Skinny Beef Enchiladas | With Cassava Tortillas

What’s cheesy, saucy, and perfectly spiced? These Skinny Beef Enchiladas! This post will show you how to make this impressive (yet pretty 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 high time for another! I mean, we are talking about enchiladas here. The supreme dinner choice when you are 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…

I’m happy to report that these Skinny Beef Enchiladas were an instant win (with not only my dear partner but the entire family)! Made with ground beef, beans and some well selected spices…I’m willing to bet they’ll be a hit in your household too. Let’s find out!

The Million Dollar Question: Are Skinny 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.

If you think about it, what’s in a drive thru enchilada? Most likely highly processed cheese, salsa from a jar and some frozen poultry? So of course, using these type of ingredients will definitely tip the scale. But if you swap out healthier and organic ingredients, you’ll be golden! And that’s exactly what we do here at A Sweet Pea Chef.

Are Enchiladas Keto-Friendly?

Enchiladas can be keto-friendly! You simply 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!

*This Skinny Beef Enchiladas recipe uses Cassava Tortillas, because they’re my personal healthy favorite.

Why Do My Enchiladas Get Soggy?

There’s a good chance that your enchiladas are soggy because you missed an important step, which is to pre-fry them! Doing so creates a barrier which ensures that the tortillas don’t immediately soak up all the sauce( which causes them to get mushy and break down).

Say goodbye to soggy enchiladas! Here’s how you can make sure they stay flexible yet firm:

• Heat 2/3 cup of a healthy oil over medium heat until the oil bubbles a bit
• Immediately fry your tortillas for roughly 10 seconds per side (or until they just start to puff up and/ or brown)
• Pat them lightly with paper towels to get rid of the excess oil

Can I Use Flour Tortillas Instead Of Corn Tortillas?

Corn tortillas are commonly used for enchiladas but you can also use flour tortillas. That’s what I use for skinny beef enchiladas – cassava flour tortillas, in fact! 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. Check out the following!

HEALTHY TORTILLA SUBSTITUTIONS

• Chickpea Flour Tortillas
• Sweet Potato Tortillas
• Spinach Tortillas
• Healthy Homemade Spinach Tortillas
• Cassava Flour Tortillas
• Cauliflower Tortillas

How Do You Reheat Skinny Beef Enchiladas?

To reheat enchiladas in a way that maintains their crispy edges, first pop them in the microwave for around 30 seconds. This will warm up the insides and soften the tortilla just a bit. Then, cover with foil and pop them into the oven at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Finally, let them cool for a few minutes and enjoy!

Can I Freeze Cooked Skinny 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. At the end of the day, we’re sauce lovers! And it’s always better to have more sauce than not enough.

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. So, make sure you pour out the water from the baking pan before you freeze.

Healthy Mexican Recipes

If you want more healthy Tex-Mex meals, here are some that I think you might love!

• 22 Cinco De Mayo Recipes
• Shredded Chicken Enchiladas
• Spicy Quinoa and Black Bean Vegan Enchiladas
• Healthy Homemade Spinach Tortillas

5 from 1 vote

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Skinny Beef Enchiladas

Prep Time

10 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

35 mins

 

What's cheesy, saucy, and perfectly spiced? These Skinny Beef Enchiladas!

Categories: Easy Dinner

Difficulty: Easy

Keyword: beef enchilada recipe, beef enchiladas recipe, ground beef enchiladas

Servings: 6

Calories: 649 kcal

Author: Lacey Baier of A Sweet Pea Chef

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 Anaheim chile diced
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/8 tsp cayenne
• 2 cups enchilada sauce get recipe here
• 1/2 cup sliced olives, drained
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, drained
• 1 14.5 oz can no sodium added diced tomatoes
• 2 tbsp cilantro, divided
• 12-15 cassava flour tortillas get recipe here
• 1 cup Jack cheese shredded

Instructions

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
2. Cook the onion, Anaheim chili, and spices (salt, pepper, cumin, and cayenne) in the oil until the onion is tender.
3. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute, until fragrant.
4. 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.
5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
6. 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.
7. After 15 minutes, carefully remove the foil, and bake 5-10 more minutes until golden-brown and melted.

Recipe Video

Nutrition Facts

Skinny Beef Enchiladas

Amount Per Serving (2 enchiladas)

Calories 649 Calories from Fat 211

% Daily Value*

Fat 23.4g36%

Saturated Fat 9.1g46%

Cholesterol 65.9mg22%

Sodium 1017.7mg42%

Carbohydrates 72.2g24%

Fiber 16.1g64%

Sugar 9.5g11%

Protein 38.9g78%

Vitamin A 350IU7%

Vitamin C 23.1mg28%

Calcium 300mg30%

Iron 7.2mg40%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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