Ground Beef Enchiladas
The Ground Beef Enchiladas are the perfect dinner for Taco Tuesday or any night of the week. Loaded with tons of ground beef, cheese, and zesty seasonings and cooked in a homemade sauce, these are fully homemade and fully loaded with flavor.
Enchiladas are classic comfort food no matter where you’re from. A classic Mexican staple, these delicious, filled tortillas cooked in sauce always bring everyone back for more, no matter their color, creed, or anything else. They’re universal! Our version is always a big hit, and we’re often asked to bring them to parties.
Table of contents
❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple Ingredients: This recipe is made with simple ingredients found at any grocery store.
- Easy: The filling and sauce are both super easy to make, and the entire dish only takes about an hour from start to finish.
- Bold Flavor: The seasoned beef and homemade sauce are loaded with bold, zesty flavor in every bite.
- Versatile: These are perfect for a family dinner or to bring to any potluck or party. There’s never a wrong place or time for these!
🛒Ingredients
We’ve made this list to help you save time on your next trip to the grocery store. You can find the full amounts needed in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Sauce
- Olive oil
- All-purpose flour
- Chili powder
- Granulated sugar
- Cumin
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Oregano
- Salt
- Tomato sauce
- Chicken broth
Filling
- Lean ground beef
- Onion
- Taco seasoning
- Water
- Shredded Colby Jack cheese
- Flour or corn tortillas
- Green onions for garnish (optional)
🔪 How to Make Ground Beef Enchiladas
This is a quick overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. You can find the full instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Whisk the flour, chili powder, and oil over medium heat until the mixture darkens.
- Add the remaining sauce ingredients and cook on medium-low, stirring often, until thickened. Set aside.
- Cook the beef and onion until the meat is no longer pink. Then, drain it and add the taco seasoning and water. Simmer until thickened.
- Add the meat to the center of 8 tortillas. Then, roll them up and place them in a 9×14 baking dish.
- Pour the sauce over the enchiladas and top with cheese.
- Bake at 350 until the cheese is melted. Then, top with green onions and sour cream. Enjoy!
🥄 Equipment
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Medium saucepan
- Skillet
- 9×13 baking dish
🥫 Storage
These are best when served immediately, but leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Be aware that the longer they are stored, the soggier the tortillas will become.
Serve With
Serve these enchiladas with a side of guacamole and chips, cowboy pasta salad, or fried cheese bites.
For dessert, try Ritz Bits churro bites or churro cheesecake cookies to keep the Tex-Mex theme going.
💭 Tips
- You can use flour or corn tortillas for this recipe. However, if you think you’ll have leftovers, we recommend corn tortillas. They’ll stand up to storage better.
- For enchiladas that are a bit more firm and less soggy, give your tortillas a quick fry in hot oil on both sides. This creates a physical barrier against the sauce, creating enchiladas that are a bit firmer.
- Your ground beef is finished as soon as it’s no longer pink. Cooking it longer to “be sure” will make it tough and rubbery.
⁉️ FAQ
Do you have questions about this recipe? Here are the answers to the most commonly asked questions.
Both flour and corn tortillas work for enchiladas. It’s largely a matter of personal preference. However, corn tortillas hold up better when baked in the sauce than flour tortillas, making them a great option if you plan to make more than you can enjoy immediately.
One of the easiest ways to prevent soggy enchiladas is to fry the tortillas on both sides before filling and baking them. Frying the tortillas briefly gives them a crisp exterior that creates a physical barrier against the sauce. This helps keep them firmer.
Lean ground beef works best. There are so many flavors in enchiladas that a fattier beef doesn’t bring much to the table. However, lean ground beef does offer enchiladas that are less greasy which is great.
🍽 More Recipes
If you love cooking with ground beef, we have some more tasty recipes you should try. Our cheesy ground beef pasta, crock pot beef and potato au gratin, and beef chili are all loaded with flavor, not work.
🧾Recipe Card
Want to make this recipe? Print the recipe card below, or pin this recipe, so you can find it later.
Ground Beef Enchiladas
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- large skillet
- Baking dish
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon oregano
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces tomato sauce
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small onion peeled and diced
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- ¼ cup water
- 8 tortillas corn tortillas or taco-size flour tortillas
- 16 ounces shredded Colby jack cheese
- Green onion for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- In a medium saucepan, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Whisk the flour and chili powder into the hot oil and cook for 1 minute, whisking often, until the mixture darkens in color.
- Add the sugar, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and salt and whisk until combined. Next, whisk in the tomato sauce and chicken broth.
- Cook the sauce on medium-low for 10 minutes until thickened, stirring often. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Crumble the ground beef into a large skillet, add the diced onion, and cook over medium heat until fully browned. Drain off any excess fat. Add the taco seasoning and ¼ cup water and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring often.
- Scoop the seasoned meat into the center of the 8 tortillas. Roll the tortillas up and place them into a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Pour the enchilada sauce over top, then sprinkle the cheese over the sauce.
- Bake the enchiladas uncovered at 350F until the cheese is fully melted.
- Serve the enchiladas with sliced green onion and sour cream, if desired.
Disclaimer
Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation and actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and proportion sizes.
