May 3, 2023
Review RecipeGround Beef Enchiladas

Table of Contents
The flavors in these easy ground beef enchiladas will have you feeling like you’re eating an authentic dish from your favorite Mexican restaurant. Beef-filled tortillas with chiles, smothered in tangy enchilada sauce, and topped with plenty of cheese, makes for the best homemade enchiladas that everyone will love.

Ground Beef Enchiladas Ingredients

You’ll need:
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced finely
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ packet of taco seasoning
- ½ (10-ounce) can of red enchilada sauce
- ½ (10-ounce) can of green enchilada sauce
- 1 (28-ounce) can of red enchilada sauce
- 1 (4-ounce) can of diced green chiles
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 3-3½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for serving
SUBSTITUTIONS AND ADDITIONS
MEAT: Ground beef is such an easy meat option for any meal, however, if you prefer you can also use ground chicken or ground turkey in place of the hamburger in this great recipe.
VEGETARIAN: In place of the ground beef, you could use refried beans or black beans in this recipe.
CHEESE: Mexican blend shredded cheese has a perfect spicy seasoning flavor to it that compliments the enchilada flavors in this recipe nicely. Pepper Jack cheese also has a spice that would compliment these flavors, too. If you’re not a fan of spiciness, you could opt for regular cheddar cheese instead.
How To Make This Ground Beef Enchiladas Recipe
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
Easily make these enchiladas into a freezer meal by covering the pan with plastic wrap and freezing them instead of baking them. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and cook according to the instructions.
STEP ONE: Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set this dish aside for now.
STEP TWO: In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef until it is no longer pink. Drain the excess grease.

STEP THREE: Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Add in the minced garlic and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes.

STEP FOUR: Add taco seasoning, red and green enchilada sauce, and diced green chiles. Stir well. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes.
PRO TIP:
If you prefer extra saucy enchiladas, add more sauce to the mixture. For lighter flavor and texture, use less sauce.

STEP FIVE: Divide the ground beef mixture into 8 equal portions. Fill each tortilla with an equal amount of meat mixture.
PRO TIP:
If you opt for yellow corn tortilla shells in your enchiladas, they need to be warmed slightly before rolling or they will break apart. Either fry them quickly in a skillet greased with a little oil, or warm up the sauce before adding it to the pan, and thoroughly coat the tortillas with sauce before filling. It is not necessary to warm flour tortillas before filling them.

STEP SIX: Divide 2 cups of shredded Mexican blend cheese into 8 equal portions and place on top of each tortilla with the meat mixture. Roll the tortillas lightly.

STEP SEVEN: Pour ⅓ of the 28-ounce can of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the 9×13-inch baking dish. Place rolled tortillas seam side down.

STEP EIGHT: Pour the remaining sauce from the 28-ounce can on top of the flour tortillas. Top with remaining 1 to 1½ cups of Mexican blend cheddar cheese.

STEP NINE: Place the baking dish in the oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes. Serve with sour cream, black olives, diced tomato, green onions, or other favorite toppings.

How To Serve
Our Spanish rice or Mexican corn salad is the absolute perfect side with ground beef enchiladas. This is a great recipe to whip up on a busy night because it is so hearty and filling and the whole family will gobble it up.
Be sure to try some of our other favorite Mexican-inspired dishes like Mexican casserole or this super easy recipe for sheet pan fajitas.
MORE MEXICAN DISH RECIPES
Storage
IN THE FRIDGE: To store these easy beef enchiladas in the fridge, place them in an airtight container after they have cooled down. They will stay fresh in the fridge for 3-4 days. To reheat, scoop out an enchilada and some enchilada sauce onto a separate place and place in the microwave.
IN THE FREEZER: Enchiladas are a great make-ahead freezer meal. To do so, you will make and assemble your enchiladas following the instructions above. You should skip adding the cheese to the top of the enchiladas as directed in step 8. Instead, after adding the sauce, bake the enchiladas for about 8 minutes.
Remove them from the oven and allow them to cool down completely. After they have cooled, place a piece of plastic wrap over the top of the enchiladas, and cover with a lid or aluminum foil. When ready to bake, remove the enchiladas from the freezer, top with cheese. Preheat the oven and bake as directed above.

This homemade beef enchiladas recipe could not be easier. Everyone is sure to love these cheesy, beef-filled tortillas, smothered in spicy enchilada sauce. It will have your family feeling like they are eating authentic Mexican food, from the comfort of your home!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
You can place the remaining ½ of green and red sauce from the 10-ounce cans, plus the remaining taco seasoning into a freezer Ziploc bag. Mix it together well, then seal the bag shut. Place this in the freezer and save it for the next time you have enchiladas.
While we find that corn tortillas don’t roll as well in this easy recipe, you can still use them if you soften them up first. Since they tend to be smaller than flour tortillas, you may need more than the recipe calls for.
Instead of canned enchilada sauce, if you have a preferred recipe for homemade enchilada sauce, you can certainly make that substitution.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Easy Mexican Layered Salad
- White Queso Dip
- Taco Bake
- Taquitos
- White Chicken Enchilada Skillet
- White Chicken Enchiladas
- Beef and Broccoli
- Mexican Pinwheels
- Beef Stew
- Taco Coleslaw
- Taco Stuffed Shells
- Chicken Enchiladas
- Chicken and Shrimp Tacos
- Taco Ring

Ground Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds ground beef
- 1 yellow onion, diced finely
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ packet taco seasoning
- ½ (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
- ½ (10-ounce) can green enchilada sauce
- 1 (28-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 3 to 3½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
- chopped cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the ground beef until no longer pink. Drain grease.
- Add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add minced garlic and continue to cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Add taco seasoning, red and green enchilada sauce, and diced green chiles. Stir well. Let simmer on low for 5 minutes.
- Divide meat mixture into 8 equal portions. Fill each tortilla with an equal amount of meat mixture.
- Divide 2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese into 8 equal portions and place on top of each tortilla with the meat mixture. Roll the tortillas tightly.
- Pour ⅓ of the 28-ounce can of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the 9×13-inch baking dish. Place rolled tortillas seam side down.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce from the 28-ounce can on top of the flour tortillas. Top with the remaining 1-1½ cups of Mexican blend shredded cheddar cheese.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Easily make these enchiladas into a freezer meal by covering the pan with plastic wrap and freezing them instead of baking. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and cook according to the instructions.
- If you prefer extra saucy enchiladas, add more sauce to the mixture. For lighter flavor and texture, use less sauce.
- If you opt for yellow corn tortilla shells in your enchiladas, they need to be warmed slightly before rolling or they will break apart. Either fry them quickly in a skillet greased with a little oil, or warm up the sauce before adding it to the pan, and thoroughly coat the tortillas with sauce before filling. It is not necessary to warm flour tortillas before filling them.
Comments
Gloria says
Very good meal, easy to make and a big hit with our family.
Jack says
These are very substantial–almost burrito sized! I used the linked taco seasoning recipe, too. Very good!