Easy Mexican Dinners
Crisp Crab Tacos, Arroz con Pollo, and Enchiladas for days.
Do you observe Taco Tuesday at your house? Neither do we; we think every day is a good day for tacos. And tostadas, and burritos, and enchiladas. Especially enchiladas. If you’ve been letting the issue of prep time keep you from weeknight Mexican food beyond maybe a quick supermarket taco kit, we’ve got good news: Flavorful Mexican entrées made with fresh ingredients are not out of reach. We’ve rounded up a fiesta’s worth of Mexican mains that don’t take advanced skills or hours spent stirring pots of sauces to put together.
Best of all, these recipes are probably lighter and healthier than you’re expecting, too. There’s no lard, and nothing’s smothered under too much cheese. In these dishes, vegetables crunch, seafood shines, and fresh flavors pop.
We’ve got plenty of traditional favorites, like tacos in varieties from chicken to crab and even sardine. There are tostadas, and a couple of different burritos, and enchiladas rolled, stacked, and/or stuffed with everything from beans to chiles to chicken and olives.
There are some delicious surprises in here, too, like a roast chicken, which may not sound very Mexican but which is spiced with south-of-the-border flavors like chile, lime, and cilantro. We’ve included some authentic dishes that might not be quite as familiar to American diners, but which are sure to delight, such as posole. We didn’t forget starters like soups and salads, and we’ve included more seafood than you may be used to seeing at Mexican restaurants, everything from rockfish tostadas to baked halibut. All can be on the table in a reasonable amount of time, making a hearty home-cooked Mexican meal possible seven nights a week.
Shrimp “Ceviche” Tostadas
Rethink the shrimp taco by using cooked shrimp and serving them as a quick tostada. They make a great no-cook appetizer or, if you eat a few, a fun dinner option.
Recipe: Shrimp “Ceviche” Tostadas
Vegetable Enchiladas
Your typical vegetarian enchiladas are mostly cheese. That’s not the case with this version, loaded with fresh spinach, corn, and two types of beans.
Recipe: Vegetable Enchiladas
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Chicken Tinga Tostaditas
Popular in Mexico City and the state of Puebla, the spicy, smoky-sweet chipotle chile sauce called tinga transforms plain chicken into something addictive.
Recipe: Chicken Tinga Tostaditas
Carne Asada con Mojo
Carne asada is a simple dish, but a well-balanced marinade and the right cut can make it memorable. Here we use easy-to-find skirt steak and a marinade combining orange and lime juices.
Recipe: Carne Asada con Mojo
Enchiladas Suizas
These decadent enchiladas are named “Swiss” because of all the cream and cheese they contain.
Recipe: Enchiladas Suizas
Chicken Enchilada Nacho Bowls
These nacho bowls include chicken in a spicy sauce, tortilla chips, lettuce, and a squeeze of lime.
Recipe: Chicken Enchilada Nacho Bowls
Creamy Pumpkin Seed and Green Chile Posole
A puréed salsa made with roasted pumpkin seeds helps give this posole a rich flavor and chowderlike texture.
Shrimp and Bacon Quesadillas
What’s better than a shrimp quesadilla? One that has bacon, too.
Get the recipe: Shrimp and Bacon Quesadillas
Street-Snack Tacos Verdes
These tacos are deceptively easy to make. While the dish is a great party hors d’oeuvre, you can eat several and call it a meal.
Recipe: Street-Snack Tacos Verdes
Chicken Fajita Burritos with Feta Crema
These burritos have all the flavor of fajitas in an easy-to-eat wrap. Best of all, the meal comes together in 35 minutes.
Acapulco Enchiladas
Smothered in a smoky sauce and studded with crunchy almonds and olives, these enchiladas are a fun twist on a classic favorite.
Recipe: Acapulco Enchiladas
Crab Tacos
Sweet crab in crunchy taco shells makes for a speedy weeknight dinner.
Recipe: Crab Tacos
Mexican Tropical Chile Roast Chicken
We took the flavors of a Western classic, Mexican rotisserie chicken, and put them in a brine to produce a succulent texture and meat infused with complex seasonings in addition to salt. Serve with corn or flour tortillas, cilantro sprigs, lime wedges, and chopped white onion.
Speedy Chicken Posole with Avocado and Lime
This dish, using canned hominy, takes a fraction of the time needed for regular posole. Serve with warm corn tortillas.
