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Beef enchiladas stuffed with seasoned ground beef, smothered in the best red enchilada sauce and topped with melted shredded cheese. This recipe makes for great weeknight dinners and the best leftovers for lunch the next day!
These beef enchiladas have quickly become a weeknight staple in my house alongside my chicken enchiladas.
They’re easy to make, extra saucy and flavorful, and are baked for only 20 minutes in the oven. They’re perfect for any night of the week and even make a great dish for occasions like Cinco de Mayo.
This is one of those recipes that never gets old. Made with only a handful of ingredients, it is very flexible, making it easy to meet your budget, serve a crowd, an please your family.
Beef Enchilada Ingredients
- Ground beef – I used lean ground beef, but you can use extra lean or regular. Whatever you have is great!
- Onion, garlic, and jalapeño – These are used to season the beef filling. Feel free to remove the jalapeño seeds for less spice, or omit it altogether.
- Enchilada sauce – You can use any type of enchilada sauce you prefer, but I highly recommend making your own using this easy enchilada sauce recipe or this authentic enchilada sauce recipe if you can! It only takes a few minutes and the flavor is way better than most store-bought versions.
- Flour tortillas – Though most authentic Mexican enchiladas are traditionally made with corn tortillas, I love using flour tortillas when making these because the flour tortillas are stronger and hold up better to the beef filling than corn tortillas do in my opinion. You can use your favorite store-bought variety or you can make your own flour tortillas.
- Shredded cheese – I used a pre-shredded Mexican-blend that I bought at the grocery store made from Monterey Jack, Asadero, Cheddar, and Queso Quesadilla, but feel free to use whatever cheese you have in the fridge. Mozzarella, pepperjack, Oaxaca, and cheddar cheese are all great options.
- Toppings – Such as diced onions, avocado chunks, fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded lettuce, or a dollop of sour cream.
How to Make Beef Enchiladas
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. While that’s heating up, saute the diced onions and pepper in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes until softened and translucent.
Add in the ground beef, garlic, and salt. Cook for about 8 minutes until the beef is browned and fully cooked through.
If the meat releases a lot of moisture and grease, drain and discard that at this time.
Stir in 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce to further season the meat. Give everything a little taste and season with more salt if necessary.
Now it’s time to assemble the enchiladas! I like to lay a tortilla on a plate, spoon in some of the beef mixture, sprinkle it with a little shredded cheese, and then roll it up tightly.
Place the rolled-up enchiladas in a large baking dish, seam side down, and top with 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce and a little more shredded cheese.
Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Garnish with diced onions, chopped cilantro, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Warm the tortillas before stuffing and rolling them. I like placing them on a plate, covering them with a damp paper towel, and heating them in the microwave for about 30 seconds. The damp towel creates steam, which prevents the tortillas from drying out.
- Assemble ahead of time. The enchiladas can be assembled up to 4 hours before baking. Just don’t add the sauce and cheese on top until you’re ready to bake! Cover the baking dish and keep it in the refrigerator until you’re ready.
Substitutions and Variations
- Add beans: Add a can of beans, like kidney beans, black beans, white beans, or pinto beans into the filling.
- Use a different sauce: If you want to use something other than red enchilada sauce, try making this with green enchilada sauce or even queso dip! Yum!
- If you want to use corn tortillas instead, wrap them in a damp paper towel and heat them in the microwave for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through until all of them are warm and pliable. Since corn tortillas are smaller, you’ll need more of them to use up all the filling.
Sides to Serve with Beef Enchiladas
This easy dinner recipe is best enjoyed with lots of tasty side dishes. Try any of these for the perfect pairing:
Storing, Freezing, and Reheating
To store: Place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
To freeze: Let them cool completely in the fridge. Transfer to a freezer-safe container or freezer bag and freeze. You can also wrap the enchiladas completely in aluminum foil and freeze. Leave them to thaw in the fridge overnight or bake right from frozen.
To reheat: either microwave them for 2 to 3 minutes or bake in a 350ºF oven until warmed through (about 10 to 20 minutes).
