I Just Learned the Easiest Way to Make Enchilada Casserole and My Mind Is Blown

One of my favorite dishes to make for my husband when we were first married was enchiladas. Looking back on it now (this predates my culinary school days), it was a relatively simple recipe, but back then, I considered it a culinary masterpiece. I made the enchilada sauce from scratch, I cooked the chicken and whipped together the filling, and then I lovingly rolled those little bundles and tucked them together in perfect formation in my 9x13-inch casserole dish. It was labor-intensive, but it wasn’t hard to make. My husband continued to ask for the dish frequently, but as my life got busier, I didn’t want to make those enchiladas anymore. So he stopped asking. I only wish social media existed then, because I would’ve seen Padma Lakshmi’s “layer cake” and used her simple trick—skip the rolling and assemble everything in a cake pan—to make his favorite dish.

How to Make Layered Enchilada Casserole in a Cake Pan

If you like to find workarounds for getting delicious food on the table, fast, listen up. I know that enchiladas are traditionally made by rolling tortillas, which yes, I know isn’t hard, but I gave up on my husband’s favorite dish because it was time-intensive. I didn’t know of a workaround at the time, so I just stopped making them. But there’s a way to create the flavors of the dish in a new way. I stumbled upon a video of Lakshmi making her chile verde tortilla “layer cake” in a cake pan and immediately saved it. Instead of lining up things in a casserole dish, she simply stacked it all in a round baking pan. Genius! It looked amazing, but it got me thinking, “Would this work for other rolled tortilla recipes? Like enchiladas?” I had to know.

I grabbed my 9-inch cake pan and used the recipe for this Tex-Mex-style enchilada-inspired casserole as a base. Admittedly, this is a far cry from authentic enchiladas, but the ease, speed, and few ingredients required to make the dish are perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. Plus, when I want real enchiladas, going to the effort to roll corn tortillas is always going to be worth it!

I gathered my ingredients and followed the instructions with a few modifications. Instead of that 9x13-inch pan, I used a 9-inch cake pan. I also decreased the chicken (I used 3 cups shredded), sour cream (from 8 to 6 ounces), and cheese (from 4 to 3 cups) a bit (mostly because I wasn’t sure it would all fit in the pan) and used 5 instead of 12, 8-inch tortillas. I started with a layer of salsa, to keep things from sticking, and then followed with layers of tortilla, chicken mixture, salsa, and cheese. I piled it to the very top, ending with the salsa, then covered it with foil and baked it for 30 minutes at 350 degrees F. Then I uncovered it, sprinkled cheese over the top, and baked until the cheese was melted and bubbling, which was another 15 minutes. I let it cool for 5 minutes in the pan and then sliced it.

Putting the Cake Pan Shortcut to the Test

The layered version was impressive and I received plenty of “oohs” and “ahhhs” when I cut into it and lifted it out of the pan. It looked good, but did layering the ingredients in a cake pan make it taste different or maybe, better? I looked at my husband as he took his first bite and immediately knew the answer. His smile of contentment and joy meant the dish and the method were a winner. I jokingly said, “I made enchiladas!” And he said, “It’s been a long time.” I can’t wait to try this hack with my OG recipe next time, I’m expecting a vow renewal ceremony after that.