Hearty ground beef enchiladas are a great way to fill up the family with a delicious ground beef recipe, that is easy to make, with simple ingredients, and loads of cheese.
If you have never tried these easy ground beef enchiladas, you need to! They are super easy to make for those busy weeknights and can easily become a freezer meal recipe to make for another night. Just be sure to have your favorite brand of red sauce, Mexican blend cheese, lean ground beef, and tortillas, and you are well on your way to making this easy beef enchiladas recipe.
Recipe Ingredient Notes
To make our ground beef enchiladas, you need the following ingredients:
- Protein: use lean ground beef (93/7 is a great option)
- Onion: use chopped yellow onions or whatever you have on hand
- Beans: you will need canned chili beans that are not seasoned, but do not drain them
- Enchilada sauce: we like to use mild red enchilada sauce with these hearty beef enchiladas
- Salsa: pick your favorite brand of salsa from the grocery store
- Tortillas: grab a package of soft flour tortillas that are at least 10 inches
- Cheese: you can your favorite blend of cheese, we like to use either Mexican cheese or shredded cheddar cheese
- Olives: get a can of sliced olives and drain it for topping fo the beef enchiladas
Equipment Needed
For this recipe, you only need a few simple kitchen tools. We recommend using the following equipment:
- Skillet
- 2 Baking Dish (9 x 13)
- Chef Knife
- Cutting Board
- Slotted Spoon
- Non-stick Cooking Spray
How to Make Beef Enchiladas
- Heat oven to 350℉.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain well.
- Stir in the beans, one can of enchilada sauce and ½ cup salsa; set aside.
- Top each tortilla with ⅔ cup beef mixture.
- Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 9 x 13 inch baking dishes (8 enchiladas per pan).
- Drizzle with the other can of enchilada sauce and remaining salsa.
- Sprinkle with cheese and olives.
Optional Variations
- Add black beans to the ground beef instead of chili beans
- Double the beans and add cheese to the enchilada before wrapping to make bean and cheese enchiladas
- Use green enchilada sauce in place of the red sauce
Expert Tips
- If you cannot find garlic paste, then just use minced garlic. If you do want to make a paste, add enough garlic into the food processor and process until the paste forms, or use mortar and pestle.
- This dish is quite rich in flavor, but if you want to elevate it and make it a bit fresher, garnish it with some freshly grated lemon zest.
- Make sure the chicken reaches 165 degrees F before removing it from the oven.
Make Ahead, Storage & Reheating Instructions:
- Fridge: Store the remaining enchiladas in the baking dish and place it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- Reheat: Place the leftovers into the oven at 350℉ for 10-15 minutes or until the enchiladas are heated through.
- Freeze: Double the ground beef enchiladas and make them in 2 separate 9×13″ pans and bake one for dinner, then wrap the other pan (I usually make one pan in a disposable aluminum pan) in aluminum foil and toss it in the freezer. These beef enchiladas will last for about 30 days in your freezer but up to 3 months if in a deep freezer.
Frequently Asked Questions
You definitely can! Make this recipe with ground chicken or shredded chicken breast for easy chicken enchiladas. Make this with double the beans to replace the ground beef filling for still a hearty enchilada recipe. Ground turkey is also a great option for making these easy enchiladas.
This ground beef enchilada casserole is best made with flour tortillas as they will hold up the best as opposed to soft corn tortillas. However, if you prefer corn tortillas, you can try it, just be sure to warm up the tortillas so they will roll well with the ground beef mixture.
Our favorite enchilada toppings include the following: pico de gallo, sour cream, cheese, guacamole, green chilies, Mexican rice, green onions, fresh cilantro, or chopped bell pepper.
Yes! If you have your own homemade enchilada sauce recipe you like to use, feel free to use it in place of the canned enchilada sauce.
Place the enchilada mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Make sure you put it from end to end so you can avoid a whole bite of tortilla. Fold over one of the tortilla sides and tuck it under the enchilada filling. Roll the filled side over to the other end of the tortilla. I usually do the enchilada rolling in the 9×13 inch pan to avoid the meat from spilling out and so I don’t have to transport them from the counter to that pan and risk it all falling apart.
Enjoy More Delicious Beef Main Dishes
The possibilities for delicious beef main dishes are endless, from cuts of meat like steak or roast, to family-friendly ground beef dishes, explore our comprehensive collection of beef recipes.
- Grilled Ribeye Steak
- Instant Pot Ground Beef Burrito Bowls
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- Instant Pot Pepper Steak
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- Korean BBQ Beef
- Mom’s Steak Marinade
- Oven Baked Beef Tacos
- Tangy Marinated Steak
Ground Beef Enchiladas Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pound lean ground beef
- 2 onions, chopped
- 32 ounces chili beans, 2 (16 oz cans) Do not drain
- 20 ounces red enchilada sauce, 2 (10 oz cans)
- 1 cup salsa, divided
- 16 flour tortillas, 10 inch size
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 2.25 ounces sliced olives, 1 can
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350℉.
- In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and onions over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain well.
- Stir in the beans, one can of enchilada sauce and ½ cup salsa; set aside.
- Top each tortilla with ⅔ cup beef mixture.
- Roll up and place seam side down in two greased 9 x 13 inch baking dishes (8 enchiladas per pan).
- Drizzle with the other can of enchilada sauce and remaining salsa.
- Sprinkle with cheese and olives.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?We’d love to hear your thoughts! Leave a review or a question in the comment section below the post.
wow it look so yummy,
make me hungry on this morning,
Are chili beans a seasoned bean or a plain bean like pinto? Thanks!
They are a seasoned pinto bean and they are called chili beans. Hope this helps.
My family tried this one last night from the meal planning emailed to me each week. This one got high praise. It was soooo good! It will be one we will be eating again!
It’s in the oven right now hopefully I made it right lol
No ‘Chili Beans’ where we live. What would be a reasonable substitute?
TIA
You could use kidney beans or black beans and it will be great!
looks delicious, why are yours only good for 30 day in freezer, when most others I’ve seen on Pinterest are good for 3 months in the freezer.
We say 1 month to be safe. But if you freeze it well and cover it correctly, you could freeze for longer.
The freezer pan cooking instructions did not work out at all for us. From frozen, we followed instructions in the notes section and they are still frozen in the middle. Perhaps should the temp be modified? We’ve had them in the oven at 350 for over an hour now. Insides are warm but not hot. We’ve alternated foil on foil off after the initial durations listed in notes.
On another note, these are great enchiladas! Family loved the first pan and love the idea of the 2 dinners we got out of it so thanks for the post, I have made and enjoyed several of your recipes!
This was a great recipe. Had a great flavor.
I am attempting to make these today for dinner. Only problem I have is there are only 3 of us. I plan on making an 8pk of burritos with half the ingredients. But could cook 4 now and freeze the other 4 for a later meal? Also, I picked up a 19 oz an of red enchilada sauce and only need half of it! What do I do with the other half? Thank you
You can keep enchilada sauce in the fridge for up to 5 days or it can freeze in a freezer container for up to 3 months. Or you can make another recipe within the next little bit that needs enchilada sauce.
I am making these enchiladas now for a family dinner tomorrow night. Do I need to freeze them overnight, or just refrigerate them?
You can refrigerate them and they will be fine.