Entomatadas Recipe
This post is for my mom, a woman that always offers something to eat to visitors in her house, especially if they are friends and family. I remember when my college friends used to always want to do group assignments at my house since they knew that my mom would feed them without even asking if they were hungry. One of her favorite dishes that she used to make for us was entomatadas since they’re so easy to make; the process is similar to making enchiladas but covered with tomato sauce instead.
Entomatadas are well-known all throughout Mexico, and it is a wholesome meal that is loved by all the adults and children in my family. My mom usually made them for an early lunch at around 10:30 or 11:00 in the morning, about the same time we got done doing our morning chores. At home, the last part of our chores was to clean the floors, right after we got done cleaning the bathrooms, counters, and other surfaces. My mind goes back to those times back home when I would smell the saucepan in the kitchen simmering the tomatoes for the entomatadas. It was almost like a reward for cleaning the house and getting the chores done. By noon we had clean floors, a clean kitchen, and a satisfied appetite.
I’m so glad to be able to share few of my memories and my cooking at the same time. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do at home.
How to make Entomatadas Recipe
Servings: 12 Entomatadas
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Tomatoes
- 1 Jalapeno pepper
- 2 garlic cloves small
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup white onion finely diced
- Salt to taste
- 12 corn tortillas
- 8 ounces Queso fresco or farmer cheese crumbled About 2 cups
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil to fry tortillas
Notes
- *If you prefer, you can prepare the sauce without the jalapeño pepper.
DIRECTIONS:
- Place tomatoes, the jalapeno pepper, and garlic cloves in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat.
- Mix the 1/4 cup of the onion with the crumbled cheese and set aside.
- Once tomatoes and pepper are cooked, place in a blender and process until you have a very smooth sauce.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet over a medium-high heat. Add the rest of the onion and cook until transparent and slightly browned.
- Add the tomato sauce to the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes, season with salt, and then turn the heat to low and simmer.
- In a separate skillet, heat the rest of the oil over medium heat and briefly fry the tortillas one by one and place on a plate with paper towels to absorb any excess oil.
- Once you fried all the tortillas, dip them one by one into the warm tomato sauce.
- Place tortilla on a plate and spoon some cheese and onion mix. Fold the tortilla and proceed with the rest of the tortillas.
Entomatadas are well-known all throughout Mexico, and it is a wholesome meal that is loved by all the adults and children in my family. My mom usually made them for an early lunch at around 10:30 or 11:00 in the morning, about the same time we got done doing our morning chores.
- 1 1/2 lb Tomatoes
- 1 Jalapeno pepper
- 2 garlic cloves small
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3/4 cup white onion finely diced
- Salt to taste
- 12 corn tortillas
- 8 ounces Queso fresco or farmer cheese crumbled About 2 cups
- 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil to fry tortillas
-
Place tomatoes, the jalapeno pepper, and garlic cloves in a saucepan and cover with water. Cook over medium heat for about 15- 20 minutes until soft.
-
Mix the 1/4 cup of the onion with the crumbled cheese and set aside.
-
Once tomatoes and pepper are cooked, place in a blender and process until you have a very smooth sauce.
-
Heat 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil in a skillet over a medium high heat. Add the rest of the onion and cook until transparent and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
-
Add the tomato sauce to the skillet and cook for about 2 minutes, season with salt, and then turn the heat to low and simmer for about 6-8 minutes.
-
In a separate skillet, heat the rest of the oil over medium heat and briefly fry the tortillas one by one and place on a plate with paper towels to absorb any excess oil. (My mom doesn’t fry the tortillas, she just warm them up in a skillet)
-
Once you fried all the tortillas, dip them one by one into the warm tomato sauce. Make sure to flip the tortilla to cover both sides with the tomato sauce.
-
Place tortilla on a plate and spoon some cheese and onion mix. Fold the tortilla and proceed with the rest of the tortillas. Once you have all your entomatadas ready, spoon some of the leftover sauce over them and top with more cheese and onion mix.
*If you prefer, you can prepare the sauce without the jalapeño pepper.
¡Buen provecho!
Mely Martinez
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Beautiful photos and such a beautiful meal. Blessings, Catherine
Mely, I enjoyed reading this so much. I will look for that cleaner and I will try your recipe! Take care. Yolanda
That was perfect! Takes me back to my childhood in El Paso! So simple and definitely will make this a regular in my house 🙂
Another Elpasone that grew up on entomatadas. I just remembered my mom used monterrey jack cheese instead.
Thanks, Yolanda!! My mom makes entomatadas and uses Fabuloso as well!! I really enjoyed reading this and has encouraged me to make this for dinner tomorrow. I think my Salvadorian boyfriend will really like it.
