Posted Apr 17, 2023, Updated Feb 13, 2024 Ground beef enchiladas are an easy and delicious recipe to serve to a crowd or make for your family on busy weeknights. A flavorful ground beef filling is mixed with black olives, corn and cheese, wrapped in tortillas, smothered with enchilada sauce and topped with more cheese. Baked to bubbly perfection, this easy ground beef enchilada recipe is one of our family’s favorite main dish recipes (along with all of our favorite Mexican Recipes)!
Ground Beef Enchiladas: Ingredients & Substitutions
Ground beef. You can sub ground turkey, if desired. Onion. Choose your favorite onion variety, our favorites include sweet onions and red onions. Minced Garlic. Freshly minced or jarred are both great choices. Taco Seasoning. I always have a large jar of this homemade taco seasoning on hand in my pantry – I highly recommend making it to use in this recipe (and others like these ground beef tacos and chicken quesadillas). Lime Juice. Freshly squeezed or bottled both work well in this recipe. Cheddar Cheese. In my opinion, the sharper the better! You can use a Mexican blend cheese if you prefer. Black Olives.Another key ingredient, I don’t recommend omitting but you can if you must. You can substitute green olives. Corn. Fresh corn cut off the cob, or frozen corn that has been thawed can be used in this recipe. Cilantro. There are no substitutes for fresh cilantro! Enchilada Sauce. choose your favorite enchilada sauce or make your own. I prefer red, but green sauce works too. Tortillas. Flour or corn tortillas both work well. Corn is a great gluten-free option. We prefer the taste and heartiness of flour tortillas.
How to Make Beef Enchiladas
This beef enchilada recipe is easy to make, but as always we’ll walk through the process step-by-step, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Make the Ground Beef Filling:
Begin by making the beef filling – which only takes about 15 minutes. Combine the ground beef, onion and minced garlic in a non-stick fry pan or cast-iron skillet. Then, cover the skillet and cook over medium-high heat until the meat begins to brown and is no longer pink in the center, stirring often. Once the ground beef begins to brown, add taco seasoning and stir until it’s evenly distributed. Then, add the lime juice and stir to combine. Continue cooking, uncovered, until the mixture is browned, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add 1 cup cheddar cheese, black olives, corn and cilantro and stir to combine.
Assemble
Once the filling has finished cooking, it’s time to assemble the ground beef enchiladas! Begin by adding a half cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Then, add ¾ cup of the beef filling to the center of a tortilla. Next, roll the tortilla tightly and place it in the baking dish. Repeat with 7 remaining tortillas and the rest of the filling, arranging them in a single layer in the prepared baking dish. Then, pour the remaining enchilada sauce over rolled tortillas and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over tortillas and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.
Serve
Let the beef enchilada recipe cool slightly then serve warm with your favorite toppings like sour cream! Here are some suggestions:
The best homemade guacamole is a must-make to accompany these chicken enchiladas! Also this 5-minute homemade salsa. It’s made with canned tomatoes (or fresh if you prefer) so you can make and enjoy it year-round. These easy refried black beans are one of my favorite simple recipes that only take 10 minutes to make. If you’d prefer a vegetarian filling, try using these Black Bean Sweet Potato tacos – yum! Serve it with this black bean dip – yum!
How to Store Beef Enchiladas
Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
To Freeze
There are two ways to freeze this beef enchiladas recipe: If you make and love our recipes, it would mean so much to me if you would leave a comment and rating! And don’t forget to follow along with us on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and Youtube – be sure to tag @joyfoodsunshine and use the hashtag #joyfoodsunshine so we can see your creations!