Black Bean Soup with Avocado, Orange, and Cucumber
The flavorful bean soup gets a fresh touch with a little salad for garnish.
Burrito de La Calle
Enjoy our quicker adaptation of the amazing beef and bean burrito recipe from La Calle Asadero in Oakland.
Recipe: Burrito de La Calle
Lamb Shanks Adobo
Jeff Smedstad, chef-owner of Elote Cafe in Sedona, Arizona, learned the secrets to great adobos (a type of chile-rich sauce) in the markets of central Mexico. This lamb dish is adapted from one in his book, Elote Cafe Cookbook (Elote Cafe Publishing).
Recipe: Lamb Shanks Adobo
Chicken Escabeche with Cilantro Black Beans
This low-cal, tangy dish is based on a recipe in Mexican Everyday by Rick Bayless.
Shot-and-a-Beer Pork Stew
San Francisco’s Tacolicious serves this braised pork in tacos, but owner Joe Hargrave also makes it at home as a fall stew. The chiles fall apart as the dish cooks, giving the meat a mellow, earthy spiciness.
Recipe: Shot-and-a-Beer Pork Stew
Halibut Tostadas with Yogurt-Lime Sauce
We like to think of tostadas as salads with extra crunch. This version is topped with flaky halibut and a light and tangy dressing, making it a perfect healthy weeknight dinner.
Grilled Chipotle-Chicken Quesadillas
Grilling quesadillas makes dinner a cinch to clean up. Storebought rotisserie chicken makes this cheesy favorite even faster.
Tortilla Soup
Everyone can have this dinner in a bowl just how they like it. Serve the condiments on the side for a casual evening party.
Recipe: Tortilla Soup
Stacked Chicken Enchiladas
This tortilla tower is a show-stopper: dramatic, delicious, and oozing with melty cheese. Though the sauce tastes complex, it’s made with canned chile sauce embellished with sweet spices, raisins, pine nuts, and smoky chipotle chiles.
Recipe: Stacked Chicken Enchiladas
Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Full of tender chunks of roasted chicken, these spicy enchiladas are the real deal, topped with a green-chile sauce that’s got some kick. (For a milder salsa, use Anaheim chiles.) And don’t forget the luscious coat of melty jack cheese.
Recipe: Green Chile Chicken Enchiladas
Mexican Chopped Salad with Orange Cream
This Mexican-inspired version of the Cobb salad is served with a refreshing orange crema dressing. Serve it with your favorite tortilla chips.
Grilled Sardine Tacos with Achiote, Lime, and Pineapple Salsa
Along the Yucatán coast in Mexico, cooks often marinate oily fish like mackerel with citrus and achiote paste, made with annatto, garlic, herbs, spices, and vinegar.
Recipe: Grilled Sardine Tacos with Achiote, Lime, and Pineapple Salsa
Shrimp, Ancho Chile, and Pasta Soup (Sopa seca de Camarones y Fideos)
Fideos are much loved in Mexico, where the short lengths of noodles form the basis of thick, delicious soups. This warm one-pot meal is a perfect pick-me-up on a cool night.
Recipe: Shrimp, Ancho Chile, and Pasta Soup (Sopa seca de Camarones y Fideos)
Halibut Baked in Fresh Green Salsa
An easy, creamy tomatillo salsa tops this simple baked fish dish. Try using the salsa with other types of fish too ― or chicken. Or a corn chip. Or just eat it with a spoon.
Chicken with Rice (Arroz con Pollo)
We jazzed up this stand-by with lots of garlic, chiles, onions, corn, and tomatoes for an extra flavor punch.
Chile and Spice Grilled Turkey and Mole Gravy
A chile-rubbed bird cooked on the grill and served with mole gravy makes for a richly seasoned dinner.
Meatball Vegetable Soup
Traditionally, this gently seasoned soup, called sopa de albondigas, is made with beef. This lighter version substitues ground turkey for the beef and adds fresh oregano.
Recipe: Meatball Vegetable Soup
Rockfish Ceviche Tostadas
At Ceviche House, located about 7 miles from San Diego’s Tuna Harbor Dockside Market, chef Juan Carlos Récamier serves a dozen different ceviches, many of them with fish from the market. This one uses lime juice to “cook” the fish and give it a lively, fresh flavor.
Recipe: Rockfish Ceviche Tostadas
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