These entomatadas are full of bright flavors and make for a super easy weeknight meal. Stuffed with cheese (queso fresco) and smothered in a yummy tomato sauce, this entomatadas recipe is sure to become a family favorite!

Sometimes the simplest meals hit all the right spots, and these entomatadas fit the bill. This super simple and easy Mexican dish comes together in only 20 minutes, doesn’t require a ton of ingredients, and tastes AMAZING.
Plus, these are super vegetarian friendly, and perfect for meatless Mondays. Want to amp up the flavors? Make sure you read the helpful tips for must-knows on how to customize your entomatada!
What are Entomatadas?
Entomatadas loosely translate to covered in tomatoes, and that’s a pretty descriptive way to describe this dish. Essentially, entomatadas are corn tortillas covered in a tomato sauce. They’re like enchiladas, but with a different sauce.

The key ingredient for an entomatada are roma tomatoes, which will give you the bright red color and flavor that makes this dish distinct.
Entomatadas are usually filled with queso fresco (a type of Mexican cheese), but can be easily customized with whatever filling you prefer (shredded chicken, anyone?)
Ingredients for Entomatadas

You don’t need a ton of ingredients for entomatadas, making this a simple and affordable meal. To make this recipe, you’ll want to gather the following ingredients:
- Roma tomatoes: the star of the show. The fresher the tomatoes, the better. You can cut the tops off if you’d like, but you don’t need to.
- White onion: a little goes a long way with the onion in this sauce! If you can’t find a white onion you can sub in a yellow in a pinch. Because veggies vary in size (and a large onion to me might be very different than for you!) I’ve included measurements by weight. If you don’t have a scale, however, the general rule of thumb for this sauce is no more than a ⅓ onion for 5-6 tomatoes.
- Garlic cloves: I used two large cloves for this recipe – but you can always adjust to your liking. It’s garlic, a little is never enough!
- Jalapeno: you’ll want to take the seeds off, just cut in half and use a spoon to scrape the seeds. Tip: you can always wear gloves to keep the spicy juices off your hands!
- Oregano: use fresh, and if you only have dried, just omit it. I love the flavor oregano adds to the entomatadas, but they’ll still taste great without it.
- Chicken bouillon: the not-so-secret ingredient in most Latin kitchens. You can omit it, but you’ll likely need to add more salt to taste.
- Corn tortillas + vegetable oil: lightly frying your tortillas will give you a nice golden color and make the tortillas slightly easier to work with. You can warm them up in the microwave, but you might find they fall apart in your dipping sauce.
- Queso fresco: this is such a creamy, mellow cheese. You can sub it out, but do yourself a favor and try this cheese at least once in your life, it’s good!
- Other seasonings + toppings: salt, pepper, cumin, cilantro. They’ll add great flavor, trust me!

How to Make This Entomatadas Recipe
- Char tomatoes, onion, jalapeno and garlic, then add water and bring to a boil – this is when your sauce is cooking!
- Strain the veggies, add to a blender and blend until smooth.
- Lightly fry your corn tortillas.
- Put it all together! Dip both sides of the tortillas in the sauce. Add queso fresco to half of the tortilla, then fold like a taco. Top with more cheese and sauce, then sprinkle with cilantro and whatever other toppings you’d like!

Helpful Tips
- Don’t increase the amount of onion in this recipe. Onions can quickly overpower the sauce. I included weight measurements so you know exactly how much to include.
- Want it spicier? Sub out the jalapeno for a serrano pepper and watch the heat go up!
- Don’t have queso fresco? Cotija cheese works, as well as mozzarella. If you add mozzarella, you might want to pop these in the oven for a few minutes to get the cheese nice and gooey. Note that queso fresco and queso cotija will not melt!
- Feel free to customize these to your liking! If you have some shredded chicken or other protein, you can add that in. I had some micro greens from Trader Joe’s sitting in my fridge, and they made the perfect addition to the entomatadas!
- How big is a serving? 2 to 3 entomatadas are usually enough for me.
- Entomatadas do not keep well in the fridge – they get soggy! I recommend making just enough tortillas that you plan to eat in one sitting, then saving the remainder of the entomatada sauce by itself. To store, wait until the sauce cools down then add to a large, airtight mason jar like this one.
- You can freeze the sauce! Once the tomato sauce has cooled, add it to an airtight container or bag and pop in the freezer. Alternatively, freeze it in an ice cube tray!

Entomatadas Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 roma tomatoes (1 pound)
- 1/4 large white onion (104 grams)
- 1 jalapeño, seeds removed (30 grams)
- 2 large garlic cloves (8 grams)
- 2 cups water
- 1/2 teaspoon Knorr chicken bouillon
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh oregano, loosely packed
- cumin, a sprinkle to taste
- black pepper, a sprinkle to taste
- 4 tablespoons canola oil (any vegetable oil will work)
- 12 corn tortillas
- 10 ounces queso fresco
- cilantro to garnish (optional)
Instructions
Make the entomatada sauce
- Heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add tomatoes, onion, jalapeño, and garlic. Char for 3 to minutes.
- Once veggies are charred, reduce heat to medium and add 2 cups of water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes.
- Strain the veggies and transfer to a blender. Reserve about 1/4 cup of the water the veggies cooked in, just in case you'd like to make a thinner sauce. Otherwise, discard the water.
- Add chicken bouillon, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano directly to the blender.
- Blend until you get a smooth consistency, about 15 to 30 seconds. Taste and add more salt if needed. Transfer to the same pan you used to char everything in.
Fry the tortillas
- Heat a medium-sized skillet over medium-high heat and add 4 tablespoons oil.
- Dip corn tortillas in the oil one-by-one, flipping them over after about 10 seconds.
- Remove from heat and place on a plate with a paper towl to catch any excess oil.
Assemble the entomatadas
- Using tongs or a fork, dip both sides of the fried tortillas in the entomatada sauce.
- Place on a plate and add queso fresco to half of the tortilla, then fold over like a taco.
- Top with more queso freso, fresh cilantro, and a dollop more of entomatada sauce.
Notes
- To make the sauce spicier, sub out the jalapeño for a Serrano pepper.
- For a vegetarian option, leave out the chicken bouillion and add more salt instead.
- Don’t have Queso fresco? Sub in Cotija cheese or mozzarella! If using mozzarella, pop in the oven for a few minutes to get the cheese melted.
- To store, wait until the sauce cools down then add to a large, airtight mason jar like this one. You can store in the fridge for a few days, or freeze it for later.
Leave a Reply