These Ground Beef Enchiladas are cheesy, saucy, and perfectly spiced. This post will show you how to make this impressive (yet easy) recipe using fresh and flavorful ingredients.
So it's been a minute since I shared my last enchilada recipe (shredded chicken enchiladas) and it's time for another! I mean, we're talking about enchiladas here. You can use these cassava flour tortillas or these homemade corn tortillas.
Enchiladas are the ultimate dinner choice when you're looking for both comfort and flavor. For the longest time, I wanted to share another enchilada recipe, but Dustin and I never could agree on what kind to make...
In This Post You'll Find:
Reasons You'll Love It
- Delicious enchilada recipe with a gluten-free tortilla.
- Stores easy in a fridge or freezer.
- Perfect healthy comfort food.
I'm happy to report these ground beef enchiladas were an instant win (with not only Dustin, but the entire family)! Made with ground beef, beans, and just a few spices. I'm willing to bet they'll be a hit in your household, too.
Ingredients Notes
Ground Beef: I like the flavor of ground beef, but you could use ground turkey or even shredded chicken if you prefer. Look for lean ground beef - typically 93/7 or leaner.
Tortillas: Picking a delicious tortilla will enhance your enchiladas like nothing else. I often use homemade corn tortillas or cassava flour tortillas in this recipe. If you're wanting a fantastic low carb tortilla option, you can also use these cauliflower tortillas.
How to Make Ground Beef Enchiladas
Step 1: Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Cook the onion, chili, and spices in the oil until the onion is tender.
Step 3: Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, until fragrant.
Step 4: Add the beef and cook until well-browned.
Step 5: Once browned, add half of the enchilada sauce (get my 10-Minute Enchilada Sauce Recipe!), olives, beans, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp. of the cilantro and heat through.
Step 6: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Step 7: In another skillet, heat the remaining half of the enchilada sauce over medium-high heat.
Step 8: One tortilla at a time, drench each tortilla with the sauce (just to make it pliable), shake off excess sauce, lay flat, and fill with 3 tbsp. of the beef and onion mixture in a line down the center. Roll the tortilla up into an enchilada and then place into a baking dish with the crease of the enchilada facing down (so it doesn’t open).
Step 9: Once the dish is filled with the enchiladas and there is no more space, add the shredded jack cheese, any remaining meat mixture, and the remaining 1 tbsp. of the chopped cilantro to the top. Cover with foil, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
Step 10: After 15 minutes, carefully remove the foil, and bake 5-10 more minutes until golden-brown and melted.
Substitutions
Tortillas: Corn tortillas are commonly used for enchiladas but you can also use flour tortillas. I use cassava flour tortillas, for these ground beef enchiladas. Keep in mind that the corn tortillas have a harder and rougher texture (which means that they can stand being drenched in sauce and baked without falling apart). But truth be told, any style of tortillas will work in this recipe - even these cauliflower tortillas for a low-carb option.
Healthy Tortilla Options For Enchiladas
- Chickpea Flour Tortillas
- Sweet Potato Tortillas
- Spinach Tortillas
- Healthy Homemade Spinach Tortillas
- Cassava Flour Tortillas
- Cauliflower Tortillas
Are Enchiladas Keto-Friendly?
Enchiladas can be keto-friendly! You have to make sure that the ingredients used are low-carb and low-sugar. So instead of using the classic corn tortilla, replace it with my Cauliflower Tortillas, which only have about 3 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein. Cauliflower for the win!
How Do You Reheat Ground Beef Enchiladas?
To reheat enchiladas in a way that maintains their crispy edges, cover with foil and pop into the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Finally, let them cool for a few minutes and enjoy!
Can I Freeze Cooked Beef Enchiladas?
You can most certainly freeze cooked enchiladas to enjoy later! It's advisable to freeze enchiladas without the sauce to maintain the best texture. To ensure that I have enough sauce for a second heat-up, I always make a bigger batch.
You can also freeze your leftovers (with sauce on) just as easy by doing the following:
- Place them in an airtight container: If you don't have any air tight containers, just make sure that you remove as much air as possible when you freeze your enchiladas.
- Drain the extra liquid: Whenever you freeze anything with excess water, more ice crystals will form which can dry out the texture.
Healthy Enchilada Recipes
If you want more healthy Tex-Mex meals, here are some you'll love!
Ground Beef Enchiladas
Equipment
- Skillet
- Baking Casserole Dish
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 1 chile, diced (best options are Anaheim or Poblano)
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne
- 2 cups enchilada sauce get recipe here
- ½ cup sliced olives, drained
- 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
- 1 14.5 oz can no sodium added diced tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon cilantro, divided
- 12-15 cassava flour tortillas get recipe here
- 1 cup Jack cheese shredded
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Cook the onion, chili, and spices (salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne) in the oil until the onion is tender.
- Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, until fragrant.
- Add the beef and cook until well-browned. Once browned, add half of the enchilada sauce, the olives, beans, tomatoes, and 1 tbsp. of the cilantro and heat through.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- In another skillet, heat the remaining half of the enchilada sauce over medium-high heat.
- One tortilla at a time, drench each tortilla with the sauce (just to make it pliable), shake off excess sauce, lay flat, and fill with 3 tbsp. of the beef and onion mixture in a line down the center. Roll the tortilla up into an enchilada and then place into a baking dish with the crease of the enchilada facing down (so it doesn’t open).
- Once the dish is filled with the enchiladas and there is no more space, add the shredded jack cheese, any remaining meat mixture, and the remaining 1 tbsp. of the chopped cilantro to the top.
- Cover with foil, and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, carefully remove the foil, and bake 5-10 more minutes until golden-brown and melted.
Video
Nutrition
Are Ground Beef Enchiladas Healthy?
Enchiladas can be very healthy when you make them at home using fresh and unprocessed ingredients. People often forget that recipes aren't generally unhealthy, it's the ingredients that make them so. But, if you swap out healthier and less processed ingredients, you'll be golden! And that's exactly what we do here at A Sweet Pea Chef.
Patty
Can I make these ahead
Lacey Baier
YES! They can be made ahead and reheated or -- for a freshly baked trick, wait to add the sauce until it's time to bake, and just make ahead the rolled, filled tortillas.
Dustin
We need to do more enchilada recipes
Lacey Baier
We sure do! They're so tasty!
Natalie
This is hands down my favorite beef enchilada recipe EVER!!! I don't even want to touch them at a restaurant again! My husband & 3 kids are all little "foodies" and they raved about these! I know every time I try a recipe of yours it will always be phenomenal! Thank you!!
Lacey Baier
Wow, you just made my night, Natalie! Thanks so much for your kind words. I'm am so happy your family of foodies enjoys this recipe 🙂
Thalia @ butter and brioche
Looks delicious! I love enchiladas and it has been too long since I made them.. definitely on the agenda for dinner this week.
Lacey Baier
Awesome. Enjoy! 🙂
Susan
Hi! Made the meat mix this evening and served it on tortilla chips with melted cheese as we were in the mood for nachos. YUM! Husband loved it.
Thanks 🙂
Lacey Baier
Mind. Blown. 🙂 LOVE that idea, Susan 🙂
Tracey
Made these tonight and they were delicious. The whole family enjoyed them. Thanks for the easy and tasty recipe.
Lacey Baier
Yay! Thanks for the feedback, Tracey. I'm glad you all enjoyed them 🙂