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Easy ground beef enchiladas with red sauce and lots of cheese are meaty, cheesy and a family favorite perfect for a quick weeknight meal. Double the recipe and freeze some for later!
Easy Recipe for Ground Beef Enchiladas
Enchiladas made with ground beef are probably the easiest enchiladas ever. It’s basically making beef tacos, only you wrap the meat in tortillas, add sauce and bake in the oven. Growing up in Phoenix, these Sonoran style enchiladas were super popular in our favorite Mexican restaurant, but they’re very easy to make at home.
This ground beef enchilada recipe takes less than an hour from start to finish, making it an easy dinner for busy weeknights as well as weekends.
My whole family loves these beef and cheese enchiladas, so I like to double the recipe and freeze a batch for later. Sometimes, I’ll bake all of them at once so we can reheat them for a quick dinner or lunch throughout the week! If you love Mexican-inspired food as much as I do, try my chicken enchiladas or this easy slow cooker casserole next!
Table of Contents
Ingredients
Here are the simple ingredients you need for this hearty meal. Full amounts are in the printable recipe card below.
- Lean ground beef — I like using lean beef so there’s no need to drain it.
- Taco seasoning — I use homemade seasoning, which is a blend of salt, pepper, cumin, dried onion, oregano, smoked paprika and chili powder. You can use a packet if it’s easier..
- Red enchilada sauce — Use your favorite brand or homemade sauce
- Flour tortillas — commonly used in Sonoran-style cooking instead of corn tortillas. Look for smaller tortillas and not burrito size.
- Onion — for flavor. Sometimes, I’ll also chop up a jalapeño pepper for extra heat.
- Shredded cheese — a blend of cheddar cheese and Monterey Jack cheese. You can use a Mexican blend cheese if that’s easier
How to Make Enchiladas with Ground Beef
Just cook the hamburger meat until no longer pink. Then, season it and stir in a little bit of enchilada sauce.
Spread a tiny bit of sauce on the tortilla. Then, layer some of the cheese, some of the meat mixture and a little bit more cheese. I personally like to surround the meat with cheese, but you can do one layer of each, if you prefer.
Next, roll up the tortilla, and place it in a prepared baking pan or casserole dish with a little bit of sauce on the bottom. When the baking dish is filled, pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas, and top with more shredded cheese.
Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Then let the dish sit for about 5 minutes. This makes it easier to get the enchiladas out of the pan without the cheese sliding right off!
Recipe Tip
Grate your own cheese for best results, as pre-packaged cheese may be coated with starch and won’t melt as well.
Brush the sauce lightly over the top of the tortillas up to the ends so they don’t dry out during baking.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the enchiladas with your favorite toppings — usually taco toppings. I usually set out shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, green onions, fresh cilantro, diced avocado and/or guacamole, sour cream, olives, pico de gallo or salsa. For a heartier meal, add a side of rice and black beans or refried beans.
Storage
Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can freeze enchiladas and sauce for up to 3 months for best results. They reheat well in the oven or in the microwave.
Easy Ground Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 packet taco seasoning
- 15 oz can red enchilada sauce divided
- 6 flour tortillas taco size
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉, and grease a large baking dish
- Cook the onion in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until soft
- Add ground beef, and cook until no longer pink, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain grease if needed
- Stir in taco seasoning and 1/4 cup enchilada sauce until well combined. Remove from heat
- Add a half cup enchilada sauce to the bottom of the baking pan
- Place a tortilla on a flat surface, and spread a scant amount of enchilada sauce over the surface, using the back of a spoon
- Add about a quarter cup each of the meat mixture and cheese to the middle of the tortilla
- Roll the tortilla up and over the filling, and place seam side down in the baking dish
- Repeat process until all tortillas and meat are used. If there is leftover meat, spoon it next to the enchiladas
- Pour remaining sauce on top of the enchiladas, and brush it all the way to the ends of the tortillas
- Top with remaining cheese
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbling all over
- Allow to rest for about 5 minutes before serving
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I’ll be honest I first clicked on this because the picture looked SO colorful.. anyway I made them and they were soooooo good 👍 I used premaade taco seasoning but I think I’ll try to make my own next time.
These enchiladas were better than the ones at my local Mexican joint and that’s saying something! Just the right amount of spice and not skimpy on the filling!
Pretty easy to make and the family loved it and the left overs the next night too! Spiced it up with more jalapenos! Added all of the extra lettuce, tomatoes and sour cream too! A new family favorite for sure!
Thanks, Dana. SO glad you enjoyed the recipe!