FMR – I, too, am from El Paso. Ha. Must be what all moms make 🙂
MY HUSBAND IS FROM CHUCO LOWER VALLEY YSLETA IM FROM SAN ANTONIO MY MOTHER IN LAW WOULD MAKE THIS FOR OUR KIDS IT'S DELICIOUS IMA TRY AND BRING THIS TASTY DISH TO SAN ANTONIO ALTHOUGH I COULD NEVER COOK AS GOOD AS HER
Well, I ALSO am from El Paso! Chuco Town in the casa! My mom used to make me entomatadas when I was little and I LOVED them! Pero she made them with pollo…
Great! Even better with chicken!
I haven't had entomatadas since I studied in Mexico about 13 years ago (they're not popular where I live). But they were my favorite dish so I was happy to come across this recipe. These came out perfect, and brought back many happy memories of my host mom 🙂
Hello,
Thank you for your comment. I'm so glad they turn out perfect for you, and happy for the good memories.
Uno de mis platillos favoritos, entomatadas!! Y para que sean perfectas, unas rebanadas de aguacate y unos frijoles refritos negros a un lado. Mmmmm….
Hola Inquisitive Lady,
Lo típico de nuestra tierra, verdad? 😉
Saludos!
I love Fabuloso! I get the lavender scent, too 🙂
Hello I would just like to say thank you so much for this recipe! My mother recently just passed and I (I'm 18) never got to know how she made these but I could always eat these forever they were my favorite and I when I stumbled upon your recipe I got so excited because it seemed to be exactly how my mom would make it (using the blender is all I remember haha) but I really appreciate this I'm making it right now and I hope it comes out like my moms! Thanks 🙂
Thank you for this recipe Mely 🙂 I made them tonight and they're delish. I made the queso today and I was also making big batches of sauce in the oven at the same time to freeze, so it all came together perfectly. I'm looking forward to making them for my son.
What is the other food on the plate that looks like a dark red or brown?
What is the other food on the plate that looks like a dark red or brown?
Hello Nancy!,
Fried black beans!
what about a recipe for those tasty looking black beans?
Hello Susan,
You just made me realize that I still need to post it. Coming soon. Thank you!
My husband and I fell in love over a plate of these. When we first started to date a friend introduced us to a small Mexican restaurant here in Chicago. It was in the back of a grocery store. Friday evenings would find us sitting over a plate of these in that cramped back room, gazing into each other's eyes. Boy did we love them! Sadly the grocery store, along with the restaurant closed. 34 years later, we still gaze into each other's eyes but have not been able to find entomatadas like those. These take me back to those early days. Tonight I hope to recreate both this dish and a few memories of that sweet, sweet time…Thanks!
Sweet story! Happy cooking!
Extremely good recipe. I like the step by step very self explanatory procedure, like to add they were delicious and reminded me a lot my old town. I couldn't add a picture of it since my family finished them all. That's how good those entomatadas were ☺
Extremely good recipe. I like the step by step very self explanatory procedure, like to add they were delicious and reminded me a lot my old town.
Thank you Wicho!
These look amazing!! I had never heard of entomatadas before. They look like a new favorite.
Made this for a quick dinner last night and my family loved it…thanks!!!!
What about the seasoning? No salt ? Pepper?
Hello Anonymous,
Yes, it says season with salt. No pepper, but you can add it if you want to.
Just made a version of this and it was delicious! I took inspiration from a tomato salsa borracha I used to love at a Mexican restaurant in Massachusetts, adding chipotles and cerveza Negra Modelo to this recipe (that restaurant called this version “Enchiladas Domingo”). I’m curious: do you peel the tomatoes before blending? Forgive me if it said so in the recipe. I’m also wondering how your sauce is so bright red. Maybe my tomatoes weren’t as nice, or maybe I cooked them too long? Thanks for all your expertise!
Hello James,
We do have a salsa borracha in Mexico that includes beer in the sauce. I do peel the tomatoes, but not everyone does that. It’s a personal choice. I usually tomatoes and let them ripen on my kitchen countertop. When you buy them in the store they are still to pale in color. So gald to know you like the recipe. This is a very popular and loved home-style dish.
Entomatadas what a beautiful plate as a chef myself, I can appreciate a fine presentation, and the dish of course I know will be great, so this means tomorrow guess what I am preparing. You’re a credit to Mexican cooking I never seen a bad plate in your blog. your the best Mely.
Thank you for visiting the blog and for your kind words. Provecho!
Thank you for this amazing looking recipe! I am new to cooking, so forgive me for this silly question. Do you drain the water you used to cook the tomatoes before blending?
Helo Theresa,
I reserve the water to add a little bit to the blender, just in case the tomatoes are not juice enough to form the sauce. But, if they don’t need it, don’t add it.