These Shrimp Enchiladas are rolled in lightly fried corn tortillas and filled with buttery shrimp and a mixture of sautéed onion, bell pepper, garlic, and shredded queso Oaxaca. The enchiladas are placed in a baking dish and smothered in homemade salsa verde, and topped with more cheese and baked until the cheese melts. These baked enchiladas are a perfect family meal.

baked Shrimp Enchiladas with Salsa Verde in a talavera Mexican baking dish on a table   

My go-to protein lately has been shrimp. It’s great to have in the freezer ready for a quick meal. The best part about shrimp is that it can cook in under five minutes and makes a great filling for enchiladas or tacos.

Can I use cooked shrimp instead of raw?

Yes, you can use cooked shrimp but only cook for 1 minute until warm.

tub of butter with canola oil, bowl of chopped shrimp, bowl of chopped onion, diced garlic

Butter with Canola Oil

Sauté onions, bell peppers, and shrimp with Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil for a fresh butter taste with three simple ingredients — sweet cream, canola oil, and salt for a delectable filing.

Make salsa verde

These enchiladas are made with salsa verde. You can find the recipe for salsa verde in the Muy Bueno cookbook, as well as on this blog with a video: salsa verde. Or feel free to buy your favorite store-bought salsa verde.

ingredients to make salsa verde jalapeño garlic tomatillo onion

This salsa verde is very easy to make and is made with only a handful of ingredients – tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeño, and cilantro.

salsa verde in a brown Mexican pottery bowl on a white cloth side of two jalapeño peppers and a tomatillo

How to defrost shrimp

Let it thaw overnight in the fridge, or for faster thawing, take the shrimp out of its package, put it in a strainer, and rinse in cold water. The shrimp should be ready to cook in about 15 minutes.

black iron skillet with sautéed bell peppers, onion and shrimp

Do not overcook shrimp

Shrimp cooks much faster than meat and poultry. Chopped shrimp cooks even faster. The shrimp will cook in about 3 minutes.

Shortcuts to this recipe

To make this dish even easier, use leftover camarones al mojo de ajo or purchase frozen, peeled, and deveined shrimp to eliminate some of the messy work and chop them before cooked.

Make salsa verde 1 to 3 days before making enchiladas. Or purchase your favorite store-bought salsa verde.

Assemble enchiladas

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • In a medium saucepan, heat the Salsa Verde over medium heat until warm.
  • Spread 1 cup of the warm salsa verde in an ungreased 9″ x 13″ baking dish.
  • In a separate medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour enough vegetable oil to come 1 inch up the sides of the pan.
  • Fry tortillas in hot oil just until softened. Drain on paper towels.

lightly fried corn tortillas draining on paper towels on a Mexican pottery plate

  • Fill tortillas with shrimp mixture and about a tablespoon of the shredded cheese.
  • Roll tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish side by side.
  • Pour some sauce over enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese, and lightly cover dish with aluminum foil.

Mexican talavera baking dish with rolled enchiladas filled with shrimp and smothered with salsa verde and topped with shredded white cheese

  • Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
  • Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with your favorite side dish.

How to store leftovers

Refrigerate enchiladas for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish. Reheat leftovers in the microwave.

Watch this video to see how simple they are to make.

Enchilada Recipes

a serving shrimp enchiladas in a salsa verde with a side of slices of avocado

Did you make this recipe? Rate the recipe and leave me a comment to let me know how it turned out!

Shrimp Enchiladas with Salsa Verde

4.95 (20 ratings)
These Shrimp Enchiladas are rolled in lightly fried corn tortillas and filled with buttery shrimp and a mixture of sautéed onion, bell pepper, garlic, and shredded queso Oaxaca. The enchiladas are placed in a baking dish and smothered in homemade salsa verde, and topped with more cheese and baked until the cheese melts. These baked enchiladas are a perfect family meal.
Print Pin Rate
Yield: 6
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon Land O Lakes® Butter with Canola Oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 pound raw shrimp, peeled, deveined, tails off and chopped to 1/2-inch pieces
  • Kosher salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • 2 cups Salsa Verde, recipe below
  • Canola oil, for frying
  • 12 corn tortillas
  • 10 ounces muenster or queso Oaxaca, shredded
  • cilantro

Salsa Verde

  • 8 tomatillos, husks removed and rinsed
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 serrano peppers, stemmed and roughly chopped
  • 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed and roughly chopped
  • 1/4 onion, chopped
  • 1 handful cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

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Instructions 

Salsa Verde

  • Boil tomatillos in 3 cups water for about 15 minutes. Remove tomatillos from the water and allow them to cool before blending.
  • Roast the garlic cloves in their skins in a dry pan until skin is charred, about 10 minutes. Cool and remove skins.
  • In a blender place the cooled tomatillos, chopped peppers, garlic, onion, cilantro, and salt and blend for about 1 minute.
  • Salsa should be chunky. Add more salt if needed.

Enchiladas

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  • Heat the Butter with Canola Oil in a heavy medium sauté pan over high heat. Add onion and bell pepper and sauté for 3 minutes, add the garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add the shrimp and sauté until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and let cool slightly.
  • In a medium saucepan, heat the Salsa Verde over medium heat until warm.
  • Spread 1 cup of the warm salsa verde in an ungreased 9” x 13” baking dish.
  • In a separate medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, pour enough canola oil to come 1 inch up the sides of the pan.
  • Fry tortillas in hot oil just until softened. Drain on paper towels.
  • Fill tortillas with shrimp mixture and about a tablespoon of the shredded cheese.
  • Roll tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish side by side.
  • Pour remaining salsa verde over enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese, and lightly cover dish with aluminum foil.
  • Bake for 15 to 20 minutes until slightly golden brown and the cheese is bubbly.
  • Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with your favorite side dish.

Video

Notes

  • Double salsa verde recipe if you like enchiladas extra saucy.
  • Make salsa verde 1 to 3 days before making enchiladas. Or purchase your favorite store-bought salsa verde.
  • Refrigerate enchiladas for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish. Reheat leftovers in the microwave.
Serving: 6g, Calories: 285kcal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 7g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 197mg, Sodium: 1383mg, Potassium: 525mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 1308IU, Vitamin C: 43mg, Calcium: 180mg, Iron: 3mg
Author: Yvette Marquez
Course: Entrees
Cuisine: Mexican

Photography by Jenna Sparks 

This post is in partnership with Land O Lakes. As always, thank you for reading and for supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. All opinions are always my own.