Pumpkin Enchiladas

These pumpkin enchiladas are flour tortillas stuffed with chicken and coated in a savory sauce. The velvety pumpkin sauce is very unique and elevates the enchiladas into a fancy meal without any extra effort!

You probably didn’t know that you can use a can of pumpkin puree to make an amazing delicious homemade enchilada sauce! This dish always gets rave reviews.

Every Sunday night my extended family gathers for dinner – the adults chat while the kids play hard and everyone starts off the new week on the right foot. My mom and I take turns planning the menus for the meals; we are feeding a wide variety of palates so it’s not always easy to come up with something that will appeal to everyone! Over the years we’ve created a number of dinners that the family will happily eat and this recipe for pumpkin enchiladas is one of our favorites.

How do you make pumpkin enchiladas?

This time of the year there are so many tempting pumpkin treats out there. I’m doing my part to spread the pumpkin love with sweet and savory options including chocolate pumpkin cheesecake muffins and don’t worry, I’ve got more to come! That being said, the savory side of pumpkin often gets overlooked. While pumpkin does have some naturally sweet undertones, when you pair it with decidedly savory flavors like chili powder and garlic it turns into a totally different experience.

Many enchilada sauces are made with tomatoes or dried chiles which are flavorful, but don’t provide much in the way of texture – if anything most enchilada sauces are on the watery side. This enchilada sauce uses pumpkin puree as a base which creates a smooth, velvety and creamy sauce – you may never want to make regular old enchiladas again!

Let’s talk about the recipe – the first step is to make the pumpkin sauce. The sauce is essentially pumpkin puree that’s heavily seasoned and blended with water to get to just the right consistency. After the sauce is made it’s time to roll some enchiladas!

You can use your choice of tortillas – I prefer flour but I’ve made this before with corn tortillas and that also works just fine. The tortillas are stuffed with shredded chicken and cheese and laid in the pan. The pumpkin sauce goes over the top with some cheese and the whole thing gets baked until the cheese has melted and the enchiladas are warmed through.

I added some sliced olives, chopped tomatoes and cilantro on top for a fresh flavor to complement the richness of the sauce. These enchiladas are great as is or for a complete meal make up some mexican rice and cantina beans. I’ve written this recipe to serve 4 people, but it can easily be doubled or tripled for a crowd. You can also make a big batch and freeze some for another day – the enchiladas should be frozen separately from the sauce for best results.

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More Mexican food recipes

• Ground Beef Tacos
• Baja Fish Tacos
• Pico De Gallo
• Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
• Chicken Enchilada Casserole

5 from 2 votes

Chicken Enchiladas with Pumpkin Sauce

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AuthorSara Welch

These pumpkin enchiladas are flour tortillas stuffed with chicken and coated in a savory sauce. The velvety pumpkin sauce is very unique and elevates the enchiladas into a fancy meal without any extra effort!

Time

Prep Time20 minutes minutes

Cook Time25 minutes minutes

Total Time45 minutes minutes

Course Main

Cuisine Mexican

Serves 4 servings

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ Cooking spray
• ▢ 2 1/2 cups cooked shredded chicken
• ▢ 1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon chili powder
• ▢ 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 8 tortillas I prefer flour but corn works fine too, 6 inch size
• ▢ 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese
• ▢ 1 tomato seeded and diced
• ▢ 1/2 cup sliced black olives
• ▢ 1/4 cup cilantro leaves

Instructions 

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a blender, puree pumpkin, chili powder onion powder, garlic powder, seasoned salt and kosher salt with 2 cups of water until smooth.
• Pour 1 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the baking dish, spread to coat evenly.
• Lay the tortillas on a work surface. Spoon the chicken onto half of each tortilla, dividing evenly. Sprinkle the tortillas evenly with 1 cup of cheese. Roll up tortillas and place seam side down in the baking dish.
• Pour remaining sauce on top and sprinkle with remaining cheese cheese. Place the dish on a baking sheet and bake until cheese is golden and sauce is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes. Arrange the tomatoes, olives and cilantro on top and serve.

Notes

Freeze It: The sauce and enchiladas can be frozen separately for up to 3 months. To bake, thaw the enchilada sauce and pour it over the frozen enchiladas. Bake according to recipe directions and add an additional 5-7 minutes to the cook time.

Nutrition

Calories: 595kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 2134mg | Potassium: 674mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 18130IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 542mg | Iron: 4.8mg

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