Creamy White Sauce Shrimp Enchiladas
Shrimp and enchiladas? Yep, they are a thing! These delicious, creamy, cheesy, white sauce shrimp enchiladas are special occasion-worthy but also easy enough for a weeknight!
If you’ve never thought to combine shrimp + enchiladas, I have to say (without overtly trying to make you feel bad): you’ve been missing out.
I know shrimp can be a polarizing topic. It seems you either love it or you hate it.
I happen to be firmly in the love-shrimp-so-much-I-wanna-cry camp, but I still try and lovingly associate with those friends and family who don’t.
The great news is, this recipe is so popular, many have swapped the shrimp out for chicken with delicious results. So keep that in mind if you just can’t figure out why or how shrimp ever found their way into your enchiladas.
Have you made these enchiladas?
They’ve been in the archives of my site since 2008! I posted them just a few months into blogging, because at that time, I was frantic to get all of my tried-and-true, family favorite recipes posted ASAP.
If they made the cut that quickly after I started my blog, you know they have to be good! Amazing, really.
My Aunt Marilyn (who has provided me AND you with so many fabulous recipes over the years) passed this recipe on to me, and I think Brian and I will be forever grateful.
While I admittedly have a few members of my posterity who are not exactly shrimp lovers, Brian and I trade off requesting this meal for our birthday dinners.
We both love it so much. Brian, who doesn’t emote quite as much excitement as I do over food (or good jeans), has been known to do a little hop of excitement when he knows these shrimp enchiladas are happening.
And a hop of excitement for him basically translates into a full-on jumping up and down, fevered happiness tantrum for the rest of us.
The creamy white sauce is flavorful and simple – complimenting the tender shrimp perfectly without overpowering their somewhat delicate flavor. Bonus: you can alter the amount of heat in the recipe to be as spicy or as mild as you like.
This is a fantastic recipe. Perfect for a special occasion dinner, these shrimp enchiladas are also easy enough for a weeknight dinner when you just can’t live a day longer without their deliciousness in your life.
Get out of your enchilada comfort zone and make them!
What to Serve With This
- Steamed Broccoli
- Pao de Queijo
- Fresh Fruit
Shrimp Enchiladas
Ingredients
Cheese Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ½ cup chopped red bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped green bell pepper
- ½ cup chopped yellow or white onion
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper, add more for a spicier sauce
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup cream or milk, I almost always use 2% milk
- 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
- ½ cup sour cream, light or regular
Shrimp Mixture:
- 1 tablespoon butter, canola oil, coconut oil or olive oil
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 1 ½ to 2 pounds shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped into bite-size pieces
- 2 cups ripe tomatoes, chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese
- 8 (9-inch) flour tortillas
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9X13-inch dish and set aside.
- For the sauce, in a large, 12-inch nonstick skillet, melt the butter, and add the bell peppers and onion. Cook, stirring often, until crisp-tender.
- Add the salt, oregano, garlic powder, pepper, cayenne pepper, and flour; blend well and cook, stirring constantly for about a minute. Whisk in the cream or milk and continue cooking for 3 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the cheese; stir until melted. Add sour cream, stir to blend. Set aside.
- For the shrimp, in another skillet, heat 1 tablespoon butter or oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, 3-5 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook until the shrimp just turn pink, 1-2 minutes (don’t overcook or the shrimp will be tough).
- Add the chopped tomatoes and 1/2 of the cheese sauce; stir to combine.
- Spoon about 1/3 cup of the shrimp mixture into each tortilla. Sprinkle cheese on top and roll the enchiladas up tightly. Arrange seam side down in the prepared baking dish. Spoon the remaining cheese sauce over tortillas and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes until hot and bubbly. Let the enchiladas rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted from a recipe A. Marilyn sent me
Recipe originally published March 2008; updated with new photos, commentary, and recipe notes.
just found your blog via Pinterest, tried this today, they were Awesome!!! used corn and flour. will be trying out some more recipes this week!
