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Zesty beef wrapped in soft flour tortillas then drenched in red enchilada sauce and baked with melty cheese, these are my favorite Beef Enchiladas! Delicious paired with Cilantro Lime Rice, Pico de Gallo and Guacamole! Yum!
Beef Enchiladas | The Perfect Weeknight Meal
This Beef Enchilada Recipe is perfect for a busy weeknight meal. While I love that slow cooked, savory flavor you get from any kind of enchiladas, this one might be my easiest recipe yet. You simply brown the meat, fill your tortillas with the spiced beef mixture and cheese then drench the whole thing in enchilada sauce and bake away! While the enchiladas are baking, you can whip up a side dish if you wanted to (I’ve got some great suggestions below). A little effort goes a long way with this dish.
I also used a store-bought enchilada sauce (The Frontera Red Chile Enchilada Sauce is my favorite) to make things quicker but feel free to make some homemade enchilada sauce. And I have a couple of ideas about hiding veggies in the filling too. Let’s not tell our kids about that.
Main Ingredients Needed
You don’t need a ton to make these beef enchiladas, which makes them a perfect weekday meal! Here’s what you need:
- Olive Oil + Ground Beef – olive oil is used to help brown the beef. I used a 93/7 ground beef blend. Feel free to drain off any extra fat if you’re using a beef with a higher fat to meat ratio.
- Cumin, Chili Powder, Salt + Pepper – all the seasonings added to the ground beef to give it so much great flavor.
- Mexican Blend Cheese – you could also use sharp cheddar cheese here if you prefer. Use what you have. Cheese is inside each wrapped tortilla and tops the whole dish. Yum!
- Flour Tortillas – I specify in the recipe card “fajita sized” if you’re confused about this, these tortillas are about 8 inches wide. You want the medium-sized tortillas, not to be confused with the burrito size or the street taco size.
- Red Enchilada Sauce – I used a mild enchilada sauce. For best results, use the brand that you like best or make homemade enchilada sauce. Also, green enchilada sauce works well, too! Personal preference!
- Cilantro – I used this as a garnish! If you hate the taste of cilantro, simply leave it out.
Variations
This is a classic recipe for beef enchiladas but you can always customize it to suit your family’s needs. Here are a couple of ideas to get you started:
- Meat: if you aren’t feeling beef, try ground turkey, chicken, or pork!
- Sauce: try a sour cream-based sauce, a green sauce, or whatever type of sauce you like best with enchiladas.
- Veggies: you could probably even sneak some veggies into the meat filling without your kiddos noticing (sautéed bell peppers, zucchini, yellow squash, mushrooms, riced cauliflower). Just cut your veggies small and cover them up with lots of cheese!
Love Enchiladas? Same! Here are some more recipes to add to your arsenal: Crockpot Chicken Enchilada Casserole, Zucchini Enchiladas, Chicken Enchilada Bowl, Beef Enchilada Dip, and Enchilada Stuffed Mushrooms.
How to Make Beef Enchiladas
For full details on how to make Beef Enchiladas see the recipe card down below 🙂
Preheat Oven + Prep
Preheat oven. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
Brown Ground Beef
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil and brown beef, breaking apart as it cooks. Sprinkle in the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper. Once the beef is completely cooked, remove it from heat.
Fill Tortillas
Add some of the enchilada sauce to the bottom of the prepared pan. Reserve half the cheese.
Divide the cooked meat into 8 even portions (I do this in the pan, but you can just eyeball it.) Fill each tortilla with ground beef and some grated cheddar cheese. Roll up and place seam side down into the pan. Repeat until all 8 enchiladas are filled.
Top + Bake
Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce. You will notice that the sauce pools in between each enchilada. Use a butter knife or spoon to separate each enchilada to let the sauce fall in between. This prevents the enchiladas from sticking together and will allow for easy serving later!
Top enchiladas with the remaining cheese and bake covered. Top with cilantro and any other toppings you prefer and serve.
Storing Beef Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas last for about 3 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Which makes them great for meal prep!
Freezing Instructions
I recommend making these beef enchiladas in a disposable aluminum baking dish for easier storage. Then cover well with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Freeze for up to 3 months then reheat in the oven until heated through.
If you freeze this recipe unbaked, add a couple of minutes to the baking time (found in the recipe card) when you are baking.
Side Dishes to Serve with Beef Enchiladas
Be sure to check out my Mexican Cuisine category for more side dish ideas!
- Classic Guacamole or Homemade Salsa with Tortilla Chips
- Cilantro Lime Rice (tastes super good when it soaks up all that extra enchilada sauce)
- Mexican Street Corn (I am always in the mood for this)
- Corn, Tomato & Avocado Salad for a lighter side dish
More Enchilada Recipes to Try!
- Chorizo Enchiladas
- Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Red and Green Enchiladas
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Pork Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas is such an easy weeknight dinner that doesn’t take a lot of time to prepare, plus everyone loved it! Win win!
The printable recipe card is down below, enjoy 🙂
Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground beef I used 93/7
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 12 oz Mexican Blend Cheese grated, divided (or sharp cheddar cheese)
- 8 fajita size flour tortillas
- 19 oz red enchilada sauce I used mild
- cilantro for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add oil and brown beef, breaking apart as it cooks. Sprinkle in cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Once beef is completely cooked, remove from heat.
- Add 1/4-1/2 cup enchilada sauce to the bottom of prepared pan. Reserve half the cheese.
- Divide the cooked meat into 8 even portions (I do this in the pan, but you can just eyeball it.) Fill each tortilla with ground beef and about 2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese. You should have 6 oz of grated cheddar cheese to divide evenly between each enchilada which is approximately 2 tablespoons. Roll up and place seam side down into the pan. Repeat until all 8 enchiladas are filled.
- Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce. You will notice that the sauce pools in between each enchilada. Use a butter knife or spoon to separate each enchilada to let the sauce to fall in between. This prevents the enchiladas from sticking together and will allow for easy serving later!
- Top enchiladas with remaining 6 oz of cheese and bake covered 30-40 minutes. Top with cilantro and any other toppings you prefer and serve.
Very flavorful & so quick to make! I used a packet of Less Sodium Taco Seasoning. My new “go to” Enchilada Recipe.
Can you use leftover cooked chicken instead of beef and if you can, would there be any changes needed to be made?
My question is: can you freeze the remaining enchiladas?
absolutely! Just wrap them well and they will last up to 3 months.
Made these beef enchiladas tonight! So yummy, thanks!
I made these enchiladas about 3 weeks ago and gave half of them to my daughter who absolutely devoured them. She asked me when I was making them again. So I’m making them again because I already ate all of mine too.. They are so good and so easy. I made some Spanish rice and a salad. Added some sliced avocado and sour cream and green onions to the enchilada. I could eat that every single day. Thank you for a delicious and easy recipe. Oh and by the way they freeze really well. Of course mine didn’t last very long in the freezer cuz I ate them all.😁
This looks so easy to make.