. Smother enchiladas with queso
13. Top with a handful of cheese – make sure all queso is covered or it’ll burn
14. Bake in 450 degree oven for 5-8 min until cheese melts

How do you make this cheesy homemade enchilada sauce? 

Carlos O’Kelly’s queso is just beyond my favorite – I make it all the time! It’s easy to make too: 

1. Melt butter in sauce pan or a medium skillet on medium heat
2. Add garlic powder and onion, tomato & jalapenos
3. Cook until soft on low heat (the longer and slower the better)
4. Cut Velveeta into cubes and put in a mini crock pot – add sauteed veggies.
5. Cook on low until Velveeta melts and then add sour cream – stir and keep at low to serve

Can you freeze cheese enchiladas?

Yup – this is a great recipe to freeze! If you want to double it and use all the queso you can make one pan for dinner and a second pan for the freezer. Then just thaw completely and bake for 30 minutes at 350.

How long are cheese enchiladas good for?

If you’ve got leftovers – they’re good in the fridge for 3-4 days. Or you can always freeze the leftovers after baking and then you’ve got an easy to grab lunch for another day! 

What to serve with Cheese & Onion Enchiladas?

• Spanish Rice & Beans
• Chipotle black beans
• Tres Leches Cake

Other Copycat Recipes from Carlos O’Kelly’s:

• Carlos O’Kelly’s Salsa
• Carlos O’Kelly’s Queso
• Carlos O’Kelly’s Chicken Fajitas