Beef Enchiladas Recipe with Homemade Enchilada Sauce
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This Beef Enchiladas Recipe is a fantastic option if you are expecting guests or attending a potluck/bring-a-dish event. It will be ready and smell amazing within the hour. The key ingredients are the homemade enchilada sauce which makes this classic Mexican dish taste out of this world!
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Beef Enchiladas Recipe
The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions, to ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
Looking for an easy and delicious weeknight meal? These beef enchiladas are a family favorite!
The enchilada sauce is made from scratch, so it’s extra flavorful. Plus, the recipe is simple to follow. You’ll have dinner on the table in no time!
If you want to save even more time, you could use a jar of enchilada sauce, but I promise you, the from-scratch version is so much better than anything you could buy!
If you prefer to use white meat in your enchiladas, then put the ingredients for Chicken Enchiladas on your list.
We also have a collection of more than 70 Mexican and Tex-Mex Recipes, so you’ll never be short ideas!
An enchilada is a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a savory sauce. Originally from Mexican cuisine, enchiladas can be filled with various ingredients, including meats, cheese, beans, potatoes, vegetables, or combinations.
Wikipedia
Ingredients & Equipment Used In This Recipe
While most ingredients can be bought in grocery stores, for your convenience, any specialized or notable ingredients and equipment needed for this recipe have been linked to Amazon, Amazon Fresh, or other stores if available online.
It may not include staple ingredients such as oil, salt, sugar, etc., as you’re likely to have those in your kitchen. The complete list of ingredients with measurements is found in the recipe card.
- Fresh Produce – White Onion, Garlic, Cilantro (Fresh Coriander) plus optional Avocado, Tomatoes, Red Onion, Lettuce
- Protein – Ground Beef (Beef Mince)
- Dairy – Unsalted Butter, Mexican Cheese Blend
- All-Purpose Flour – also known as Plain Flour.
- Chili Powder – use mild or hot depending on your personal tastes and spicy heat preference!
- Ground Cumin
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Dried Oregano
- Sea Salt
- Tomato Sauce – in the UK use passata, not ketchup!
- Chicken Broth/Stock
- Green Chilies
- Corn Tortillas
- Baking Dish – this recipe is written for a 7″x11″x2″ dish
Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog use both cup measurements and/or weighted measurements. American cups and kitchen food scales are handy pieces of equipment to have in your kitchen as it means you’ll be able to make all of the different recipes on my blog. I try to give American, imperial, and metric measurements in my recipes. Please note, you can mix cup measurements with weighted measurements, but never mix imperial (pounds, ounces, pints, etc.,) with metric (kilograms, grams, litres, etc.,).
More Recipes Using Ground Beef
One of the hero ingredients in this dish is ground beef, so here are some more recipes using the same:
- Cast Iron Shepherd’s Pie Recipe – A Classic Comfort Food Dish!
- Hearty Stuffed Pepper Soup
- Pasta Fagioli – Slow Cooker Meal Prep
More Mexican/Tex-Mex Recipes
Looking for more Mexican/Tex-Mex dishes to make? Check these recipes out next:
- Quick & Easy Beef Taco Salad for Taco Tuesday!
- How to Make Instant Pot Pork Carnitas (Mexican Pulled Porked)
- 7 Layer Dip Cups – An Easy Tex-Mex Appetizer for Parties!
Recipe Tips
- This recipe takes about an hour to come together, as written, but you can save some time by using store-bought sauce if desired.
- You can also save time in the future by preparing double or triple batches of the sauce and filling to freeze for later use.
- This recipe follows a two-step process to prevent soggy tortillas that fall apart after baking.
- The first step is to lightly toast the corn tortillas in a little vegetable oil.
- The second step is to lightly coat the toasted tortillas on both sides in some of the sauce before assembling the enchiladas.
- Building a stack of toasted and sauce-coated tortillas, as described in the recipe card, will help them stay warm and pliable until you are ready to assemble the enchiladas.
- This recipe is written for a 7”x11”x2” baking dish, similar to this one.
How Do I Make Beef Enchiladas?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. Any demonstration photos do not print out to save your ink.
