Cheese is the main filling in a traditional Tex-Mex cheese enchilada.
A cheese enchilada uses a corn tortilla filled with cheese, rolled, covered with chile sauce, and usually topped with additional melted cheese. Tex-Mex restaurant plates often serve several enchiladas with rice, beans, onions, or sour cream.
The word enchilada comes from the Spanish verb enchilar, meaning “to season with chile.” The defining feature is therefore the tortilla covered in chile sauce, not one single mandatory filling.
Chicken, beef, and bean enchiladas are also standard Tex-Mex varieties. A cheese enchilada should not be confused with a quesadilla, which is a folded tortilla grilled with cheese and is not rolled and covered in sauce.