Beef Enchiladas Recipe

Active Time:

25 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

Servings:

Hearty, meaty, and cheesy, these beef enchiladas are the perfect family dinner after a busy day. Featuring a filling packed with ground beef and fresh veggies, chewy tortillas, rich enchilada sauce, and two types of gooey cheese, this dish is sure to satisfy on any occasion. Here is everything you need to know about how to make beef enchiladas.

The History of Beef Enchiladas

Enchiladas have been made in Mexico for hundreds of years. But if you were to order this dish, in which tortillas are wrapped around a filling, smothered in cheese and sauce, and baked, in Mexico, your options for meat would likely be shredded beef, pork, or chicken. Ground beef, which we use in our recipe, is more of a Tex-Mex ingredient. Tex-Mex food originated in Texas in the late 1800s and has since spread across the Southwest.

In addition to ground beef, our beef enchiladas recipe features another traditionally Tex-Mex ingredient: soft flour tortillas, which are used in place of the soft corn tortillas that are preferred south of the border.

Enchilada vs. Wet Burrito

Enchiladas made with flour tortillas are sometimes called "wet burritos," but these two dishes aren't quite the same. A wet burrito is a closed burrito covered in a sauce. Enchiladas, on the other hand, are rolled open and baked in a pan.

Beef Enchiladas Ingredients

On top of the ground beef and flour tortillas, there are a few other ingredients that make our beef enchiladas delicious and easy enough for a weeknight. Here’s what you need.

Ground beef: We use 93/7 lean ground beef, but you can use whatever you prefer. This recipe would also be tasty with ground turkey or ground chicken.
Onion, sweet peppers, and black beans: Sautéed onions and sweet peppers and canned black beans round out the filling. You can use bell peppers, poblanos, or even jalapeños in addition to or in place of the sweet peppers if you like.
Taco seasoning and garlic: A package of store-bought taco seasoning and some fresh garlic provide fast and easy flavor to the enchilada filling. If you have time, consider trying our homemade taco seasoning instead.
Enchilada sauce: We use red, but you could also use green for a different flavor profile.
Shredded cheese: We add a combination of Monterey Jack and Cheddar cheese to the enchilada filling and sprinkle even more on top to melt into the sauce and tortillas. If you’re short on time, pick up a 4-cup bag of shredded Mexican blend.
Flour tortillas: Since flour tortillas are so soft and malleable, you can pull them out of the package, fill, and roll them right away. We use 7-inch tortillas.

Sour cream, avocado, red onion, and fresh cilantro: We mix some taco seasoning with sour cream to make an easy and flavorful crema, then add diced avocado and red onion and fresh cilantro for garnish.

Do enchiladas use flour or corn tortillas?

Traditional Mexican enchiladas use corn tortillas only, but American-style or Tex Mex-style enchiladas sometimes use flour tortillas.

How To Make Beef Enchiladas

Full instructions for these beef enchiladas are below, but here's a brief recap before you get started:

Step 1. Prepare the filling: Cook the onions and peppers until tender. Set aside. Cook the ground beef with taco seasoning. Then combine beef, onions, peppers, beans, and cheese.
Step 2. Fill tortillas: Working with one tortilla at a time, roll a scoop of filling up in a tortilla. Place each one in a baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray and lined with a layer of enchiladas sauce.
Step 3. Finish enchiladas: Add more sauce on top, then cover with cheese.
Step 4. Bake: Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil, and bake. Remove the foil and finish baking until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.
Step 5. Make garnishes: While the enchiladas cool slightly, prepare any toppings.

How To Freeze Beef Enchiladas

It’s easy to freeze enchiladas and save them for a rainy day. For best results, cook the filling and assemble the enchiladas, then let them cool completely before covering with plastic wrap and aluminum foil and transferring them to the freezer.

If you don’t want to freeze them in the baking pan, line it with parchment paper before assembly so you can lift out the frozen enchiladas, wrap them, and place them back in the freezer on their own.

To serve, thaw the enchiladas in the refrigerator and then bake according to the recipe instructions, or until the cheese is melted and everything is warmed through.

Sides To Serve With Beef Enchiladas

Enchiladas are a great dinner option, so you'll need some sides to complete the meal. Consider these:

Editorial contributions by Alyssa Sybertz.

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 medium [8 oz.] onion)
1 cup sliced multi-colored mini sweet peppers (about 4 oz. total)
3 garlic cloves, chopped (about 1 Tbsp.)
1 1/2 lb. 93/7 lean ground beef
1 (1-oz.) envelope taco seasoning mix, divided
1 (15-oz.) can seasoned black beans, drained and rinsed
2 (8-oz.) pkg. red enchilada sauce, divided (such as Frontera Red Chile)
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided
8 oz. mild Cheddar cheese, shredded (about 2 cups), divided
8 (7-in.) flour tortillas (from 1 [11-oz.] pkg.) (such as Old El Paso, For Burritos)
1/2 cup sour cream
Diced avocado, chopped red onion, and fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

Prepare baking dish:

Preheat oven to 350℉. Lightly coat a 13- x 9-inch baking dish with cooking spray, and set aside.
Cook onions and peppers filling:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add onion, peppers, and garlic; cook, stirring often, until slightly softened, about 4 minutes. Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl, and set aside.
Cook beef filling:

Without wiping skillet clean, add beef and 3 tablespoons of the taco seasoning to skillet: cook over medium-high, stirring often to break up meat, until browned, 5 to 6 minutes. Add beef mixture and beans to onion mixture in bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups each of the Monterey Jack and Cheddar to beef and onion mixtures in bowl, and toss to evenly combine. (Makes about 6 cups filling.)
Fill tortillas:

Spoon 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce into bottom of prepared baking dish. Place 1 tortilla on work surface, and spoon 3/4 cup of filling lengthwise down center of tortilla. Roll tortilla around filling, creating a cylinder; place seam side down, crosswise, in prepared baking dish. Repeat process with remaining 7 tortillas and filling.
Cover enchiladas with sauce and cheese:

Spoon remaining 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce over enchiladas, and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup each Monterey Jack and Cheddar. Cover tightly with aluminum foil; bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Uncover, and bake at 350℉ until warmed through, bubbly, and cheese is melted and slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.
Gather and make garnishes:

Meanwhile, stir together sour cream and remaining 1 tablespoon taco seasoning in a small bowl until combined; dollop over top of enchiladas. Serve immediately with avocado, red onion, and cilantro.

Frequently Asked Questions

Should you heat flour tortillas before making enchiladas?

Flour tortillas are more tender than corn tortillas, so they're unlikely to shatter or tear like their corn counterparts. Therefore, you don't need to heat them before rolling the enchiladas unless you just want to.
Why are my enchiladas soggy?

The biggest culprit in the soggy enchiladas saga is too much sauce. You want enough to really flavor the enchiladas, but they shouldn't be swimming in sauce.

Additional reporting by

Alyssa Sybertz

Beef Enchiladas

The History of Beef Enchiladas

Enchilada vs. Wet Burrito

Beef Enchiladas Ingredients

Do enchiladas use flour or corn tortillas?

How To Make Beef Enchiladas

How To Freeze Beef Enchiladas

Sides To Serve With Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare baking dish:

Cook onions and peppers filling:

Cook beef filling:

Fill tortillas:

Cover enchiladas with sauce and cheese:

Gather and make garnishes:

Frequently Asked Questions

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