Easy Beef Enchiladas Perfect For Cinco De Mayo
These easy beef enchiladas are the perfect weeknight meal. Easy to make and packed with flavor, once you try these, you’ll never go back to store-bought enchilada mixes!
With homemade sauce, these enchiladas pack an extra punch of flavor. Plus, they’re a lot healthier than store-bought mixes….it’s a win-win!
If you’ve never made homemade enchiladas, it’s so worth it—and easier than you think!
Table of Contents
Why You Should Make These Easy Beef Enchiladas
These easy beef enchiladas are packed with flavor and are sure to become a family favorite.
This recipe is quick and easy to make. This recipe only takes about an hour to come together. But you can save even more time using store-bought sauce if desired.
Of course, the sauce is extra tasty and really makes this recipe shine. That’s why I recommend preparing double or triple batches of the sauce and filling to freeze for later use!
These easy beef enchiladas are perfect for Cinco de Mayo—serve with guacamole for an easy, tasty Mexican meal.
Steps to Make Easy Beef Enchiladas
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and measurements.
This recipe follows a two-step process to prevent soggy tortillas that fall apart after baking.
First, lightly toast the corn tortillas in a bit of vegetable oil. Then, lightly coat the toasted tortillas on both sides in some of the sauce before assembling the enchiladas.
Here’s a tip to make these easy beef enchiladas even better. Build a stack of toasted and sauce-coated tortillas. This will help them stay warm and pliable until you are ready to assemble the enchiladas!
You’ll also be baking these enchiladas in the oven. The recipe amounts are perfect for a 7”x11”x2” baking dish, like this one that I love!
Make Homemade Enchilada Sauce
Homemade enchilada sauce is honestly so much tastier than store-bought…and it’s easy to make! Enchilada sauce is usually made with tomatoes, chili peppers, and other flavors.
Making this sauce and freezing it is a good idea, especially because you can use it for other dishes, too!
This sauce is made with butter, tomato sauce, chicken broth, and lots of spices. To save time and keep things simple, you’ll use chili powder instead of fresh chilis. It’s still super flavorful but keeps things quick and easy!
You’ll mix the butter and flour to create a roux, which gives the sauce a thick, creamy texture. I recommend using chicken broth in the sauce, but veggie broth works as a vegetarian alternative!
What To Serve With These Enchiladas
Serving enchiladas should be fun! Top with avocado, tomato, red onion, or even diced avocado.
Whip up a quick guacamole recipe and serve with chips as a side. Spicy corn salsa with chips is also a yummy complement for these enchiladas.
Or, cook some flavorful Mexican rice—it goes so well with enchiladas! Beans are another great staple option to serve with these enchiladas.
Aside from freezing the sauce, you could also freeze these enchiladas to reheat later. When you need a quick, filling dinner, pull these out of the freezer and enjoy.
Making these easy beef enchiladas lets you enjoy tons of flavor without any stress. Especially with the yummy (and easy-to-make) enchilada sauce, these pack a powerful punch!
Other Mexican Inspired Recipes You’re Sure To Love!
- SLOW COOKER MEXICAN SHREDDED CHICKEN
- SLOW COOKER CHICKEN AND CHEESE ENCHILADAS WITH RED SAUCE
- SIMPLE SHEET PAN CHICKEN AND BLACK BEAN QUESADILLA
- ENCHILADA PIE CASSEROLE WITH HATCH CHILES
- THE BEST CHEESY 5-INGREDIENT TACO CASSEROLE WITH CRESCENT ROLLS
- EASY BEEF ENCHILADAS PERFECT FOR CINCO DE MAYO
Easy Beef Enchiladas Perfect For Cinco De Mayo
Ingredients
Red Enchilada Sauce Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (56 ¾ g) Unsalted Butter cut into chunks
- 3 T all-purpose flour
- 2 T chili powder
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1 t garlic powder
- 1 t onion powder
- 1 t dried oregano
- ½ t Sea Salt
- 1¼ cups (306 ¼ g) tomato sauce
- 1¾ cups (411 ¼ g) chicken broth divided
Filling Ingredients:
Remaining Ingredients:
- ½ cup (109 g) vegetable oil divided
- 8 corn tortillas 6 inch
- 8 oz (226 ⅘ g) 4-cheese Mexican blend finely shredded, divided
- 2 T fresh cilantro leaves finely chopped
Additional Topping Ideas:
- Diced avocado tomatoes, red onion, and or shredded Iceberg lettuce.
Instructions
- To prepare the sauce, melt butter in a large skillet 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 until completely smooth, approximately 3-4 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low and gradually add the remaining chicken broth, one-quarter cup at a time, while you work on the filling and assembling the enchiladas.
- To prepare the filling, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions, garlic, and salt, and stir to combine. Cook, frequently stirring until the onions soften and start developing some color, approximately 3-4 minutes
- Add the beef to the skillet and break it apart with a spatula while it browns. Cook, occasionally stirring, for 6-7 minutes, or until thoroughly browned.
- Once the beef is browned, carefully drain excess fat from the skillet before adding green chilis and three tablespoons of the sauce to season. Stir to combine and reduce heat to low to keep warm.
- Place top oven rack in the center position and preheat oven to 350°F. Add three or four spoonfuls of the 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 skillet set over medium-high heat. Once the skillet is hot, add one tortilla and toast until nicely browned, approximately 2 minutes. 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).
- 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.
- 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 fillings are leftover, 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 preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is completely melted and bubbly.
- Remove from the oven and top with some fresh cilantro right before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition Information
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