Beef Enchiladas
This beef enchiladas recipe is made with a delicious (and easy!) homemade red enchilada sauce, and it’s guaranteed to be a crowd-pleaser!
Prep: 15min
Total: 1h
Yield: 8
Ingredients:
- 1 batch red enchilada sauce (or 15 ounces store-bought red enchilada sauce)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 pounds (24 ounces) lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (4-ounce) can diced green chiles
- fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
- 8 large flour tortillas*
- 3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
- toppings: fresh cilantro, chopped red onions, diced avocado, sour cream, and/or crumbled cotija cheese
Instruction:
- Prepare the enchilada sauce according to recipe instructions.
- Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground beef and cumin and sauté for 5 minutes or until completely browned, crumbling the beef with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Stir in the beans and green chiles until combined. Season the mixture with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper, to taste.
- Heat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce evenly along the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.
- . To assemble the enchiladas, set up an assembly line including: tortillas, enchilada sauce, beef filling, and cheese. Lay out a tortilla, and spread two tablespoons of sauce over the surface of the tortilla. Add a generous spoonful of the beef filling in a line down the center of the tortilla, then sprinkle with 1/3 cup cheese. Roll up the tortilla and place it in the prepared baking dish. Assemble the remaining enchiladas. Spread any remaining sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, followed by any extra cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the enchiladas are cooked through and the tortillas are slightly crispy on the outside. Transfer the baking dish to a wire rack.
- Serve the enchiladas immediately while they’re nice and hot, garnished with lots of your favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Easy Beef Enchiladas
Transform five simple ingredients into a cheesy, hearty meal with a little help from Old El Paso™! Follow this Easy Beef Enchiladas recipe, and you’ll have ground beef enchiladas for five on the table in less than an hour. We’d call that a weeknight winner.
Prep: 20min
Total: 50min
Yield: 5
Instruction:
- Heat oven to 375°F. Spray 13×9-inch (3-quart) baking dish or pan with cooking spray.
- In 10-inch nonstick skillet, cook beef over medium-high heat 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce and the chiles.
- Spread 1/2 cup of the enchilada sauce evenly in baking dish. Spread 1/4 cup beef mixture down center of each tortilla; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese. Wrap tortillas tightly around filling, placing seam side down in baking dish. Top with remaining enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Beef Enchiladas
Filled with chile con carne and cheese, these beef enchiladas are the ultimate Mexican comfort food.
Prep: 20min
Total: 1h10min
Yield: 5
Serving Size: 2 enchiladas
Nutrition Facts: servingSize 2 enchiladas, calories 693, Fat 43 g, Carbohydrate 37 g, Protein 41 g, Saturated Fat 16 g, unSaturated Fat , Sugar 6 g, Fiber 6 g, Sodium 918 mg, Cholesterol 126 mg
Ingredients:
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- Heaping ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced (see note)
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 (8-oz) can tomato sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, for brushing the tortillas
- 10 (6- to 7-inch) yellow corn tortillas, preferably Mission Super Size “Super Soft”
- 3 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, preferably Tilamook
Instruction:
- Tenderize the Meat: In a medium bowl, combine the beef, baking soda, and salt. Mash with your hands until evenly combined and let sit on the counter for at least 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Make the Sauce: Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned meat to a plate.
- Add the onion, jalapeño pepper, and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Do not brown; reduce the heat if necessary. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, and flour; cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute more. Add the tomato sauce, then gradually pour in the chicken broth, stirring to combine. Add the beef and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and vigorously simmer until the sauce is thickened, 12 to 14 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. (The sauce may taste a bit spicy; it will mellow out when combined with the cheese and tortillas.)
- When the sauce is almost done, soften the tortillas: Pour the oil into a small bowl or ramekin. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of each tortilla with oil, then stack them on a plate and microwave, uncovered, until hot and steamy, about 1½ minutes.
- Assemble the Enchiladas: Spoon about 1 cup of the sauce evenly into the bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
- Put about 3 tablespoons of cheese and 2 generous tablespoons of the sauce onto the center of each tortilla, then roll the tortillas up and place them seam-side down in the pan, nestling each one against the last. (You’ll have two rows of 5 enchiladas.) Spoon the remaining sauce over the rolled tortillas and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. (I like to sprinkle the cheese over the center of each row of enchiladas, rather than all over, so that the tortillas are partially exposed during baking.) Bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer Friendly Instructions: The enchiladas can be assembled up to one day ahead of time, tightly covered with foil, and refrigerated until ready to bake. If you go this route, bake for 15 minutes covered with foil, and then remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more, or until the cheese is melted. The enchiladas can also be frozen for up to 3 months before baking (if frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight before cooking).
- Note: Always wear gloves and/or wash your hands very well after working with jalapeños, and keep your hands away from your eyes.
- Note: For maximum efficiency, prep the onion, jalapeño and garlic and measure out your ingredients while the beef tenderizes in step 1.
BEEF ENCHILADAS | Easy Enchilada Sauce Recipe | How To Make Cheesy Baked Enchiladas
FAQ
What is the secret to good enchiladas?
Treat Your Tortillas Right
The most important tip for avoiding soggy enchiladas is to briefly fry your tortillas in hot oil before you fill and roll. This creates a little bit of a barrier so that the tortillas don’t soak up too much of the sauce and therefore start to break down.
Do enchiladas use corn or flour tortillas?
While some recipes use flour tortillas, corn tortillas are traditional — and for good reason — are the better option for enchiladas. Corn tortillas have a distinct flavor that plays a key part of the enchilada experience, compared to flour tortillas, which are more like a blank slate.
Do you put sauce on enchiladas before or after baking?
Top enchiladas with sauce just before baking – to prevent the enchiladas from becoming soggy, top them with the sauce only right before you are ready to bake. Cover pan with aluminum foil – make sure that the foil is sealed tightly over the pan to prevent the enchiladas from drying out.
Why are my enchiladas always soggy?
Traditional enchiladas are made with less sauce but, because the tortillas are coated in sauce, it’s more evenly distributed throughout the dish. And, with less sauce, it’s less likely your tortillas will sog out and disintegrate.
