Ground Beef Enchiladas – 🌮🎉🧀 Seasoned ground beef is rolled into tortillas and topped with red sauce and cheese, before being baked to enchilada PERFECTION! Garnishing these EASY beef enchiladas with guacamole and sour cream makes them next-level! These authentic enchiladas taste like they came straight from your favorite Mexican restaurant! Ready in 45 minutes and do-able on busy weeknights.
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Easy Ground Beef Enchiladas Recipe
These ground beef enchiladas are quite literally stuffed with richly seasoned ground beef, topped with red enchilada sauce and cheese, and baked off to perfection.
- Every bite has layers of flavors and textures including just the right amount of chewiness from the flour tortillas combined with warm beef and cheese and then topped with cooling guacamole and sour cream or Mexican crema.
- The balance of warm and cool is a delight for your tastebuds and the enchiladas taste like they came from your favorite Mexican restaurant.
- Despite looking like these enchiladas are complicated, they’re not! I promise these beef enchiladas are easy enough for busy weeknight dinners and ready from start to finish in about 45 minutes.
Averie Says: These Enchiladas Taste like they’re from a Mexican Restaurant!
If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll notice that I spend a fair amount of time in Mexico and my home base is San Diego, where Mexican food is plentiful. My husband is Mexican and so over the years I’ve learned a thing or two about cooking authentic tasting Mexican food. And these ground beef enchiladas are no exception!
I have another recipe for Smothered Beef Burritos and I use the term “burrito” more loosely in that recipe because they have strong enchilada vibes because they’re smothered in sauce and cheese BUT have a filling of rice and refried beans hence the burrito name.
Today’s recipe is more of a traditional ground beef enchilada recipe that tastes like it came straight out of a Mexican restaurant. Cue the mariachi music along with refreshing margaritas, chips and guac, and you’re in full-on Mexican vacation mode!
Ingredients in Homemade Beef Enchiladas
- Ground beef – I recommend extra lean ground beef in the 90 to 93% lean range. You need and want some fat, but not so much that you need to drain grease.
- Onion and minced garlic – White onion or yellow onion are both fine.
- Seasonings and spices – Chili powder, ground cumin, smoked paprika or regular paprika, ground coriander, salt, black pepper. You could also likely use an all-purpose taco seasoning for ease.
- Sauce – To give the beef mixture more flavor and a saucy consistency, I use a bit of tomato paste and beef broth. You can probably get away with chicken broth or water if you don’t keep beef broth on hand.
- Red enchilada sauce – Make sure to purchase one that’s in line with your spice preferences (normal, mild, spicy).
- Cheese – I use Mexican-blend shredded cheese but sharp cheddar cheese or pepper Jack for added heat are options.
- Garnishes – Cilantro, guacamole, sour cream or crema (look for this in the Mexican section of well stocked supermarkets; it’s thinner than sour cream – or thin out sour cream with splash of milk) or queso fresco are all great.
Note: Scroll down to the recipe card section of the post for the ingredients with amounts included and for more complete directions.
How To Make Ground Beef Enchiladas
- To a large skillet, add saute onion with a bit of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the ground beef to brown it along with the garlic.
- Add the various spices and stir to combine before adding the tomato paste and broth. Allow it to simmer for about 5 minutes.
- Warm 8 tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds, and then add 1/8th of the meat mixture to each tortilla, rolling, and placing each filled tortilla in a large baking dish or casserole dish with the seam side down.
- Pour the enchilada sauce over the top, evenly sprinkle with Mexican blend cheese, and bake in a preheated 375F oven for about 20 minutes.
- Allow the baking dish to cool momentarily before topping or serving with your favorite garnishes including guacamole, sour cream, cilantro, lime wedges, sliced green chiles, green onions, pico de gallo, etc.
what to serve with homemade Ground beef enchiladas
Spanish or Mexican Rice is always perfect with enchiladas and don’t forget the margaritas, chips and guacamole to round out this authentic Mexican ground beef enchilada recipe.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can prepare the beef filling and roll the enchiladas ahead of time. Store them tightly wrapped in aluminum foil the fridge without the sauce and cheese, then add these just before baking. This makes it a convenient meal for busy nights.
In the Refrigerator: Enchilada leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
In the Freezer: This recipe will keep airtight in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To Reheat: I use my microwave for quickness and ease and reheat my leftovers for about 30 seconds on high, or as needed.
Recipe FAQs
You can use either flour or corn tortillas for this recipe. I used flour tortillas because I find them easier to work with and roll.
If you use corn, you will most likely need to warm them up before using because they will be more prone to ripping or breaking. Wrap a stack in a lightly moistened paper towel and heat them for about 30 seconds in the microwave
You’ll be baking these enchiladas in a 9×13-inch pan (or similar) so select tortillas that are about 10 inches wide so they comfortable fit in the pan. Avoid tortillas labeled as taco size or street taco size. If they say burrito size, they may be a little too big but they vary widely from brand to brand.