Another great enchilada recipe of yours! DELICIOUS!!!! I’ve made 3 out of 3 recipes from your blog this week and just Love!
Laura Gail – yes, use a red bell pepper!
Mel – I want to make these but was wondering if you mean a red bell pepper when you say sweet red pepper or is that something different? I’m making out my grocery list now. 🙂
This meal was seriously AMAZING! !! MORONI said it was a perfect combo between Mexican and seafood! Loved it!!
Made these and everyone LOVED them – well a husband who will eat anything, a picky 6 year old and a 1 year old food shoveling machine. My 6 year old son didn’t realize there was even shrimp in there…….I knew if I told him, he would of said he didn’t like it. He ate an entire enchilada! Thank you so much for your awesome recipes!!
i’ve been making these since i 1st discovered your blog in 2009. everyone LOVES them when i make them. you mentioned you stream-lined the recipe. what did you change from the original recipe? thanks again for sharing your amazing recipes.
Just made these tonight. SO SO YUMMY! absolutely perfect. my husband told me throw out my other enchilada recipes. he only wants these from now on! thanks!
Thanks, Heather! So glad you both loved these enchiladas!
I just made these last night and they were super yummy. They were a little more work to put together than other enchiladas I have made, but for a nicer version it was great. I also made them with some jalepeno cilantro tortillas and I think it added a nice extra spice and yumminess.
AJ – oooh, wow, the jalapeno cilantro tortillas sound amazing. I’m glad you liked this recipe – thanks for letting me know!
These were delicious. I added bay scallops along with the shrimp and everyone loved it. Thanks for a great recipe.
Debbbie – oh, bay scallops…how delicious to combine those with the shrimp. Thanks for checking in to let me know you liked this recipe!
All I can say is…..wow! I made these last night for dinner, and they were a hit. My boyfriend and I LOVE seafood, so I had to try making these. We loved the flavor of these enchiladas! And the best part is since its just the two of us, we still have some leftover for tonight! Thanks for another good one, Mel.
Kimiko – leftovers are the best! I’m thrilled you liked this recipe so much.
These are amazing. I saw this recipe a while ago but held off on making them since I’m really not a fan of seafood in Mexican food, but they really were delicious and not seafoody (?) tasting at all. My hubby loved them too, said they were the best enchiladas I’ve made, and I’ve made a lot of enchilada recipes. Yum, yum. Can’t wait to eat the left overs tonight.
Gina – that’s high praise from you husband! I definitely look forward to these leftovers when I make them, too. Thanks for letting me know they worked out well for you!
Hi! Wondering if anyone has tried freezing these and if they hold up well for freezing…also, what about making them a day in advance..does that work? Thanks!
Gina, I’m always glad when someone likes these because I know it means I will REALLY like that person…same food taste makes for great friends. Thanks for letting me know!
OMG these were fantastic! Total food-gasm! Even my husband who doesn’t usually care for seafood or spice went back for seconds! Thank you so much for an awesome recipe…I’ve blogged about it and linked you so everyone can come by and see you…lots of pictures of the process. Thanks again, Melanie!
Morgan – your comment made me smile. Thanks for letting me know you liked the enchiladas!
Hi Lisa – the cream and flour are added in the second step, after the peppers and onions are sauted in the butter. Add the cream and flour with the salt and spices.
Island School House – oh, I’m glad they turned out! When I got your first comment I was worried because you mentioned the filling was too runny but I’m glad it came together in the end. The filling is on the thin side, but you are right, it all bakes up just great. Thanks for letting me know you liked it!
Sarah – thanks for trying these and letting me know you liked them. They are one of my favorites!
Brady and Allyssa – >>SO glad you liked the enchiladas! Thanks for commenting and letting me know you enjoyed them. I’ll have to try wheat tortillas next time, too – make it a little healthier!