Easy Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
For the Red Enchilada Sauce
- ¼ cup unsalted butter cut into chunks
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour plain flour
- 2 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1¼ cup tomato sauce passata
- 1¾ cup chicken broth divided
For the Filling
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 lb 450g ground beef (80/20)
- 1 4-oz/100g can green chilis, drained
- 3 Tbsp red enchilada sauce above
Remaining Ingredients
- ½ cup vegetable oil divided
- 8 6-inch/15cm corn tortillas
- 8- oz 225g 4-cheese Mexican blend, finely shredded, divided
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro coriander leaves, finely chopped
Optional Toppings
- Diced avocado tomatoes, red onion, and/or shredded Iceberg lettuce.
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Instructions
- To prepare the red enchilada sauce, melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the flour, chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add the tomato sauce and one cup chicken broth and stir for 3-4 minutes until completely smooth.
- Reduce heat to low and gradually add the remaining chicken broth, a one-quarter cup at a time, while you work on the filling and assembling the enchiladas.
Note: The sauce will continue to thicken as it rests. Adding additional chicken broth, a little at a time, while you work on Steps #4-13 will help maintain the proper consistency. - To prepare the filling, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and salt, and stir to combine. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently until the onions soften and just start to develop some color.
- Add the beef to the pan and break apart with a spatula while it browns. Cook for 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally or until completely browned.
- Once the beef is browned, carefully drain excess fat from the pan before adding green chilis and three tablespoons of the sauce to season. Stir to combine and reduce heat to low to keep warm.
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Add three or four spoonfuls of the red enchilada sauce to a 7”x11”x2” baking dish and use the back of the spoon to lightly cover the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
- To assemble the enchiladas, add a small amount of vegetable oil to a small pan set over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add one tortilla and toast for approximately 2 minutes until nicely browned. Flip the tortilla and repeat on the other side.
- Dip the toasted tortilla into the warm enchilada sauce to coat on both sides. Remove as much excess sauce as possible before transferring to a large, rimmed plate. Set aside.
- Add a little more vegetable oil to the skillet and repeat step #8 with a second tortilla. Place the toasted tortilla on top of the sauce-covered tortilla on the plate, then add one spoonful of sauce on top of it. Use the back of the spoon to spread the sauce until it covers the top surface of the second tortilla. (The excess sauce from the first tortilla will adhere to the bottom of the second tortilla).
Time-Saving Tip: Add additional oil and the next tortilla to the hot pan right before you add the sauce to the top of the last tortilla on the stack. This will speed up the process of prepping your tortillas significantly vs. waiting to toast the next one until after you have covered the last one in the sauce. - Repeat step #10 with the remaining tortillas, lightly toasting each tortilla in a little oil on each side, then adding to the stack and evenly coating the top surface with some sauce.
Tip: Building a stack of toasted and sauce-coated tortillas, as described above, will help them stay warm and pliable until you are ready to assemble the enchiladas. - Once all eight tortillas have been prepped, add a large spoonful of the filling to the top tortilla halfway between the midway point and the bottom edge. Add a little shredded cheese on top and roll the tortilla from the bottom end up. Place the rolled enchilada into the prepared baking dish, seam down.
- Repeat this process with the remaining tortillas until all eight enchiladas are in the baking dish, as shown.
- If any of the beef filling is left over, spoon it into the baking dish in the space on either end of the enchiladas, as shown.
- Top with the remaining sauce and shredded cheese and place in the center of the preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and top with some fresh cilantro right before serving. Add additional toppings if desired. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Special Dinner!
You’ve made the main dish, but what about the rest of the courses?
Here are additional recipes to create a menu for a special meal or dinner party:
- Appetizer: Quick & Easy White Bean Dip with Seasoned Pita Chips
- Soup: Pozole Rojo de Pollo (Red Pozole with Chicken)
- Salad: Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
- Side Dish: Black Bean, Sweetcorn and Avocado Salsa
- Beverage: Frozen Strawberry Margaritas Are Perfect For Summer!
- Dessert: Coconut Pineapple Cupcakes with Rum
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy – please feel free to check them out too.