A popular Mexican favorite loaded with a delicious filling made with ground beef, cheese and veggies. These beef enchiladas are easy, cheesy and are a dish your whole family will love!
We have Mexican food for dinner quite often at my house. There are so many Mexican dishes that are quick, easy and super flavorful. These enchiladas are a favorite, as well as baked chicken taquitos, fajitas, slow cooker pork tacos and Mexican stuffed shells.
One of my all time favorite Mexican dishes is enchiladas. They are so easy to make and freeze really well. Plus they come together quickly and are perfect for busy weeknights. I’ve shared my favorite green chile enchiladas and creamy chicken enchiladas, so today I thought I’d share a beef enchilada recipe which is just as yummy!
These easy beef enchiladas are loaded with a hearty meat mixture, lots of cheese and some veggies too. ;) My kids like to eat them plain, but I top mine with cilantro and sour cream. We love serving them with a big Mexican salad, chips and salsa or Mexican rice. It just adds to the deliciousness!
Ingredients
- Meat: I used lean ground beef, but feel free to use ground turkey if you’re not a fan of red meat.
- Veggies: I love to add in chopped onions, red bell pepper and green chiles to give them extra flavor.
- Spices: We keep the spices pretty simple by just adding in cumin, kosher salt and pepper.
- Enchilada sauce: I typically use canned enchilada sauce for convenience.
- Tortillas: Flour tortillas are my favorite because of their texture and size. You can use corn tortillas, however you most likely will need to use 10-14 of them since they are smaller. The cooking time may vary as well due to the different texture and smaller size.
- Cheese: I use a mix of both cheddar cheese and pepper jack cheese. You could use whatever you have on hand though, like Mexican cheese or monterey jack.
How to make beef enchiladas
- Brown meat and veggies. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, brown the beef. Then add in onions, bell peppers, green chiles, salt, cumin and pepper and cook for 3 minutes, until onions are translucent.
- Assemble. Add half of enchilada sauce to bottom of 9×13″ pan. Then place 1/3 cup meat mixture into center of tortilla. Mix the 2 cheeses together and then top enchilada with cheese and roll up. Place enchiladas seam side down inside the pan. Repeat with all 8 enchiladas, then top with remaining sauce and cheese.
- Bake. Cover with foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with olives if desired. Then place back in oven and bake additional 15-20 minutes without the foil.
- Add toppings. Once cheese is bubbly, remove from oven and top with fresh cilantro and sour cream if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Tips + variations
- Softening tortillas. To soften tortillas prior to rolling your enchiladas, simply warm them in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds between damp paper towels. This helps make them more flexible and easier to roll.
- Fillings. You can bulk up the beef filling by adding in black beans, rice, tomatoes or corn.
- Spice. For spicy enchiladas, add in some red pepper flakes or a dash of hot sauce.
- Toppings. Load on lots of delicious toppings like cilantro, sour cream, sliced olives, green onions or guacamole.
Make ahead + freezing
If you’d like to make ahead and freeze, simply freeze right before baking. Roll and assemble enchiladas in pan, then cover tightly with foil or lid. Place in freezer (in a leveled spot) for up to 2 months
More Mexican favorites:
- Ground beef tacos
- Cheesy enchilada pasta
- Chicken enchilada casserole
- Mexican lasagna
- One pot burrito bowls
Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup onion , chopped fine
- 1/2 cup red bell pepper , chopped
- 4.5 ounce can chopped green chiles
- 1 teaspoon cumin , more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt , more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 28 ounce can Red enchilada sauce
- 8 flour tortillas
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Optional toppings: chopped cilantro, sliced olives, sliced green onions, sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large frying pan, brown the ground beef over medium-high heat. Add in the onions, red bell peppers, green chiles, salt, cumin and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.
- Place half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9x13" pan. Then place about 1/3 cup meat mixture into the center of the tortilla. Mix the 2 cheeses together and then top tortilla with cheese and roll up. Place seam side down inside the pan. Repeat with all 8 enchiladas. Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with olives if desired. Place back in the oven to bake for an additional 15-20 minutes without the foil.
- Once cheese is nice and bubbly hot, remove pan from oven and top with fresh cilantro and sour cream if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
I always make these enchiladas for new moms and families! Everyone always loves it, and it’s such an easy go-to meal!
So glad everyone always loves the enchiladas! It’s one of my go-to’s also for new moms and families!
It was a really a huge hit at my house!! I will definitely make it again this week!