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My mom used to make us Entomatadas de Queso at least once a week.
We were not big meat eaters growing up, but we were and are HUGE cheese lovers. This was one of our favorite dishes.
Such a super easy recipe and very adaptable.
Change it up with a different filling as in Chicken Entomatadas to make it your own.
Table of Contents
How to Make It
- Add fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, and jalapeno to a pot.
- Cover with water and bring to a boil.
- Boil for 5 minutes on medium-high heat.
It starts with a homemade tomato sauce (salsa de tomate). To make the sauce spicier, add more jalapeño peppers or use more serrano peppers.
What I’m about to say is widely unpopular in the Mexican culture, but … Yes, you can use a spicy store-bought salsa.
Just be sure NOT to buy chunky salsa. Or, blend the chunky salsa to make it smooth.
- Place the tomatoes, jalapeno, and other sauce ingredients in a blender.
- Blend until smooth.
The Name Game:
Some people will call these “tomatadas” for short. If you see “Tomatadas” on a menu, know that it’s the same thing as “ENtomatadas.”
These are also referred to as “Tomato Enchiladas.”
What is the difference between entomatadas and enchiladas?
Entomatadas are a type of enchiladas where corn tortillas are fried and drenched in a tomato sauce.
- Fry each corn tortilla lightly on medium heat in large frying pan.
- About 1 minute on each side.
You are not going to need a lot of vegetable oil either. Mega frying is not happening here.
Do NOT use flour tortillas. When flour tortillas are dipped in the tomato sauce, they will become floppy.
Whereas fried corn tortillas will keep their texture.
- Place the fried corn tortilla on paper towels to drain any excess oil.
- Continue frying the rest of the tortillas.
To determine which are the best oils for frying it really depends on what you are frying.
For the most part, I prefer to use vegetable oil because it’s neutral in taste and is great for frying.
- Using your tongs, carefully dip the fried corn tortilla into the tomato mixture.
You will need to work QUICKLY. So, have everything ready for assembling. Call the family to dinner. It will be served soon.
Other Filling Options:
- Shredded Chicken
- Shredded Beef
- Cooked diced potatoes
- Cooked carrots and peas
- frijoles de la olla
- Cooked spinach
- Calabacitas a la Mexicana
- Lay the tortilla in a casserole dish or serving plate and add the filling.
- Fold the other side in. Repeat with each tortilla until done.
- Cover with foil paper to keep them warm.
In the picture above, you see queso fresco.
Types of Cheeses to Use:
- Queso Fresco (traditional)
- Queso Panela
- Requesón (or a cheese similar to Ricotta)
- Cotija cheese (For topping only. This crumbled cheese is very salty)
- Añejo (For topping only. This cheese is also very salty)
- Queso Oaxaca and Queso Monterey will not have enough time to melt and not ideal for stuffing.
Serve immediately, or they will get COLD. Be sure to cover with foil paper and place them in a warm oven until your family is sitting at the table. Or…
Pro Tip:
If you’re not serving right away…
- Fold and stuff the tortillas. Place them in a casserole dish and place them in a warm oven.
- Warm up the tomato sauce when ready to serve.
- Then pour the sauce over the stuffed tortillas and serve immediately.
What To Serve It With
To serve your Cheese Entomatadas, top with more queso fresco, white onion, mexican crema, and chopped cilantro. Add more sauce to the plate and serve immediately. You can also add thin slices of red onion.
An incredibly DELICIOUS dish you’re sure to enjoy!
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Entomatadas
Ingredients
- 4 Roma tomatoes
- 1 jalapeno
- ¼ onion
- 1 clove garlic
- Water enough to cover everything
- 1 tspn Salt
- 1 cup oil
- 8 corn tortillas
- 1 10-ounce package Queso Fresco
Instructions
- In a stock pot, add tomatoes, jalapeno, onion, garlic, and water.
- (Add enough water to cover everything).
- Bring to a boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn heat off.
- Carefully discard the hot water.
- Add everything to a blender and salt.
- Blend until smooth.
- Pour salsa into a deep plate.
- Heat oil in a large pan.
- Fry each tortilla individually for 1 minute on each side.
- Place on a paper towel to drain any excess fat.
- Dip the fried tortilla in the salsa.
- Lay the tortilla on the serving plate and fill with cheese.
- Fold the other side in.
- Repeat with each tortilla until done.
- Top with lettuce, tomato, etc.
- Serve immediately.
Kathy lopez
Omg my mom used to make these all the time especially since my daughter didn’t like the enchilada sauce so she would make these instead. Unfortunately my mom passed before I was told how to make the flour tortillas from scratch, n even tho I’m Mexican, I could nver get the right texture correct, and I couldn’t duplicate her sauce for this dish here. Thanks so much.
Maggie Unzueta
It’s heartwarming to hear about your mom’s culinary magic and her special recipe. You got these Entomatadas, and your mom would surely be proud. 💕
Mrs Alcantar
Husband and I loved this recipe!! Thank you
Maggie Unzueta
That’s great. Glad you enjoyed the entomatadas.
Kate
These are so delicious! We added some chorizo and a fried egg on top like our local Mexican grocer does here. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
Maggie Unzueta
Fried egg… YUM! Happy you enjoyed this recipe.