Growing in the central valley of California I ate a lot of Hispanic foods made by my mom, her sisters, and the extended families. Echiladas was always a favorite of mine...often served for holidays or celebrations. What I didn't know until I left for college was that you could put meat in enchiladas. The only enchiladas I had were vegetarian...a habit left over from my family's experience during the Great Depression.

My mom would dice pickles and olives and put them aside. She would shred lettuce in long strands and grate cheddar and jack cheeses. Thenmom would dice red or yellow onions and sautee them in margarine or butter.
Her home made flour tortillas would be cooked briefly in oil and quickly soaked in homemade enchilada sauce slowly simmering on the stove. I no longer remember how mom and her sisters made the sauce, but the closest commercial variety is Las Palmas...very heavy with a strong after taste. While still very warm she would lay the tortilla on a large baking tray and fill it with with diced pickles, olives, onions, lettuce and lots of cheese.
The enchiladas would be covered with foil and baked at 325 degrees...sometimes the extra sauce would be drizzled on top.
After about 30 minutes, the enchiladas were done.

It was almost de riguer to serve it with spanish rice and pinto beans. Sliced tomatoes were served on the side.

I make a variation of it, the only difference being I add cooked and diced green chilis, and I cook the tortillas in butter.
For a side dish I will serve the rice and beans, but I also substitute chilled quacamole for the tomatoes.