When you're in the mood for an easy dinner, and it's got to be Mexican, these Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce are the answer! Just 20 minutes prep brings these awesome soft tortillas, wrapped around pork, black beans, and cheese and covered with a creamy, flavorful green enchilada sauce, to your table.
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Easy Dinners For The Whole Family
With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays, it’s great to have some easy dinners in your back pocket. (Ones that don’t involve turkey, right?) This pork enchilada recipe not only goes together quickly but it helps use up some of your leftover pork. And, bonus, no one will even know they’re eating leftovers!
No leftovers, no problem! You can opt to use ground pork or even pulled pork from your local barbecue joint. However, using the leftovers from Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin, Crockpot Cuban Pork or Bacon Wrapped Pork Sheet Pan Dinner gives you two meals for all your effort.
Enchilada dinners are some of my family's favorite recipes. Luckily, there are so many ways to make enchilada recipes. You can make chicken enchiladas or beef enchiladas with red sauce but these green chile pork enchiladas are one of their favorites.
This green enchilada sauce or salsa verde is something a little bit different than the traditional red homemade enchilada sauce. It's easy to make, turns out extra creamy, and lends a fresh flavor, complements of the fresh cilantro, to the entire dish.
Variations
Best tortillas for enchiladas
Corn tortillas - white corn tortillas are a little more work than flour tortillas as they need to be softened prior to rolling, but will work well with this recipe. They are also a great gluten free option.
Flour tortillas - are my favorite. They are easy to roll and need no prep prior to placing in the casserole dish. Of course, they taste fantastic too! For a low-carb diet, low-carb tortillas can be substituted.
Whole wheat tortillas - are a bit healthy option and can be subbed for the regular flour tortillas.
Best cheese for chile verde enchiladas
Any of the following cheeses will work well. You can also use a combination of any for even more flavor.
- Cheddar Cheese
- Monterey Jack Cheese
- Colby Jack Cheese
- Queso Blanco
- Shredded Mexican Cheese
Options for meat filling
- Leftover pork from pork tenderloin, pork chops, or pork roast. You can shred pork for the more traditional approach.
- Leftover chicken, beef, or even turkey will work.
- No leftovers? Use ground pork or beef, rotisserie chicken, or make them pulled pork enchiladas with some pulled pork from your local barbecue joint.
- Like spicy? Add some cooked chorizo into the pork for a little kick.
Ingredients
For green sauce:
- Jalapenos
- Green Onions
- Garlic
- Cilantro
- Milk
- Lemon or lime juice
- Flour
For the enchilada filling:
- Pork - any leftover pork from pork tenderloin, pork chops or pork shoulder roast. Or you can opt for ground pork.
- Tomatoes
- Black Beans
- Corn
- Fresh Cilantro
- Tortillas - either flour or white corn tortillas
How to make enchiladas with green chile sauce
For the green chile sauce:
- Saute green onions, garlic, and jalapeno peppers in a little olive oil in a small skillet.
- Add half of the fresh cilantro to a chopper or food processor and pour in sauteed vegetables.
- Add lemon or lime juice and process until smooth.
- Sprinkle in flour.
- Add milk.
- Process again until you get a creamy, smooth sauce.
Preparing filling and assembly:
- Place all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl and toss well. If using ground pork or beef, cook well before adding to the filling mixture.
- Place green salsa in the bottom of a large baking dish. Place pork filling in the center of each tortilla then sprinkle with cheese. Roll them up and lay them side by side in the bottom of the baking dish.
- Pour the creamy green sauce over the filled tortillas. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven, lift off the aluminum foil, then sprinkle the remaining cheese over the tortillas. Return to the oven and bake until bubbly and the top is golden brown. Serve with your favorite Mexican sides. Bonus, it freezes well too for prepping a future meal.
These enchiladas with green sauce are a great way to fancy up leftover pork so it tastes nothing like leftovers! It’s an entire meal in a wrap and they’re easy to pull together at a moment’s notice. You’ll be pleasantly surprised when your family asks for you to make them over and over again. Enjoy!
What to serve with baked enchiladas
Serve with side garnishes like shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, sliced avocado, and sliced black olives.
For heartier sides, think Mexican Rice, charro beans, refried beans, and Mexican corn which all pair well with enchiladas.
More Quick & Easy Mexican Recipes
One Skillet Mexican Frittata - is a one-skillet dinner made with eggs, chicken, black beans, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese. Of course, nothing says you can't have it for breakfast too!
Taco Tortilla Stack - is a delicious cheesy Mexican Lasagna with layers of spicy ground beef, creamy guacamole, and ooey gooey cheese sandwiched between tortillas.
Tacos de Trompo - better known as Al Pastor Tacos, is a quick and easy dinner made with ground pork, pineapple, and plenty of spices.
Roasted Red Pepper Quesadillas - are a delicious combination of roasted peppers, onion, black beans, and bacon, oozing with cheese and wrapped in toasted tortillas.
Find lots more Mexican recipes here on 2CM!
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Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 green onions, sliced thin
- 1 ½ teaspoons minced garlic
- 8-10 slices pickled jalapeno pepper slices, minced (or 1-2 fresh jalapenos)
- ⅔ cup cilantro, chopped & divided
- 1 Tablespoon lemon or lime juice
- ⅔ cup milk (I used almond milk)
- 1 Tablespoon flour
- 8 oz leftover pork loin, cut into 2” strips (store-bought pulled pork can also be used)
- 1 large tomato, chopped or 1 cup chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup corn kernels, if using frozen, thaw out first
- ½ cup black beans, rinsed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 8 6” flour tortillas (white corn tortillas can be subbed)
- 1 ½ cups cheddar cheese grated
- Garnishes: chopped cilantro, salsa, sour cream, avocado, chopped lettuce & tomato
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- In a small skillet, sauté green onions, garlic & jalapeno pepper for about 2 minutes, or until onions are tender.
- Place in Ninja chopper or food processor along with ⅓ cup cilantro and lemon/lime juice. Process until smooth.
- Add milk & flour and process again until well mixed.
- In a medium bowl, combine pork, tomatoes, corn, beans and remaining cilantro. Salt to taste.
- Place ¼ cup cilantro sauce in bottom of a 8”x11” baking dish.
- Lay out all 8 tortillas and divide mixture evenly between them. Top each with a couple tablespoons of cheese. Roll them up and place, seam side down, into baking dish.
- Pour remaining cilantro sauce on top of tortillas.
- Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil, top with remaining cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes. At this point, if you like your cheese nice and brown, you can place dish under the broiler for 3-5 minutes.
- Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and serve with sides of salsa, sour cream and chopped lettuce and tomato if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
This post has been updated with step-by-step directions and new photos. It was first published on January 25, 2017,
