Ground Beef Enchiladas

Name: Beef Enchilada Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Ingredients: 1½ pounds ground beef; 1 yellow onion, (diced finely); 1 tablespoon minced garlic; ½ packet taco seasoning; ½ teaspoon salt; ½ (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce; ½ (10-ounce) can green enchilada sauce; 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles; 8 large flour tortillas; 3 to 3½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese; 1 (28-ounce) can red enchilada sauce; chopped cilantro, (for serving)

Kids and adults alike will go crazy for this easy and tasty ground beef enchilada recipe loaded with Tex-Mex flavor, all wrapped in a soft tortilla.

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Table of Contents

Ground Beef Enchiladas Ingredients
Substitutions And Additions
How To Make This Ground Beef Enchiladas Recipe
How To Serve
Storing Beef Enchiladas
Frequently Asked Questions
More Recipes You’ll Love
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The flavors in this easy beef enchilada recipe 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.

overhead shot of a plate of Ground Beef Enchiladas topped with cilantro and sour cream

Ground Beef Enchiladas Ingredients

Ground Beef Enchiladas raw ingredients that are labeled

You’ll need:

1½ pounds of ground beef
1 yellow onion, diced finely
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
½ packet of taco seasoning
½ teaspoon of salt
½ (10-ounce) can of red enchilada sauce
½ (10-ounce) can of green enchilada sauce
1 (4-ounce) can of diced green chiles
8 large flour tortillas
3-3½ cups of shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided into 2 cups and 1½ cups
1 (28-ounce) can of red enchilada sauce
Chopped fresh cilantro leaves for serving

Substitutions And Additions

MEAT: Ground beef is such an easy meat option for any meal, however, you can also use ground chicken or ground turkey in place of the hamburger in this great recipe.

VEGETARIAN: In place of ground beef, you could use refried beans or black beans in this recipe.

CHEESE: Mexican blend shredded cheese has a perfect spicy seasoning to it that complements the enchilada flavors in this recipe nicely.

Pepper Jack cheese also has a spice that would complement 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.

ground beef cooked and drained in a skillet

STEP THREE: Add the 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.

onions added to the ground beef in the skillet and cooked

STEP FOUR: Add taco seasoning, salt, 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.

taco seasonings, enchilada sauce, and chiles added to the ground beef mixture in the skillet

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.

meat mixture placed on top of a tortilla

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.

cheese placed on top of the meat mixture

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.

enchilada sauce placed at the bottom of a baking dish

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.

tortillas topped with enchilada sauce and cheese in a baking dish

STEP NINE: Place the baking dish in the oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes.

STEP TEN: Top with chopped cilantro before serving. Serve with sour cream, black olives, diced tomato, green onions, or other favorite toppings.

enchiladas after being baked in a baking dish

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

Mexican Appetizers

Enchilada Cups

Side Dishes

Ingredients For Mexican Street Style Corn

Storing Beef Enchiladas

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 plate and place it 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 enchilada 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

What do I do with leftover enchilada sauce?

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.

Can I use corn tortillas for this beef enchilada casserole recipe?

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.

Can I use homemade enchilada sauce?

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

Beef Enchilada Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Kids and adults alike will go crazy for this easy and tasty ground beef enchilada recipe loaded with Tex-Mex flavor, all wrapped in a soft tortilla.

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 20

Total Time 40

Servings

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Ingredients

1½ pounds ground beef
1 yellow onion, diced finely
1 tablespoon minced garlic
½ packet taco seasoning
½ teaspoon salt
½ (10-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
½ (10-ounce) can green enchilada sauce
1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
8 large flour tortillas
3 to 3½ cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
1 (28-ounce) can red enchilada sauce
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, salt, 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.
Top with chopped cilantro before serving.

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.

Nutrition

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This recipe was developed, tested, cooked and photographed by the Spaceships Kitchen. From our dinner table to yours, we hope you think it's out of this world!

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