Enchiladas: the rolled tortilla dish and its sauces

Enchiladas are tortillas, usually corn, that are dipped or fried in a chile-based sauce, rolled around a filling and served with more sauce, and often topped with cheese. The word comes from the Spanish enchilar, to coat with chile, and the dish is one of the oldest and most widely cooked in Mexico and across the United States. This guide explains the sauces, the fillings, the regional styles and the difference between a Tex-Mex enchilada and one from Mexico, and it lists the enchilada dishes recorded on the menu of Jose Tejas in Iselin, New Jersey.

What is an enchilada?

An enchilada is a filled, rolled tortilla covered in sauce. The tortilla is softened in warm oil or sauce, wrapped around a filling such as cheese, shredded chicken or beef, and arranged in a dish. More sauce goes on top and the dish is often baked or finished under heat so the cheese melts.

The sauce matters more than the filling. A cheese enchilada in red sauce and one in green sauce taste like two different dishes, which is why menus usually name the sauce first. The tortilla is the carrier, the filling is the body, and the sauce is the identity.

Enchiladas are served as a main course and are normally plated with sides. In many restaurants that means rice and beans, and in others a salad or a spoonful of sour cream.

What are the main enchilada sauces?

The three sauces most people meet are red chile sauce, green sauce and chili gravy. Each is a different base with its own flavor.

A few sauces cross over. Enchiladas suizas use a creamy green sauce and are known across Mexico, and enchiladas in mole are often called enchiladas de mole. These are regional dishes, and a menu that does not name them should not be assumed to carry them.

What fillings go in enchiladas?

Cheese, shredded chicken and seasoned beef are the standard fillings, and beans, vegetables and seafood appear in other versions. The filling is usually seasoned lightly because the sauce carries most of the flavor.

• Cheese: the simplest filling, often a melting cheese such as Monterey Jack or a blend. In some regional versions chopped raw onion goes inside.
• Chicken: poached or roasted and shredded, then mixed with a little sauce.
• Beef: ground or pulled, seasoned with cumin and chili in the Tex-Mex style.
• Beans: black or pinto beans for a vegetarian plate.
• Vegetables and corn: peppers, onions, corn and zucchini or other seasonal items.

Cheese enchiladas with onion are a long-standing Tex-Mex plate, and they are often the point of comparison when people judge a restaurant’s sauce.

What is the difference between Tex-Mex and Mexican enchiladas?

Tex-Mex enchiladas are usually covered in chili gravy and a thick layer of melted cheese, while enchiladas in Mexico are typically lighter and cheese is used more sparingly. The two traditions share the idea of a sauced, rolled tortilla and differ in almost everything else.

Calling one authentic and the other not is not helpful. They are different regional answers to the same idea, and both are cooked by people who learned them from family.

Where do enchiladas come from?

Enchiladas come from Mexico, and the idea of a tortilla dipped in chile sauce is very old. Corn tortillas and chile were both part of cooking in Mexico long before the Spanish arrived, and the name enchilada appears in Mexican cookbooks of the nineteenth century. Exact dates and first cooks are not known, so treat any precise origin story with caution.

The dish then spread in different directions. In Mexico it became a family of regional plates, from enchiladas in mole to the green-sauced enchiladas suizas. In Texas and the Southwest it took on chili gravy, beef and a heavy layer of cheese. Each version has its own admirers, and each is cooked by people who consider it the standard.

What are the common enchilada styles?

Common styles are named by their sauce or topping, and menus use the names loosely. Knowing a few helps you read an unfamiliar list.

• Enchiladas rojas: filled and sauced with red chile sauce.
• Enchiladas verdes: covered with green tomatillo sauce.
• Enchiladas suizas: green sauce with cream and melted cheese.
• Enchiladas de mole: covered with mole sauce.
• Cheese enchiladas with chili gravy: the classic Tex-Mex plate.

How are enchiladas made?

Enchiladas are made by softening tortillas, filling and rolling them, and baking them under sauce and cheese. The home method has four steps and takes less time than many people expect.

1. Make the sauce. Simmer the chile base with garlic, spices and broth until it coats the back of a spoon.
2. Soften the tortillas. Warm them briefly in hot oil or in the sauce so they bend without cracking.
3. Fill and roll. Put the filling in the center, roll tightly and set the roll seam side down in a baking dish.
4. Sauce and bake. Cover with sauce and cheese and bake until hot and bubbling.

A common mistake is stacking soaked tortillas for too long, which makes them break apart. Another is using too much sauce on the dish before baking, which can leave the center soggy. Home cooks sometimes use a flat baking dish, since a deep one traps steam. For allergy or dietary needs at home, read the labels on prepared sauces, which can contain wheat and other ingredients.

What enchiladas are on the Jose Tejas menu?

The Jose Tejas menu lists four enchilada dishes, as recorded in November 2026. They sit under Mexican Specialties and Vegetarian, and each is written up with its tortilla and sauce.

That description pattern matches the Tex-Mex style above, with corn tortillas, an enchilada sauce, melted cheese and a side. The menu does not name a green or red sauce for any of them, so ask the restaurant which sauce a plate comes with and whether alternatives are offered.

Prices were not confirmed from an official source, so none are given here. The official website is josetejas.com, and this guide’s menu page lists every recorded dish. For current dishes and prices, use the official site or call (732) 283-3883.

How do enchiladas compare with burritos and burros?

An enchilada is rolled and sauced, while a burrito or burro is a large wrapped flour tortilla that may or may not be sauced. The difference is mainly tortilla and finish.

The Jose Tejas menu lists burros made with a large flour tortilla, and several are sauced. The Beef Burro and Chicken Burro are described as topped with enchilada sauce, and the Bean Burro as baked in ranchero sauce. In practice, a sauced burro eats a lot like an enchilada in a larger wrapper.

What do enchiladas come with, and how are they eaten?

Enchiladas usually arrive with a side, often rice and beans, and are eaten with a knife and fork. The sauce is part of the dish, so the plate is soft and shared by the forkful rather than picked up.

On the Jose Tejas menu the enchilada entries are each listed with a side, according to the recorded descriptions. The listing does not say which sides are offered, so ask when you order. If you want more heat, ask whether a hot sauce or jalapeños are available.

Enchiladas reheat well because sauce keeps the tortillas moist. Cover leftovers and warm them gently, and add a spoonful of sauce if the dish looks dry. This is general kitchen advice, not a statement about any restaurant’s leftovers or packaging.

What should you ask when ordering enchiladas?

Ask which sauce is on the plate, which tortilla is used and what comes on the side. Those three answers tell you most of what you need to know. If you have an allergy or a dietary requirement, ask about ingredients in the sauce and the filling, because sauces often contain several components. The restaurant is the right source for that, and this guide cannot confirm what is in a particular plate.

Common questions

This article is general information from an independent guide, not from Jose Tejas itself. For the store’s current details see hours and location.