Tuna Enchiladas are an easy and quick weeknight dinner the whole family will love! With succulent juicy corn kernels, flaky tuna, beans and onion the filling is jam packed. Topped with sauce and cheese this Mexican dish both smells and tastes amazing.
Recipes like the Pulled Pork Enchiladas, Mini Enchiladas and Beef And Bean Enchiladas give us fun, simple Mexican dinner ideas.
The Tuna And Rice Casserole, Fettuccine Alfredo With Tuna, Tuna And Corn Fritters and the Tuna Fried Rice explore other ways to use tinned tuna for a variety of meals.
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🤍 Tuna Enchiladas
I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about the recipe in the points below:
- No pre cooking needed: one of the great things about using tinned tuna is that it is already cooked. That means for this recipe we don't need to cook the protein before adding it to the other ingredients. This saves both time and effort.
- Budget friendly: the ingredients needed to make the recipe are budget friendly and affordable. This makes the tuna enchiladas a great choice if you are looking to avoid spending money on expensive meats.
- Basic cooking skills: we need only combine the ingredients, add some seasoning and then stuff and roll the enchiladas. So everyone of all skill levels can make the recipe.
🥗 Tuna Enchiladas Ingredients
The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.
As you can see the recipe calls for:
- Salt and pepper.
- Garlic powder.
- Onion powder.
- Paprika: either smoked or ground paprika can be used.
- Black beans.
- Corn kernels.
- Red onion.
- Cheese.
- Enchilada sauce: store bought enchilada sauce keeps things quick and convenient!
- Tortillas: I like to use white corn tortillas. These come in a 10 pack and are the perfect size for this recipe.
- Tuna: we use a large tin of tuna flakes in spring water. We want to drain it but not rinse the tuna. Then use a fork to give it a gentle flake before adding it to the mixing bowl.
😉 Variations
Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:
- Sauce: you can use green enchilada sauce in place of the red sauce if you wish to.
- Tortillas: you can use whole wheat tortillas in place of the regular white ones.
- Proteins: you can use salmon, cooked chicken or cooked ground beef in place of the tuna.
- Greek yogurt: I like to serve these with Greek yogurt but you can use sour cream as an alternative.
👩🍳 How to Make Tuna Enchiladas
To make the tuna enchiladas we start by dicing the red onion and then combining the filling ingredients. You will need a cutting board, sharp knife and large mixing bowl to begin.
🍳 Instructions
- Dice the onion (Photo 1)
- Add the tuna, onion, black beans and corn (Photo 2)
- Add the seasoning (Photo 3)
- Stir to combine (Photo 4)
So once you have diced the red onion add the drained tuna, diced red onion, black beans and corn to a large mixing bowl.
Then sprinkle in the garlic powder, onion powder, ground paprika, salt and pepper.
Use a long rubber spatula to stir and gently combine these ingredients.
- Add a little sauce (Photo 5)
- Then place a tortilla onto the chopping board (Photo 6)
- Add the filling (Photo 7)
- Roll (Photo 8)
Next spray the baking dish with cooking oil. Then pour a little of the sauce into the base and spread it out with the spatula.
Next working one tortilla at a time place it in the centre if a clean, dry cutting board. Scoop the tuna mixture from the bowl and then roll the tortilla around the filling like you see in the photos above.
- Into baking dish (Photo 9)
- Sauce on top of enchiladas (Photo 10)
- Rest of filling on top (Photo 11)
- Add cheese topping (Photo 12)
Repeat this process till you have used up all of the tortillas and then place them side by side into the baking dish.
Once done, pour the enchilada sauce over the top and use the spatula to spread this out.
Next take the rest of the enchilada filling that is in the mixing bowl and spread this out as a layer on top of the sauce.
Once done sprinkle the cheese over the top like you see in the photos above.
Now we pop the baking dish into the oven (middle shelf, uncovered) and let the enchiladas cook till the cheese melts and turns a little golden brown.
This will take 15 to 20 minutes.
Once the cook time is up you can use oven mitts to remove the baking dish and set it on a heatproof surface.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
When it comes time to serve your enchiladas you will find that as they have so much going on you won't need too much more to make them a complete meal.
I like to garnish them with fresh chopped herbs and have used parsley in this case but coriander (cilantro) or sliced green onions will work nicely too.
Some pickled red onion, avocado and Greek yogurt are great things to have on the plate also and these really stick with the 'Mexican theme' we have going on.
👍 How to Guide
How to Store
Once the enchiladas have cooked and cooled you can portion them into an airtight container. These can be kept in the fridge for 2-3 days and need to be reheated before being consumed.
How to Freeze
These tuna enchiladas also freeze and reheat very well. This makes them a great option if you want to meal prep. Simply do the step above and stack the containers in the freezer instead of the fridge. These can be kept in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How To Reheat
Refrigerated leftovers can be transferred to a plate and covered with cling wrap. These can then be reheated in the microwave on high heat until warmed through.
For frozen enchiladas, let these thaw in the fridge during the day. Then reheat using the step above. They may need an extra minute or so to fully heat through.
