Estimated reading time: 15 minutes
Enchiladas are a Mexican staple, offering a delicious explosion of flavour and versatility. But what side dishes truly elevate this classic dish into a showstopper meal? Wonder no more! We’ve curated a delightful selection of mouthwatering sides that perfectly complement the savoury essence of enchiladas.
Taste the Tradition: Embracing Authentic Mexican Cooking
Enchiladas, a beloved staple of Mexican cuisine, have captivated food enthusiasts worldwide with their vibrant flavours. Originating in Mexico City, these delightful parcels, traditionally nurtured in abuelas’ (grandmother’s) kitchens, offer a symphony of textures and colours. Today, enchiladas grace kitchens around the globe, bringing a taste of Mexican heritage to every table.
Enchiladas Unwrapped
Picture this: tender tortillas lovingly stuffed with a mouthwatering filling of your choice, generously bathed in a vibrant Tomatillo Enchilada Sauce that adds a delightful kick to each bite.
The result? A culinary masterpiece that dances on your palate, leaving you wanting more of its saucy, cheesy, and spice-infused goodness.
You are in for a treat culinary explorers, because we will also guide you on what to pair with enchiladas.
The Authentic Comfort Food
Enchiladas are not only a great Mexican meal. The common experience of creating and enjoying them sparks happiness and connection. Beyond their delicious flavours, enchiladas’ real enchantment is found in the communal cooking activity that unites people.
As everyone helps to make an enchilada, a joyful and supportive environment is created. There’s nothing quite like enchiladas to unite people and make dinners into vibrant get-togethers. They say, “The more, the merrier,” and these get-togethers forge lifelong relationships and priceless experiences beyond the meal.
What To Serve With Enchiladas
1. Mexican Rice
This authentic Mexican rice recipe had to be added to this post on what to serve with enchiladas. It’s a great one to add to many Mexican recipes, has a wonderful flavour, and just adds some more pizzazz to your enchiladas! The Mexican rice is filled with carrots, peas, coriander, and a cheeky teaspoon of our Chipotle Paste. This blends in the smoky flavour of chipotle chillies and caramelised onion. For more on what is real Mexican food, check out our blog, What Is Authentic Mexican Food?
Best Served With: Vegetarian Enchiladas
2. Mexican Salad
What salad goes with enchiladas? Our Mexican salad is a perfect side dish to eat with enchiladas in the Spring or Summer. In addition, it’s a beautiful salad to look at, very colourful, and full of healthy goodness. Combine fresh salad leaves with carrots, radishes, spring onions, feta, avocado and our black Cantina Beans. Add to that a bit of crunch with our Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips and some chipotle dressing! This results in a fun texture with tons of flavour.
Best Served With Enchilada Lasagne With Beef Short Ribs
3. Lime and Coriander Rice
This zesty and fragrant rice is another great accompaniment to enchiladas. Coriander pairs excellently with Mexican food and adding our Chipotle Lime Paste makes it super delicious, with a light chipotle flavour and added lime twang!
Best Served With: Green Chicken Enchiladas
4. Mexican Bean Salad
Here’s a lovely fresh salad recipe that goes well with enchiladas. Using our black Cantina Beans and lots of colourful veggies, we mix it all up with a dressing made from our Chipotle Paste mixed with Chipotle Mayo and some olive oil, lime, a bit of honey and a touch of salt.
Best Served With: Vegan Enchiladas
5. Black Beans and Rice
A simple black beans and rice dish with enchiladas stands the test of time! Our Cantina Beans are perfect for this, and add some Gran Luchito Smoky Chipotle Fajita & Taco Mix when you fry your onion and garlic. This blend of spices and chilli will bring a delicious taste to your Mexican rice and beans once it’s cooked.
Best Served With: Turkey Enchiladas
6. Mexican Black Beans
Mexican black beans are a classic to serve with enchiladas. Our lovely Cantina Beans (authentic black beans with their juices) are waiting for you to warm up and have alongside your enchiladas, or just have them on the side. If it’s the latter, you can garnish them with some finely chopped onion, tomatoes, chillies, coriander, some scoops of avocado and dollops of creme fraiche! Delicious!
Best Served With: Chorizo Enchiladas & Winter Veg
7. Frijoles
With our Gran Luchito Cantina Beans, which are genuine black beans cooked with onion and garlic, you can effortlessly prepare our frijoles recipe in just a matter of minutes instead of spending hours on slow simmering.
Best Served With: Chilli Con Carne Burrito
8. Chips and Salsa
Of course, we’d say Chips and Salsa! Our Lightly Salted Tortilla Chips go with almost everything and are a welcome little crunch to add as an enchiladas side dish. Although they stand well alone, they’re even better dipped in one of our five salsas: super smoky Chipotle Salsa, zingy and tangy mild Tomatillo Salsa, hearty chipotle Black Bean Salsa with garlic and lime, fire-roasted Red Pepper Salsa, or last but not least our fresh and fruity Hot Habanero Mango Salsa. Take your pick! Or have some fun taste-testing a few.
Best Served With: Chicken Enchiladas
9. Refried Beans
Beans, a fundamental element of Mexican cuisine, grace the tables of every household. Typically, they are served in their delectable juices, akin to the irresistible Gran Luchito Cantina Beans, or lightly sautéed with onion and garlic before being transformed into a mouthwatering purée that effortlessly complements a wide range of dishes.
Best Served With: Ropa Vieja
10. Arroz Primavera
In a traditional arroz primavera recipe, the key ingredients are white rice and spring vegetables. However, we decided to enhance our version by incorporating the magical touch of Gran Luchito Guajillo Fajita and Taco Mix. This spice mix provides a quick and flavourful seasoning option, and we adore having a jar of this enchanting blend in our spice cabinet to sprinkle a pinch or two onto our meals.
Best Served With: Beef Picadillo
Hopefully, that’s helped you decide on what to serve with enchiladas besides rice! For more on Mexican enchiladas, please see:
Keep us posted on your masterpieces! Don’t forget to tag us #granluchito