Probably yes, although I haven’t specifically tried this recipe with those protein options. Although if you add a bit more olive oil when sauteeing them with the onions, you should be fine – although obviously the final flavor will be much different!
While not traditional, I’m sure you could use it. Or make my Steak Quesadillas or Carne Asada if you’re craving steak.
I would probably make a side dish of roasted veggies such as roasted bell peppers or zucchini, or make some quick-pickled red onions rather than trying to incorporate veggies into the beef filling, although it could be done by sauteing them with the onions at the beginning.
As written, no we do not find them to be spicy, but instead nicely seasoned and flavorful. But always adjust the seasoning to your preferred levels. Note that some enchilada sauce is more mild and some is spicier, so make sure to select the heat level you prefer.
If you prefer milder flavors, reduce the chili powder to 1 teaspoon or as desired. For more heat, a pinch of cayenne powder is the easiest. If you have chiles in adobo sauce, you can use some of that sauce mixed in with the red enchilada sauce.
Ground Beef Enchiladas
Equipment
- large baking dish or casserole dish (approximately 9×13-inches)
Ingredients
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce, divided, (I use one 15-ounce can medium/normal enchilada sauce; sub with mild or spicy based on preference for heat)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small white onion, finely diced (yellow onion may be substituted)
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef, (I recommend between 90-93% lean)
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder, (1 tbsp = 3 tsp, and I do mean 1 tablespoon here; reduce if you're sensitive to heat)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin, or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, (regular paprika may be substituted)
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup beef broth, (I use reduced sodium beef broth, you can sub with chicken broth or water in a pinch)
- 8 10-inch flour tortillas, warmed if necessary (corn tortillas may be substituted but are more prone to ripping when rolling)
- 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese, or more if desired
- ½ cup sour cream, or as desired for topping; or omit if desired (Mexican crema is great if you can find it, see below for my Tips)
- ⅓ cup guacamole, or as desired for topping
- Other garnishes, all optional and as desired (diced red onions, minced cilantro, lime wedges, pico de gallo, sliced chiles or jalapenos, etc.)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F and spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, then add about 2-3 tablespoons enchilada sauce to the baking dish and spread it over the base of the baking dish; set aside.
- Beef Mixture – To a separate large skillet, add the olive oil, onion, and saute over medium-high heat for about 4 minutes; stir frequently.
- Add the ground beef and cook to brown it for about 5 minutes. Stir and crumble as it cooks to ensure even cooking and browning.
- In the last minute, add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Stir nearly continuously and cook for 1 minute to allow the spices to bloom. Tip – If you don't have all the various individual spices, but do have taco seasoning, add it, as desired, to replace what you're missing.
- Stir in the tomato paste, add the beef broth, and allow the mixture to simmer for about 4 minutes or until thickened and saucy; stir frequently.
- Tortillas – If your tortillas are stiff, warm them wrapped in a moistened (but not soggy) paper towel in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds. If you're using corn tortillas, this is mandatory or they will rip upon rolling.
- Assembly – The beef mixture makes enough to fill about 8 tortillas. Therefore, divide the mixture evenly among the 8 tortillas. Roll each and place it, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.
- Evenly drizzle the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the rolled enchiladas, evenly sprinkle the cheese over the top, and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is as golden as desired, and the enchilada sauce is bubbly.
- Serving – Wait about 10 minutes for the enchiladas to cool (you don't want to melt the sour cream)before evenly adding the sour cream down the center and then the guacamole. If you're not a sour cream person, just omit it.Tip – If you can find Mexican crema in your local market, I recommend it more so than sour cream. It's a bit thinner and has a nicer consistency in my opinion for enchiladas. You can make a DIY crema by mixing 1/2 cup sour cream with 1-2 tablespoons milk, whisking, and then using that, as desired.
- Garnishing – As desired, add any of the optionally recommended garnishes, to taste, and serve.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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So good and easy! Will definitely add this recipe to my rotation. Thank you!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Grace, and glad this is going into your rotation!
Very flavorful. My whole family loved this dish!
Thanks for the 5 star review, Dee, and I’m glad to hear your whole family loved the enchiladas!
easy to make and my family enjoyed it
Thanks for the 5 star review, Sandy, and I’m glad to hear this was easy and your family enjoyed it!
I made these tonight and my kids and their friend devoured them! I used ground turkey and served them with white rice and refried beans on the side. Very quick and easy to put together. Thank you
Thanks for the 5 star review, Kristal, and I’m glad to hear that ground turkey worked just fine and glad they were quick, easy, and ultimately devoured!
I made this, and it was delicious, but my husband said something was missing. The next time, I added refried beans to the ground beef mixture, and he absolutely loved it.
That’s great to hear and glad you enjoyed this with refried beans. I have a burrito recipe that uses refried beans https://www.averiecooks.com/loaded-smothered-beef-burritos/ that you may enjoy too.
Should that be 10″ tortilla?
Yes it is and I corrected the typo where it was missing the zero. Thanks!