💡 Tasty Tips
Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:
- Technique: I like to use an ice cream scoop to scoop and fill the enchiladas. This way each will have a pretty standard size about them.
- Baking dish: liberally spraying the baking dish with olive oil before adding anything is recommended. This will help to ensure nothing sticks as well and making cleaning that dish easier.
- Topping: I LOVE using the leftover filling on top of the enchiladas to add texture to the dish. You can see this technique in this recipe, the Chicken Enchiladas recipe or the Beef Mince Enchiladas. Doing so ensures that we have no waste and is in my humble opinion a great way to make the enchiladas of your dreams!
- Love quick and easy dinner recipes that don't take hours? Then you might like the Chicken Pesto Linguine, Grilled Chicken Alfredo, Meatballs Alfredo, Chorizo Pasta Bake or the Baked Ziti With Meatballs.
🤓 Tuna Enchilada FAQ's
Standard filling ingredients for enchiladas are a meat protein with beans, corn, onion and seasoning. The enchiladas are also topped with sauce and cheese.
Yes you should drain the liquid from canned tuna. However, there is no need to rinse the tuna once you have drained it.
Adding some toppings to the enchiladas is a great way to spruce them up and make them deliciously appealing. You can try adding sliced jalapeno, picked red onion, avocado, guacamole, sour cream, Greek yogurt or you favorite toppings.
😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes
Getting dinner sorted every single night of the week can be exhausting at times! I find that the thing that works best to ensure that the main meal of the day is something to look forward to is having lots and lots of options in mind. The recipes below have a wide variety of proteins, cook times, methods and techniques. Hopefully you will find something else to love and add to your weekly rotation!
- Other proteins: Minced Beef Stir Fry, Sticky Pork Rashers, Pork Mince Stir Fry, Pulled Pork, Thai Minced Pork, Thyme Roast Chicken.
- Pasta and noodle options: Soy Sauce Noodles, Pork Mince Noodles, Garlic Spaghetti, Fettuccine Alfredo With Scallops, Prawn Fettuccine.
- Rice options: Baked Chicken Drumsticks And Rice, Chicken And Rice Tray Bake, Pork Mince Fried Rice, Chorizo Fried Rice.
- Slow cooker recipes: Devilled Sausages, French Onion Pork Chops, French Onion Chicken, Slow Cooker Coke Ribs, French Onion Beef, Chicken Barley Soup, Pulled Beef.
It is time to get our tuna enchiladas on my friend! You can also check out all of my quick and easy recipes or dinner recipes in the one spot.
Adrianne
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📖 Recipe
Tuna Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada Filling
- 1 large red onion peeled and diced
- 425 grams/15 oz canned tuna in spring water drained, not rinsed, Note 1
- 400 grams/14 oz black beans drained and rinsed
- 400 grams/14 oz corn kernels drained and rinsed
Enchilada Seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Enchilada Basics
- 10 large soft tortillas
- 1 ½ cups enchilada sauce Note 2
- 1 cup shredded cheese Note 3
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: preheat the oven to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5.
- Enchilada filling: add the drained tuna, diced red onion, black beans and corn kernels to a large mixing bowl.
- Seasoning: then sprinkle in the garlic powder, onion powder, ground paprika, salt and pepper. Stir to gently consistently combine.
- Fill and roll: now working one tortilla at a time, place it in the center of a clean and dry cutting board. Spoon a portion of the tuna mixture into the center of the tortilla and gently roll it to combine. Set it aside and repeat this process to fill all of the tortillas.
- Baking dish: spray a large baking dish with olive oil. Then pour a small amount of the enchilada sauce into the bottom of the dish and use a spatula to spread it out slightly. Now transfer all of the rolled enchiladas into the dish, pushing them to the side as needed to fit them all in.
- Sauce, extra topping and cheese: now pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas and spread the leftover filling across the top. Spread this gently out also to form its own layer. Once done sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Oven bake: place the baking dish into the oven (uncovered, middle shelf) and let the enchiladas cook and cheese melt for 15 to 20 minutes.
- To serve: use oven mitts to remove the cooked enchiladas from the oven. Place the dish onto a heatproof surface and then garnish with chopped parsley. Portion the enchiladas onto plates in pairs of 2. Serve with Greek yogurt, pickled red onion and your favorite extras.
Video
Notes
- Note 1 - Tuna: I like to use the canned tuna in spring water. This version is healthier than the tuna in olive oil and less greasy. We want to drain it (no need to rinse) and then flake it with a fork to break up the big pieces.
- Note 2 - Enchilada sauce: this is a standard jar of enchilada sauce. You will find it in the Mexican foods aisle of the supermarket. The jar I use is Old El Paso and it is 375 grams. When poured into a standard measuring jug it equates to 1 ½ cups. If you want to make your own sauce you can. Or if you want to use a green enchilada sauce you can.
- Note 3 - Cheese: you can grate your own cheese for the topping or use a grated cheese blend with inclusions like parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, pecorino romano and or mozzarella cheese.
Belinda says
These sound fantastic!
Adrianne Jamieson says
Thanks Belinda 😉.