I made this tonight and they were incredible. I didn’t have red pepper so I substituted red onion and Jalepeno. I also used low-fat monterery jack cheese, pepper jack cheese and some cheddar. They were definitely spicey, but amazing. Thanks!
I made these over the weekend & they were delicious! I am somewhat new to cooking & had never cooked shrimp before. I was nervous, but this recipe is a lot easier than I thought it would be. The monterey jack cheese melts nicely & is so creamy. My boyfriend absolutely loved them!
I’ve only tried making seafood enchiladas once, and it didn’t work out very well! I will have to try your recipe, because these sound delicious!!
We just made this, and though I thought the filling was too runny when I put it into the tortillas, once it was cooked it was fine.>>Really REALLY yummy! This one will be added to our favorites list!
I made these two nights ago. It was delicous! The only thing I changed the recipe was the wheat tortillas I used instead of white. Thank you for the recipe! 🙂
Hey Michelle – my mom’s recipe isn’t on the blog yet but I’ve been meaning to make it and post it since they are so good. Send me your email address and I’ll email you the recipe if you want it now: mykitchencafe {at} gmail {dot} com
I made these tonight and they were so good! If I had ever heard of Shrimp Enchiladas before, I know I wouldn’t have been interested. But because I know all your recipes are good, and if you rave about something then it will definitely be delicious, I decided this was worth making. And boy, it WAS! Jed and I really enjoyed these enchiladas tonight. Very different and fun. Thanks!
Anonymous – wonderful idea to add rice. I’m glad you liked this recipe!
Anonymous – I have never made them with anything but shrimp but if you want to substitute, I would use chicken over beef. I’m sure you would still get great results. Let me know if you try it.
I just made these tonight and they are FANTASTIC! Thank you for the recipe!
Deb – I haven’t tried these enchiladas with chicken but I’m glad to know they turned out delicious that way! Thanks for letting me know!
These look great!! I have to say that after i looked at your post–I was inspired to make shrimp quesidillas tonight for dinner! I didn’t have the time to make the enchiladas tonight–but I sure plan to! They look awesome!
I love enchiladas…but have never tried with Shrimp!! Oh my, these look FANTASTIC. SO glad I found you!! I am saving this recipe!
OMG! Get out of my head! I have been looking for a shrimp enchilada recipe. I totally have to try this one since your honey/lime rec was so delish! Thanks!>-Clara
These look great and my DH would love them!
Anonymous – I always use frozen shrimp and just defrost it before using!
Oh my goodness those look great! I love enchiladas and shrimp, so I will be trying this recipe SOON!
Danielle – thanks for checking in! I’m glad these worked out for you and that your boyfriend liked them. That is always a plus! I agree the monterey jack makes them very creamy. Thanks for commenting and letting me know you enjoyed them!
Look at all that creamy, cheesy goodness! My those look good! Thanks for the recipe! 🙂
HOLY CRAP! I made these tonight and I thought I died and went to food heaven! These were DEE-LICIOUS!
yum, this looks delicious! can you use frozen shrimp here? i have a bag in my freezer begging to be used in this recipe!
what do you do with the whipping cream? didn’t see that or flour mentioned. thanks
Melanie, Is your mom’s famous recipe on your blog too? I’d love to try that one too!
Crazy good! I added rice to the filling, it made 7 enchiladas. Thank you for the recipe!
I just made these last week and they were absolutely awesome. My kids don’t like shrimp so I added the cheese sauce to chicken, they were great!! I highly recommend these!!!>>Deb
Can you make this without shrimp? WIll it still taste as good?
AWESOME!! Absolutely LOVED them!! My 2nd recipe of yours I’ve made today! 🙂
Molly – I got your comment on the lemon blueberry muffins and I’m glad you liked these shrimp enchiladas, too!
Melanie-
Thank you for sharing this great recipe! I made it on Sunday ane it was wonderful. I’ve actaully added it to my blog!
Maria – I’m glad you liked this – it is a bit unusual way to prepare enchiladas but we loved it, too. Thanks for letting me know!