Enchiladas – A Beautiful Mess

This easy beef enchiladas recipe is a go-to for weeknight dinners. I would say this is a Tex-Mex style recipe and not necessarily super authentic. But it is super easy to make and always a hit at our house.

I keep the filling simple without compromising flavor—seasoned ground beef with pinto beans, onions and garlic. Everything gets rolled up in tortillas and baked in enchilada sauce with cheese. I usually make my own sauce but you could certainly use a store-bought enchilada sauce to make this meal even faster.

Related: Next up, try our Verde Chicken Enchiladas, White Sauce Vegetable Enchiladas.

Ingredients

You may also want some toppings such as fresh cilantro, tomato, and avocado. Or some homemade salsa, salsa verde, guacamole or pico de gallo. You may also want your favorite hot sauce or sour cream for serving as well.

Directions

If you are making homemade red enchilada sauce, do this first.

Finely chop the onions and mince the garlic. In a skillet or nonstick pan, cook the onions in a little oil over medium heat until they begin to brown. Then add the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook another minute.

Add the ground beef to the pan and cook with the taco blend until no pink remains. Then stir in the (drained) beans. Stir in half of the cheese. It will melt and this will make the filling easier to use as you fill the tortillas.

In a 9×13 casserole pan, pour in 1/3 of the enchilada sauce. Then roll up the filling in the tortillas and place seam side down in the pan. Once you’ve rolled all the filling and filled the baking dish, pour the remaining sauce over the top. Then sprinkle on the cheese.

Bake in the oven at 350°F for 25-30 minutes. The edges should bubble and the cheese will be melty and golden brown.

Serve warm with any sides or salsa you like.

Tips & Substitutions

• My family prefers flour tortillas most of the time, so that’s what I use when I make this. However, you could certainly use corn tortillas instead. If you do, I recommend warming them in the microwave before rolling the filling as this helps them to bend and not crack when you work with them. If you do get some cracks in your tortillas, never fear—sauce and cheese can cover and save you!
• I mostly use pinto beans, but you can use others like black beans or ranch style beans.
• I like a blend of sharp cheddar cheese and Colby cheese, but other cheese can work great like pepper jack or queso fresco.
• I will sometimes make a slightly smaller pan of enchiladas with this recipe. This usually means I have some leftover filling. This goes great in tacos or nachos the next day.
• Enchiladas make great leftovers! Simply cover the pan in aluminum foil or put the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 3 days. Rewarm in the microwave or the oven.

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