More Enchilada Recipes
Easy Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper stem and seeds removed, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 3/4 cups easy enchilada sauce, divided
- 8 large flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided
- optional toppings: diced onions, chopped cilantro, sour cream, shredded lettuce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ºF.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and jalapeño. Saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Add the ground beef, garlic, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into smaller chunks. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 6 to 8 minutes, until beef is browned.
- Add 1/4 cup enchilada sauce, stir to combine, and remove from heat. Taste and season with more salt if necessary.
- Microwave the tortillas on a plate for 1 minute, flipping them halfway through until all of them are warm and pliable.
- Pour 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce into a 9×13 baking dish, and spread it out to fully coat the bottom.
- Assemble the enchiladas by filling each tortilla evenly with the beef mixture and 3/4 cup of shredded cheese. Roll the tortillas tightly to close and place in a large baking dish seam side down.
- Pour the remaining 1 1/4 cups enchilada sauce over the tortillas, top with the remaining 1 1/4 cups shredded cheese, and bake for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve immediately and garnish with desired toppings.
Notes
- I highly recommend making your own enchilada sauce using this easy enchilada sauce made from dried spices and herbs or this authentic enchilada sauce made from whole dried chiles and Mexican chocolate. If you’re short on time, you can use your favorite store-bought sauce.
- To store enchiladas, place them in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- To freeze enchiladas, let them cool completely in the fridge. Transfer the enchiladas to a freezer safe container or freezer bag and freeze. You can also wrap the enchiladas completely in aluminum foil and freeze.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
The smoky flavor of the sauce and just right heat were so delicious! They were perfect!
My go to sauce when I don’t use dried chiles 🌶️
I’ve never made enchiladas before in my life, but it was easy and oh so good. I used refried beans and some taco seasoning, a small can of green chilies. YUMMY!
I am SO happy that I somehow found your website! WOW!!! First off, these enchiladas were so easy with such a high payoff, everyone loved them and they became a new loved meal in our home. Mexican food is one of our top favorites, but it’s sometimes hard to find easy, authentic, flavorful recipes. However after I browsed through many of your recipes, I immediately marked your website with a star so I can reference it every week when I meal plan 🙂 I want to thank you so very much for sharing your recipes, and I hope you know how appreciated and loved they are! Can’t wait for the cookbook 🙂 Sending love from South Carolina!
Hi Jess! Thank you so much! We’re so glad you enjoy our recipes. Yes be on the lookout for the cookbook this spring!
Isabel this yet another wonderful recipe! Everything I’ve made of yours has wowed myself and my family and I’ve made several. You are my go to for Mexican Cuisine. This was the second of your recipes I’ve made this week and the family loves it . I did put black beans in it and boy was it yummy . Your Enchilada Sauce is delicious and I will no longer buy canned . I know you’re busy being a Wife and a Mom but have you considered putting together a Cook Book ? I would absolutely get it !
Hi Greg! Thank you so much for the compliments. We are so glad you enjoy our recipes with your family. We are currently working on a cookbook and are very excited! Be on the lookout for it this fall 🙂
Terrific recipe! Made it with your authentic enchilada sauce, which is our go-to sauce recipe. First time we’ve made this specific enchilada recipe but it will be our beef enchilada dish from now on. Served it with your Easy Avocado Salad for a delicious, easy to prepare meal.
Thank you so much Charles!
Delicious! This recipe is a regular in our dinner rotation.
Do flour tortillas have to used?
Hi! You do not have to use flour tortillas for this recipe. If you use corn tortillas, you may need to use more since corn tortillas are typically smaller than flour tortillas.
The beef enchiladas and your chicken enchiladas say to fill each of the tortillas with the filling and the cheese. The cheese is listed as the whole amount for all the tortillas but it is written to say to add the whole amount of cheese to each tortilla.
Hi Joyce! Thank you for catching that! We apologize for the confusion.
YUM! AMAZING!
Made just as is even made easy enchilada sauce turned out great. Will make again.