Beef Enchiladas
16 OCTOBER 2018
beef enchiladas
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Ahhhh, enchiladas. The Mexican lasagna….sort of. 
This recipe is simpler than you think, even with making my own enchilada sauce! I’ve made this many times, and it’s always a hit. I have a variation for chicken enchiladas I’ll post soon — the preparation is a little different. If you’re looking for a crowd-pleaser that’s not expensive to make, try this delicious enchiladas recipe on for size!
Let’s get started…
ENCHILADAS: The Beef
First, you should start the beef mixture. I use 90% lean ground beef, Spanish onions, bell peppers, garlic, and seasonings. I add the beef right to the pan — it’s natural fat content will grease everything up. I chose one orange and one yellow pepper for color.
Once it’s halfway done cooking and you’ve broken it up well, add your chopped onions and bell peppers. This allows the beef to absorb the flavor of the vegetables, without burning them. Toss your minced garlic in about 2 minutes before you’re ready to dump the spices and hot water in. The beef should be cooked through at this point.
Mix your taco seasoning packets with the allotted hot water, and dump into pan. Once it starts to boil, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer away.
ENCHILADAS: The Sauce!
Now I like to make my own sauce. I feel this is the key ingredient to making my enchiladas authentic and tasty. You can use canned sauce, but making it yourself is easy, and gives you more control over taste and nutritional content.
I start a roux — a mixture of butter and flour — to thicken/start the sauce. I also add chili powder with the flour to start building the taste profile. Once browned, I add chicken broth, cans of diced tomatoes and chili peppers, and spices. I let this cook at a medium temperature for a bit, then grab my immersion blender and puree the mixture right in the pot. So handy!
BEEF ENCHILADAS: The Assembly
Once your sauce is done, add a good amount to the beef. Add half your shredded cheese as well, and stir. Coat the bottom of your 9×13 glass pans with enchilada sauce, and then let’s set up the assembly station.
Get your pans, bowl of shredded cheese, beef mixture, enchilada sauce, tortillas, and spoon all on one table. You’re going to open a tortilla, spoon the beef/sauce/cheese mixture into a thick line across one length of the tortilla. Then fold the bottom over the mixture, and roll up. Place seam side down into the glass dish, along the shorter end of the dish.
Repeat with every tortilla until pan is full. I used about 7-8 large tortilla shells per pan. You want to add enough filling so that there isn’t empty tortilla shell in dish, but be careful not to overfill.
FYI — I doubled the usual recipe and made enough for two pans. (Like I said before, they are a household favorite!)
If they’re looking a little dry, you’re not wrong!
Time to cover the tops of these bad boys with the rest of the enchilada sauce, and then the rest of the shredded cheese. Sauce the enchiladas well, or the exposed tortilla will dry out in the oven.
Cover your pans with aluminum foil, and put your enchiladas in the oven for about 20-30 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Keep an eye on them. and once the cheese is nice and bubbly, remove the foil. Bake another five minutes and then pull out to rest!
I topped mine with salsa and sour cream. I also made some Spanish rice and black beans to serve with the beef enchiladas. The house smelled amazing, and I managed to feed a good 10 people with leftovers!
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
- 1 bell pepper, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups hot water
- 2 packets taco seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Tbl butter
- 2 Tbl flour
- 1 Tbl chili powder
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 can diced tomatoes with chilies
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- 8 large flour tortilla shells
- 3 cups shredded colby jack cheese
- Heat large pan to medium/medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Allow to brown, and break up as it cooks (about 10 minutes). Once fat begins to separate, add chopped onions and bell pepper. Season with salt.
- As onions become translucent and beef is cooked through, add minced garlic. Saute two more minutes. Add water and taco seasonings. Stir to combine.
- Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and let cook for another 5-7 minutes until liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Heat small pot to medium heat. Add butter. Once melted, add flour and chili powder, Cook 2 minutes until browned, then add chicken broth, canned tomatoes & chilies, and spices.
- Cook 5-7 minutes until bubbly and fragrant. Remove from heat. Use immersion blender to puree mixture. Put back on burner and simmer at low heat until just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat.
- Coat 9x13 glass baking dish with cooking spray, and then with enchilada sauce.
- Add one third enchilada mixture and one third cheese to beef mixture. Spoon into tortilla shells in log formation, from one end to another. Roll up, and place seam side down in pan. Repeat with remaining shells and mixture.
- Spoon remaining enchilada sauce over dish, making sure to coat all surface area of the tortillas. Sprinkle remaining cheese over top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes in 400 degree Fahrenheit oven. Pull out if cheese is melty, remove foil, and bake 5 additional minutes until bubbly.
- Serve with salsa, guacamole, sour cream, rice, beans, or enjoy by itself!
Pictured above is this recipe doubled (hence, two 9x13 dishes). One pan should easily serve 6 hungry adults!