Last Updated on 23rd April 2022 by
The cheese and sauce smothered Mexican dish enchiladas are delightfully chewy and bursting with flavor. There are a lot of different things you can fill enchiladas with and cover them with, and they are often made with chicken, beef, or pork.
There are traditional sides that are often served with enchiladas as well as less conventional ones that you could try and that you just might enjoy. Enchiladas aren’t too difficult to make, and some people use shortcuts and just make a basic burrito, fill it, and smother it with some taco sauce and cheese and perhaps a few green onions.
They are typically not served as a meal on their own, though. You would usually have an accompanying side dish or two with them.
What to serve with enchiladas? I’m going to give you a few ideas for side dishes and full meal options you can try so that you get the most out of your enchiladas.
I would suggest a side for enchiladas just to deal with the strong flavour. The taste can be quite bold, and it may help to have some side dishes to help balance it out.
Vegetable Rice
Let’s start with the basic side that most people are going to pair with enchiladas, and that’s rice. You can serve enchiladas with plain rice, if you like, but I suggest adding a few veggies in there to make it more interesting.
When I have enchiladas, I look for sides to add to it that don’t include any of the same ingredients. So, I wouldn’t do rice and beans for your side dish if the enchilada already has beans in it. I also wouldn’t make chicken rice if you are wondering what to serve with chicken enchiladas.
Adding some green peppers, tomatoes, and onions to the rice I think works really well with the enchiladas. As the enchiladas are chewy, these veggies are all somewhat crunchy, providing a nice texture contrast for you.
Guacamole and Tortilla Chips
Here’s a simple side that’s easy to make and works great when you’re wondering what to serve enchiladas with. You can buy the guacamole already pre made or you can make it up yourself at home.
Fresh avocados make for the best guacamole, and it’s pretty simple to mix together the ingredients needed to make this on your own. You can serve the guacamole cold or warm based on whether you want a contrast to the enchiladas or a compliment to it.
The crunchy tortillas add a wonderfully different texture to your meal compared to the enchiladas, so they make good partners with them.
Refried Beans
If there are no beans in your enchiladas, then you could definitely use refried beans as a side dish. These complement the enchiladas well, giving you a smooth and creamy side to go with your creamy, chewy enchiladas.
Refried beans can be a pretty simple dish to make, using basically just beans and salt, or you can add a few ingredients to them, like sour cream, onions, garlic and more to give them extra flavour.
Tacos
Are you looking for what to serve with beef enchiladas? How about trying some tacos that use another meat, like fish tacos or chicken tacos? This is a great pairing for enchiladas, as it lets you fill both foods in different ways.
You can put one set of fillings in enchiladas and another in the toppings. This allows you to have a lot of variety in the meal while keeping the meal pretty similar throughout.
There are lots of ways you can dress up your tacos to go with the enchiladas. The enchiladas are chewy and creamy and covered in sauce and cheese. The tacos, by contrast, will be crunchy, and you can use fresh ingredients like shredded cheese, tomatoes, and lettuce for fillings. The two dishes will be very different and yet go well together.
Elote
Elote is a type of grilled corn that is usually dressed in sour cream, chili pepper flakes and other garnishes. This sweet and juicy food is a Mexican delicacy and definitely something you want to try when you’re wondering what sides to serve with chicken enchiladas.
It’s fairly easy to make if you have a grill, and it pairs so well with the enchiladas because it’s so different. Elote Is actually a very popular street food, and it can be garnished and seasoned in a lot of different ways.
It just depends on what you feel like putting on top of it, really, and some people make theirs spicy whereas others want to keep theirs sweet.
Fajitas
This is similar to the pairing of tacos an enchiladas I mentioned earlier, because what you have here is a bunch of very different fillings from what would be in the enchiladas. Enchiladas are usually filled with a well cooked meat and refried beans and cheese.
Fajitas, on the other hand, are usually filled with either steak or chicken and then a lot of fried vegetables. You can grow your vegetables for the fajitas if you want and look for ways to make the fajita dish stand out from the enchiladas.
Salad
You can make your meal healthy by adding a salad to it. The contrast between crispy pieces of lettuce and the soft and tender enchiladas is a great combination. You can put a lot of the same things you would put in a taco or a burrito, like lettuce, tomato, and cheese.
So then, having a salad with your enchilada is kind of like having an open burrito with no shell. Have fun with the salad and pack it out with croutons, bacon bits, and dressing. Try some different varieties of salads as well, like a feta and spinach salad or one with cabbage and onions.
You could also opt for a Mexican salad, which can have black beans, feta cheese, peppers, corn, tomatoes and more. For a dressing some people might just use a little lime juice, and Mexican salad usually doesn’t have a lot of dressing on it. It can be a great alternative to your traditional salad.
These are few choices to get you started when you’re looking for what to serve with enchiladas. While they can be their own meal, if you want a more balanced lunch or dinner, try adding in some of these sides- perhaps just one or a few of them at once to give yourself a robust meal.
I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!