Beef enchiladas with savory enchilada sauce, beans, cheese, and veggies are an easy family favorite!
If you make this beef enchilada recipe, prepare a double batch, so you can have another super easy dinner for later. These freeze great! Serve them with a pineapple margarita and a slice of key lime pie. Yum!
Beef Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas
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Beef Enchilada Ingredients
- Beef – Shredded beef or ground beef, cooked.
- Corn – Fresh, frozen, or canned.
- Tomatoes with green chilies – Canned.
- Black beans – Canned, drained.
- Enchilada sauce – Red enchilada sauce, canned or homemade enchilada sauce.
- Cheese – Shredded cheese, Mexican blend or cheddar.
- Tortillas – We use flour tortillas but corn tortillas are great too.
- Garnish – Fresh cilantro, sour cream, pico de gallo, guacamole.
How do you make beef enchiladas? (Step-by-step)
⭐ First, combine beef, corn, tomatoes, black beans, and shredded cheese.
⭐ Next, spread the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a casserole dish. Place a large spoonful of the beef mixture on each tortilla, roll tightly and place seam side down in the casserole dish.
⭐ Then, spread remaining enchilada sauce on top of the rolled up tortillas, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through.
⭐ Finally, garnish as desired.
Preparation
Can you make enchiladas ahead of time?
You can prep these a day in advance and then bake them when ready if desired. Just note that the bottoms will be a little more soggy than if they had been baked immediately.
It will be more like a casserole than individual enchiladas.
Can I make this recipe with chicken?
Absolutely! Make a straight switch, or check out our chicken enchilada casserole recipe.
Storage and leftovers
How long do beef enchiladas last?
You can prepare these up to a day in advance before baking and will keep in the refrigerator for 3 – 4 days after cooking.
Can you freeze them?
Beef enchiladas can be frozen before or after cooking and will stay good in the freezer for 3 – 4 months. To freeze after cooking, allow the pan to cool completely before putting it in the freezer.
It is always a good idea to use a disposable pan when freezing so your dishes aren’t stuck in the freezer for months on end!
Frequently asked questions
Are beef enchiladas made with corn tortillas or flour tortillas?
Traditionally enchiladas are made with corn tortillas (and you can totally use corn tortillas in this recipe), but my family prefers the flavor and texture of flour tortillas so that’s what is pictured here.
Are beef enchiladas spicy?
These are as spicy (or not spicy) as you’d like them to be. I typically make (or use) a mild enchilada sauce to keep the spice down for my kids. But when making for adults, we pump it up!
What exactly is an enchilada?
According to Wikipedia, an enchilada is a tortilla (traditionally corn) rolled around a filling and covered with a savory sauce. Source
Tips and tricks
If you like your beef enchiladas to be cooked with distance between them, use a baking half sheet rather than a casserole dish.
What to serve with beef enchiladas (serving suggestions)
I love to serve a smorgasbord of toppings and treats with this like easy guacamole, homemade pico de gallo, cilantro garlic sauce, oven roasted salsa, and of course a pitcher of classic margaritas!
More Mexican and Latin inspired recipes
- Easy baked tacos recipe
- Homemade Mexican pizzas
- Tortilla soup with chicken
- See all our Mexican and Latin inspired recipes as well as our Cinco de Mayo recipe collection!
More dishes made with tortillas
More beef recipes to enjoy
- Italian shredded beef
- Vegetable beef soup recipe
- See all our beef recipes!
Tools we love
- White casserole dish – What is it about a clean white dish that makes dinner look extra tasty!?
- Metal spatula – Exactly what you need to pull out the perfect enchilada.
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How to Make Beef Enchiladas
Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 pound shredded beef or ground beef cooked
- 1 can corn (15 ounces), drained (or 2 cups fresh or frozen)
- 1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies (10 ounces)
- 1 can black beans (15 ounces), drained
- 1 ½ - 2 cups red enchilada sauce home made or canned (about 15 ounces)
- 2 cups shredded cheese Mexican blend or cheddar
- 6 - 8 flour tortillas large
- cilantro fresh, chopped
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine beef, corn, diced tomatoes, black beans and one cup of shredded cheese.
- Spread about ½ cup of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch casserole dish.
- Place a large spoonful of the beef mixture on each tortilla, roll tightly and place seam side down in the casserole dish.
- Spread remaining enchilada sauce on top of the rolled up tortillas, and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese.
- Bake in a 350F oven for 20 minutes, until cheese is melted and enchiladas are heated through. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Beef Enchiladas
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This was originally a partnered post with Mirum. All content and opinions belong to Mama Loves Food.
Melissa says
So much delicious flavor! Making this again soon!!
Allyson says
Enchiladas are so good, so I will definitely need to try this recipe! They look amazing!
Anna says
My Hubby absolutely loved these enchiladas! The filling is delicious!
Layne Kangas says
These are so good, my husband loves them!
Damian says
Made these tonight! I browned the beef earlier in the day so it took less than than 15 minutes to assemble before dinner. We added a little Cholula Hot Sauce! We absolutely loved these topped with green onions, sour cream and cilantro! Super easy and delicious!
Susan Wanke says
ummmm like You do NOT say
— temp to cook
— whether or not to cover
–how long it will take
How stupid is that????
I
April Woods says
ummmm, you had to scroll past the detailed printable recipe card to leave this comment.
Anne Williams says
Can you use chicken in place of ground beef?
I prefer small chunks of chicken not shredded
April Woods says
yes, absolutely!