• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Mexican Food Journal logo
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About The Journal
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    You are here: Home / Enchiladas and Enmoladas / Cheese Enchiladas with Mole Sauce

    Cheese Enchiladas with Mole Sauce

    Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

    Enmoladas de Queso

    These enchiladas may be different from the ones you are used to making. First, they are covered in mole (pronounced mo-Lay) not salsa, and second, they are not baked in the oven. They are cheese-filled but not definitely not “melty.”

    Enchiladas topped with mole are called enmoladas. Mole is a generic term for smooth sauces made from dried chiles and they come in countless regional variations.

    The most famous is mole poblano from the city of Puebla which most people know as the “chocolate sauce” which is the one we used for this recipe. All moles will give excellent results. Use the mole of your choice. Changing the variety of mole varies the flavor of the dish.

    Cheese Enchiladas with Mole

    How to Prepare

    Start by gathering the ingredients. You will need 1 cup of mole paste, 4 cups chicken broth or water, 1 lb. of queso fresco or panela cheese, ½ cup Mexican cream, 1 red or white onion, 12 corn tortillas, and 1 cup cooking oil. If possible, use handmade tortillas for this dish. The flavor is superior.

    Ingredients Cheese Enchiladas with Mole

    Preparing the Mole

    To make your enmoladas the first thing you need to do is prepare the mole. We used mole paste for this recipe. Follow full preparation instructions for mole paste.

    You may also be able to find ready to use mole to save a little time. We prefer using the mole paste though, better flavor. 

    If you would like to try and make a mole sauce from scratch, try the red enchilada sauce.

    You can see how a traditional black mole is made by hand using a metate in this video.

    Mole Poblano Paste

    Preparing the Tortillas

    You have to fry the corn tortillas in hot oil which serves 2 purposes.

    One is to make them pliable so that you can roll the enchiladas without breaking the tortilla.

    Two, frying the tortillas seals them so that they don’t absorb the sauce and become mushy.

    Pour ¼″ of cooking oil (about 1 cup) into a frying pan and heat to medium-hot.

    Frying a Corn Tortilla

    Gently lower a corn tortilla into the oil and cook for about 10 seconds until the tortilla starts to puff up. Turn the tortilla and cook for another 10 seconds.

    Corn Tortilla Frying in Oil

    Remove the tortilla from the oil. Let the oil drain off for a few seconds.

    Corn Tortilla in Hot Oil

    Place the tortillas on a plate covered in paper towels to drain the excess oil.

    Draining Corn Tortillas on Paper Towels

    Rolling the Enchiladas

    Bring the cheese to room temperature before rolling. Place 2 or 3 slices of cheese on a tortilla.

    Queso Fresco on Corn Tortilla

    Roll the tortilla.

    Rolling a Cheese Enchilada

    A rolled enchilada.

    Rolled Cheese Enchilada

    Place 4 rolled enchiladas on each plate to serve.

    Plate of Rolled Enchiladas

    Serving the Enchiladas

    Enmoladas are served warm not piping hot. Spoon the mole over the enchiladas. You will need about ¾ cup of mole sauce per plate.

    Spooning Mole on Cheese Enchiladas

    Decorate with cream. Mexican cream is preferable to sour cream.

    Decorating Enchiladas with Cream

    Top with 3 thinly sliced onion rings.

    Enjoy!

    Cheese Enchiladas with Mole Enmoladas
    Cheese Enchiladas with Mole Enmoladas
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Cheese Enchiladas with Mole Sauce Recipe

    Panela cheese filled enchiladas topped with mole, a smooth sauce made from dried chiles, Mexican cream, and sliced red onion. Mole comes in many varieties. We used mole poblano for this dish. You substitute the mole of your choice.
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Mexican
    Keyword cheese, corn tortillas, enchiladas, mole sauce
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 35 minutes minutes
    Total Time 45 minutes minutes
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 985kcal
    Author Douglas Cullen

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup mole paste or 4 cups of prepared mole
    • 4 cups chicken broth or water
    • 1 lb. of queso fresco or panela cheese mild fresh Mexican cheeses
    • ½ cup Mexican cream "crema"
    • 1 red or white onion
    • 12 corn tortillas
    • 1 cup cooking oil

    Instructions

    Preparing the Mole

    • Follow the directions
      here for preparing the mole paste. Once the mole is ready, move on to the next steps.

    Preparing the Tortillas

    • Pour ¼" of cooking oil (about 1 cup) into a frying pan and heat to medium-hot.
    • Gently lower a corn tortilla into the oil and cook for about 10 seconds until the tortilla starts to puff up. Turn the tortilla and cook for another 10 seconds.
    • Remove the tortilla from the oil. Allow the oil drain off for a few seconds.
    • Place the tortillas on a plate covered in paper towels to drain the excess oil.
    • Rolling the Enchiladas
    • Bring the cheese to room temperature before rolling.
    • Place a corn tortilla on a plate then place 2 or 3 slices of cheese on the tortilla.
    • Roll the tortilla until it forms a nicely shaped tube.
    • Repeat until you have rolled all of the enchiladas.
    • Serving the Enchiladas
    • Spoon the mole over the enchiladas (about ¾ cup per plate).
    • Using a squirt bottle filled with Mexican cream, pipe 3 lines of cream across the enchiladas to decorate.
    • Garnish with 3 thinly sliced onion rings.
    • Serve immediately.

    Notes

    Substitutions
    • You can substitute sour cream for the Mexican cream called crema. Real crema is the best option for authentic taste.
    • You can substitute shredded chicken for the cheese.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 4enchiladas | Calories: 985kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 58g | Sodium: 1483mg | Sugar: 18g

    More Enchilada Recipes

    • Enchiladas with Bean Sauce (Enfrijoladas)
    • Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
    • Red Enchilada Sauce
    • Cheese Enchiladas with Mole Sauce
    • Enchiladas Potosinas

    More Enchiladas and Enmoladas

    • Plate of Enchiladas Potosinas
      Enchiladas Potosinas
    • Enchiladas with Bean Sauce Enfrijoladas
      Enchiladas with Bean Sauce
    • Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde
      Chicken Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    D. Cullen Profile Picture

    Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

    More about me →


    Most Popular Recipes

    • Classic Salsa Verde
    • Bowl of Mexican Restaurant Style Salsa
      Restaurant Style Salsa
    • Bowl of Traditional Mexican Sopa de Fideo
      Traditional Sopa de Fideo
    • Bowl of Authentic Red Pozole
      Red Pork Pozole
    • Bowl of Chicken Tinga
      Chicken Tinga
    • Agua de Jamaica
    • Tres Leches Cake with Berries
      Tres Leches Cake
    • Beet Salad Citrus Balsamic Vinaigrette Recipe
      Beet Salad with Feta Cheese and Citrus Balsamic Viniagrette
    • Cheese Enchiladas with Red Enchilada Sauce
      Red Enchilada Sauce
    • Authentic Mole Poblano
      Mole Poblano

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2021 Mexico Publishing LLC