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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.
This was easy to make and it was really good. I didn’t make any changes to the recepie and my kids liked it. I definitely making this again.
Amazing!! Absolutely delicious enchiladas and enchilada sauce… I am now spoiled now… no more dining out for enchiladads! Very authentic… made me feel like I was back in Vallarta!
Thank you so much! I’m an expat San Franciscan in the Basque Country. Not a lot of Mexican options here. Your recipes bring me back to some of the best food in California!
I made these enchiladas and even my 2 year old loved them. I used the easy enchilada sauce, they were super easy to make, perfect for busy moms or busy weekdays
Absolutely delicious. I reheated leftovers at work. The entire office followed me back to my desk. I could drink the sauce. So easy too!
These were easy to make and tasted delicious! Don’t skip the homemade enchilada sauce. Will defining be making these again!
These are delicious- I was feeling rushed (hangry haha)and didn’t make the homemade sauce:( so I’ll try that next time for sure! Simple and delicious dinner – another great option from Isabel!! Absolutely cannot wait for her cookbook!!!
Made the authentic enchilada sauce (it’s so much better than canned!) and these beef enchiladas for dinner tonight. Adding the sauce to the meat is a game-changer. These tasted more authentic than the enchiladas at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I will never use canned enchilada sauce again!
So SO good!- loved making the authentic sauce
Made this for us and friends. Everyone thought it was delicious. Will make again