Beef Enchilada Recipe

This easy beef enchilada recipe is completely homemade, from the enchilada sauce on top to the cheesy beef filling inside, making a perfect dinner for tonight or a freezer meal for future nights.

This beef and cheese enchiladas recipe is one of our favorites, and I’m so happy to share it with all of you. It’s taken a lot of time and effort, but I’ve finally perfected these ground beef enchiladas. Not only that, but I’m sharing 3 great ideas for turning them into freezer meals for later too!

Why You’ll Love These Ground Beef Enchiladas

• It’s completely homemade. Homemade foods don’t need to be complicated. This meal is easy without any steps that are crazy complicated or require using a blender for the sauce. I actually cook the meat and sauce together for max flavor and then just strain the filling.
• It’s adjustable. You can leave out the cilantro if desired. Some people think it tastes like soap, but I love it. You can also adjust the seasonings and cheese and still get flavorful and delicious results.
• It’s an easy freezer meal for later. Meal prepping is something that I love to do so that there are always meals ready to eat. Cook a double batch of these enchiladas and eat some tonight and freeze the rest for later.

Ingredients for Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

For the Enchilada Sauce and Filling

• Ground beef
• Oil
• Onion
• Jalapeno
• Garlic cloves
• Chili powder
• Ground cumin
• Ground coriander
• Tomato sauce
• Beef broth
• Salt and pepper
• Shredded cheese
• Cilantro

For Enchilada Assembly

• Tortillas
• Shredded cheese

Beef and Cheese Enchilada Toppings

• Sour cream
• Chopped cilantro
• Lime wedges
• Avocado
• Lettuce

For the exact amounts needed, please see the recipe card below.

How to Make Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

For the Sauce and Filling

1. Brown your ground beef in a large skillet.
2. When it is almost browned completely, add in the onion and jalapeno chili and saute together. Add in some more oil at this point, if needed.
3. Add in the garlic and cook until fragrant. This should take about 30 seconds.
4. If necessary, remove any excess oil in the pan.
5. Add in the spices and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes or until they bloom and become fragrant.
6. Pour in the tomato sauce and beef broth and let simmer for about 8-10 minutes for the flavors to meld together.
7. Season with salt and pepper and taste. Adjust as needed.
8. Separate the sauce and the filling by placing a fine-mesh strainer over a heat-proof bowl and pour in the sauce and meat mixture. Press the meat down using a spoon to remove as much of the liquid as possible.
9. Pour the filling into a bowl and combine with cilantro and 1 cup of shredded cheese. Stir quickly to avoid clumping.

For Assembly

1. Spread about ⅓-½ cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish.
2. If you are using corn tortillas, turn on a gas burner to medium-low and then set the tortilla on top of it for a few minutes to get them warm and browned, and the edges look slightly charred.
3. Turn over and repeat on the opposite side.
4. If you have an electric stove, you can do this by placing the tortillas in a single layer on a baking sheet and broiling them on high for a few minutes in the oven.
5. If you are using flour tortillas, skip these steps and just continue with the following step.
6. Dip your tortilla into your homemade sauce to coat both sides before transferring it to a plate.
7. Fill the tortilla with about 3 tablespoons of filling.
8. Roll up the tortilla and place the seam side down into the baking dish.
9. Repeat until the filling is completely gone.
10. Pour the remaining sauce over the top of the enchiladas in the baking dish.
11. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top.
12. Bake in the oven at 400 degrees F for 20-25 minutes until bubbly and the cheese has melted.

Ground Beef Enchilada Recipe Tips

• You can also use this filling for quesadillas.
• I like to use the smaller tortillas for this beef enchilada recipe, and I have recently come to love making beef enchiladas with corn tortillas. I toast them over my burner for this recipe and then dip them in the sauce before rolling.
• If you don't have time for the method I outline here, just use some small flour tortillas. It will still be delicious.
• Be cautious not to overfill the beef enchiladas. I like just a few tablespoons. They roll more easily, and then you can eat more. Obviously one of my life goals...
• Don't hesitate to switch up the kind of beef you use either. While this is a great ground beef enchiladas recipe, I often use leftover shredded beef or steak in these, and it is fantastic as well.

How to Make Ahead (Freezer Instructions)

This is one of my favorite recipes to transform into a freezer meal. I have three different ways I like to do this:

Freezing the filling and sauce for later:

1. Place half of the filling mixture in a quart zip-top bag.
2. Label it.
3. Freeze it flat.
4. I do the same thing with half of the sauce.
5. To assemble, thaw the filling and sauce.
6. Add a couple of tablespoons of water to each.
7. Assemble the enchiladas and bake.

Dividing the assembled recipe in half:

1. Assemble all of the enchiladas.
2. Bake half for eating.
3. Assemble the other half in a disposable 8x8 baking dish and place it in the freezer.
4. If you don't have a disposable baking dish, just line a regular dish with foil or parchment.
5. Once everything is frozen, you can pull it out with the foil or parchment and place it in a zip-top bag. 
6. If you used a disposable baking dish, simply cover with foil and freeze.
7. To bake, place the disposable dish in a cold oven. If you used parchment or foil, place it in a baking dish and put it in a cold oven.
8. Preheat to 300ºF, and bake for 20 minutes, increase the temperature to 400ºF and bake until bubbly.
9. I don't like to let these thaw before baking. I think it makes them too soggy.

Freezing leftovers

1. If I've baked an entire recipe and there is a lot leftover, I divide them up into individual portions for a quick dinner or lunch.
2. I love using disposable bread baking dishes for this, or you can even just use a piece of foil you've turned up the edges on.
3. Place the desired portion of the cooked enchiladas in a disposable baking dish, freezer container, or on foil with the edges turned up in a freezer bag.
4. Just bake them on a cookie sheet or in a baking dish.
5. To bake, place the disposable dish in a cold oven. If you used parchment or foil, place it in a baking dish and put it in a cold oven.
6. Preheat to 300ºF, and bake for 10 minutes, increase the temperature to 400ºF and bake until warmed through, about 10 more minutes.
7. I don't like to let these thaw before baking. I think it makes them too soggy.

There you have it! The best and easiest homemade beef enchilada recipe. Looking for some other enchilada recipes? Check out my Pork Enchiladas with Green Sauce or my Slow Cooker Chicken Enchiladas.

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