Pork Enchiladas

Pork enchiladas are a delicious, filling, and flavorful Mexican-inspired dish! They’re filled with seasoned pulled pork, beans, cheese, and a smoky enchilada sauce. Baked to perfection, this dish has been a longtime family favorite for a reason!

A Hearty Weeknight Meal

Pork enchiladas are cheesy, saucy, and satisfying comfort food loaded with Mexican flavors. Much like beef enchiladas or creamy chicken enchiladas they are flexible and can be customized to your tastes.

They’re filled with tender, fall-apart pork, beans, and cheese, and topped with a thick smoky red enchilada sauce. It’s such a fun dish to serve a crowd and is easy to stretch out the filling by doubling the recipe.

Making enchiladas with pork is something I look forward to making so when I make any type of pulled pork, usually slow cooker carnitas, I make more and use leftover pulled pork to make this pork enchiladas recipe even easier!

What Are Enchiladas Anyway?

They’re usually made with corn tortillas which are wrapped around a filling of some type of meat, cheese, veggies, beans, and seasonings. For this recipe, we’ll be using flour tortillas as they are much easier to work with. They’re softer, pliable, and usually larger.

They can be fried or baked and topped with a delicious sauce. Sometimes a mole sauce, sometimes a cheese sauce, and in our case a tasty enchilada sauce.

There are a variety of ways to make them, a lot of it depends on where you live!

Difference Between Enchiladas and Chimichangas

A chimichanga is a deep-fried burrito! They are both stuffed with all the yummy ingredients, usually including rice. It is then fried and served without any signature sauce on top, but rather toppings on the side.

The main difference is that a chimichanga is made with a flour tortilla and enchiladas are usually made with corn tortillas. 

Why We Love Pulled Pork Enchiladas

1. So good! If you love Mexican food, you’re going to love pork enchiladas. Stuffed with flavorful ingredients, melty cheese, and a delicious smoky sauce to boot! 
2. Easy. You can make as much of it from scratch as you like or take a few shortcuts for busy weeknights. This simple recipe could not be any easier!
3. Customizable. There are plenty of ways to fill up your enchiladas and although I like to keep mine pretty simple, I’m also including all the ways you can add to it.
4. Freezer-friendly. These keep for months in the freezer! You can freeze them baked or unbaked and pop them in the oven to heat up when you’re ready.

Ingredients Needed

• Pork carnitas: I love the crispy outer bits that the pork carnitas have, but you can use whatever type of pulled pork you like. If you have leftover pork from a pork roast, use that!
• Black beans: Canned beans, drained and rinsed, are easy and convenient. 
• Red enchilada sauce: Homemade or store-bought, it’s up to you. It’s made with chili powder, cumin, oregano, chicken broth, and tomato paste to name a few ingredients. 
• Flour tortillas: You’ll need about 8 for this recipe. Enough to fill a baking dish so that they fit nicely side by side in a single layer.
• Shredded cheese: Monterey Jack cheese, cheddar cheese, Mexican blend, whatever you prefer. I always aim for freshly grated from a block, I find it melts better and tastes fresher.

How to Make Pork Enchiladas

1. Fill tortillas. Add about 1/2 cup of pork, beans, and enchilada sauce mixture into the center of a tortilla and sprinkle with cheese. 
2. Roll tightly. Fold in two opposite sides first, then roll up from the bottom. 
3. Arrange in the dish. Place the rolled-up tortilla seam side down into the casserole dish that has been spread with enchilada sauce. This way the pork mixture won’t fall out. Repeat with remaining tortillas, filling the dish. 
4. Add sauce and bake. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over top of all of the enchiladas and bake for 10 minutes. Spread remaining cheese over top and continue baking for another 15-20 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Allow cooling before serving.  

Variations

• Use leftover taco meat made with ground beef. 
• Shredded Mexican chicken or Instant Pot shredded beef can be used instead of pork.
• Try green enchilada sauce instead! Similar to these green chile enchiladas which are another family favorite.
• Refried beans are a delicious option to use instead of black beans or a mix of both!

Cooking Tips

• If your pork isn’t seasoned, season it!
• Add enchilada sauce to the bottom of the dish before the rolls so that they don’t stick.
• Place them seam side down.
• Do not overfill or overstuff them. 1/2 cup of the mixture is good!
• Use freshly grated cheese if possible. 
• Homemade flour tortillas and red enchilada sauce take this dish to another level.

What to Serve With Pork Enchiladas

These fully loaded enchiladas are lacking nothing! They are a complete, filling, and satisfying meal on their own. If you want to add a little side of something extra, here are a few ideas:

Black bean salsa is a refreshing, light side dish! Sometimes I will even make this southwest egg roll recipe for an appetizer while the enchiladas are baking.

Rice is a common pairing, so Spanish rice, easy Mexican rice, or cilantro lime rice would be great.

You could also aim for a chopped salad and call it a day! 

Make-Ahead & Storage Tips

• Make ahead: Assemble enchiladas up until just before baking. Place them in a freezer-friendly dish and wrap tightly in foil. Keep it frozen for up to 3 months. You can heat straight from frozen just remember to add on extra baking time. 
• To store: Keep any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or microwave. 
• To freeze: You can also freeze already baked enchiladas for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat in the oven to warm through.

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