6 Ways To Use Up Your Leftover Enchilada Filling (That Are Actually Delicious)

My husband and I love to cook, but we don’t always end up with enough food for leftovers.

We were excited to find out that our enchilada filling was the perfect solution—it’s delicious, versatile, and easy to store in the fridge before reheating later.

In this article, I’ll tell you about all of the different ways we’ve used leftover enchilada filling in our home.

How to store leftover enchilada filling

Enchilada filling is definitely a leftover you can eat for days, but if you don’t feel like eating the same meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, store your extra enchilada filling in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

The leftovers will keep up to 4 days before going bad.

If you want to reheat your enchilada filling, simply place it in a microwave-safe bowl and heat on high for 30 seconds.

Add 1/2 cup of water if the mixture looks dry and continue heating until hot.

Keeping your leftovers in the refrigerator is a great way to make sure they don’t go bad.

If you have leftovers that are close to expiring, make sure to use them up as soon as possible so no food goes to waste.

6 ideas for leftover enchilada filling

Make enchiladas

The next night, you can make enchiladas with leftover filling and corn tortillas.

To do this, simply heat up some enchilada sauce in a pan and add some shredded cheese to it.

Then lay out the corn tortillas flat on a plate or dish and top them with your enchilada filling.

Roll them up tightly and place in an oven-safe dish along with the sauce and cheese.

Bake at 375°F for about 15 minutes until they’re nice and hot!

To finish off your meal, consider serving it alongside some fresh cilantro leaves or even some sour cream! The options are endless! If you’re looking for an easy dinner idea, consider making enchiladas! They are a delicious Mexican dish that is sure to please everyone at the table.

To make these delicious enchiladas, you’ll need: -1 can refried beans (you can also make your own) -1 cup cooked rice -2 cups shredded chicken (or other meat) -8 corn tortillas or flour tortillas (if using corn tortillas, you will need to fry them first in a pan with butter on both sides until they are browned).

Make a breakfast burrito

If you have leftover enchiladas, don’t worry! There are many ways to use them up.

We recommend making a breakfast burrito by filling tortillas with the leftover enchilada filling and adding cheese, eggs, salsa and avocado.

You can make this economical meal even more appealing by wrapping your tortilla in foil and heating it in the oven or microwave until warm before serving.

You can also use the leftover enchilada filling as a topping for nachos.

Just spread it on top of your favorite tortilla chips, add cheese, green onions and jalapenos and bake in the oven until warm and bubbly.

If you want to make something a little more traditional, you can use your leftover enchiladas to make enchilada casserole.

Layer tortillas on top of each other in an oven-safe dish, then cover with the filling and cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until hot.

Stuff into a bell pepper

The first time I made this, I stuffed the pepper with all of the enchilada filling.

The result was a very large and hearty meal that took some serious chewing to get through.

(It was delicious, but it wasn’t light and healthy.)

The next time I tried, I halved the recipe for enchilada filling and used one bell pepper instead of two.

This worked out perfectly! The peppers were much easier to eat than one big bowl of food, while still giving me plenty of leftovers for lunches throughout the week.

The enchiladas are also pretty easy to make, and they’re really tasty.

I like that the recipe uses a lot of fresh ingredients (like onion and garlic) instead of canned ones.

Plus, it’s always nice to have some extra veggies in my diet!

Stuff into a poblano pepper

Stuffing a poblano pepper is easy—the pepper itself has a natural cavity, and you can just spoon your enchilada filling inside.

If you’re serving these as tacos, cut off the top of the pepper, scoop out all of its seeds and membranes, and then slice it open into two pieces.

Fill each half with as much filling as you like; we recommend using about 1/4 cup per taco in order to leave room for toppings.

If you don’t have any leftover enchilada filling to work with (or if you’re looking for something different), try one of these other fillings instead:

• Refried beans or black beans (or both!)
• Potatoes or sweet potatoes cooked until soft
• Shredded chicken that has been seasoned with spices like chili powder or cumin

Use as a taco filling

For a taco filling with a Mexican twist, add taco seasoning to the warm enchilada filling.

You can even make your own taco seasoning from spices you probably already have in your pantry! To serve, top shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes with the seasoned enchilada filling and shredded cheese.

A dollop of sour cream or guacamole is also welcome on these tacos!

For a vegetarian alternative, add corn and black beans to the enchilada filling.

You can also use a cheese like queso fresco or Cotija for your topping instead of shredded cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese.

For a fun addition, top your enchilada tacos with diced avocado and a squeeze of fresh lime juice.

For an even more authentic taco experience, serve the filling in corn tortillas instead of flour tortillas.

You can also add some chopped cilantro for garnish.

Make enchilada nachos

When you have leftover enchilada filling, use it to make this easy and delicious recipe for enchilada nachos.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.

Put a layer of chips in the bottom of an oven-safe pan (this works best if you have a cast iron skillet).

Sprinkle some cheese over the chips.

Put another layer of chips over the cheese, followed by more cheese and then some enchilada filling.

Top with more shredded cheddar cheese, chopped tomatoes and green onions.

Bake for about 15 minutes until everything is melted together and hot!

This dish is great as a meal or as an appetizer.

Serve with fresh guacamole and sour cream for dipping!

Conclusion

So there you have it, all the delicious things you can do with leftover enchilada filling.

If you’re looking to make them, I hope we gave you some inspiration! But if not, don’t worry—you can still use these ideas as inspiration for making your own dishes.