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Home Mexican Recipes

Beef Enchiladas

By:Nagi
Published:15 Aug '19Updated:11 Oct '22
735 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Beef Enchiladas with an extra tasty, saucy filling, smothered with a homemade Enchilada Sauce. My time saving trick is to use one base Enchilada spice mix for both the sauce and filling!

This is a reader-favourite recipe included by popular demand in my debut cookbook “Dinner”!

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

I love that there are so many variations of Beef Enchiladas in this big-wide-world.

Simple ones, filled with a plain cooked beef filling then topped with enchilada sauce and (lots of) cheese. Fancy ones with the addition of chillies, beans, corn and even olives, sometimes even bacon. Hidden vegetable versions (don’t ever try that on me, I can pick them a mile away).

Shredded beef enchiladas, short rib ones.

And today I’m sharing mine. 🙂 It’s made with:

  • A simple homemade Enchilada sauce which is quick to make and so, SO much better than store bought;

  • A flavour loaded beef and bean filling which is made with ground beef (mince), a load of Tex-Mex spices, refried beans AND black beans. Bean overload? Definitely not! The refried beans add bulk while keeping the filling nice and juicy so we can have nice, big, plump enchiladas!

Overhead photo of Beef Enchiladas, fresh out of the oven
The filling of these beef enchiladas have extra oomph with the addition a refried beans, a good hit of spices and splash of Enchilada sauce!

Preparation of beef and bean enchiladas

What you need for Beef Enchiladas

Here’s what goes in my beef enchiladas.

Ingredients in Beef Enchiladas

Just a note on a few of the ingredients:

  • Refried beans – the “secret ingredient” that really fills out the beef mixture so you can big, plump, generously stuffed enchiladas that are nice and juicy. I use this in my Chicken Enchiladas too – works a treat!

  • Black beans  – to fill it out a bit and add a different texture to the filling. Diced vegetables are great to add too – especially red peppers / capsicum.

  • Homemade Enchilada Sauce – made with either tomato passata or canned tomato sauce (US, I like Hunts), plus a good hit of Tex-Mex spices.

  • Beef – This is a recipe for beef enchiladas so it’s made with ground beef. But it can be substituted with pork, chicken or turkey!

Making beef enchiladas

Here’s my little time saving trick: one spice mix to flavour both the beef filling AND the Enchilada Sauce.

How to make Beef Enchiladas

There’s a good back of Tex-Mex spices in this! Some of it is used for the homemade Enchilada Sauce, and the rest is used to flavour the Beef and Bean Filling.

How to make beef Enchiladas
Close up of Beef and Bean Enchiladas on a plate, ready to be eaten

Try these on the side

  • Corn Salad with Avocado

  • Grilled Corn or try this Mexican Corn

  • Everyday Cabbage Salad

  • Broccoli Salad

  • Pico de Gallo (Authentic Mexican Salsa)

Ahhh. These Beef Enchiladas. I really hate using the words “these are the BEST!” for any of my recipes because we all have different palettes, and what I may think is the “best” might not be to someone elses’ taste.

But truly, to me, to this day, even after having consumed more than my fair share of Enchiladas at Tex-Mex restaurants across America, I still think these are better. Way, WAY better than the mainstream chain restaurants!

Hope you had a great weekend! – Nagi x


Watch how to make it

This recipe features in my debut cookbook Dinner. The book is mostly new recipes, but this is a reader favourite included by popular demand!

Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.

Close up of beef enchiladas in a baking dish, fresh out of the oven

Beef Enchiladas

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 35 mins
Total: 45 mins
Dinner
Mexican
4.98 from 249 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
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Recipe video above. Moreishly delish! These beef enchiladas are made extra tasty with a juicy filling made with beef, refried beans and a homemade Enchilada spice mix. The refried beans are excellent here – fills it out, makes the Filling juicy and adds flavour! 

Ingredients

Spice Mix

  • 1 tsp each onion & garlic powder (Note 1)
  • 1 tbsp each cumin powder, paprika and dried oregano
  • 1/2 – 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, spiciness)

Enchilada Sauce

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 tbsp flour , plain/all purpose
  • 2 cups (500ml) chicken stock / broth , low sodium
  • 1 1/2 cups (375 ml) tomato passata OR US 1 can (8 oz) canned tomato sauce (eg Hunts) (Note 2)
  • 1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

Beef

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1 onion , finely chopped (~1 cup)
  • 1 lb / 500g ground beef (mince)
  • 400g / 14oz refried beans (1 can, I use Old El Paso)
  • 400g / 14oz black beans, drained (1 can, Note 3)

Enchiladas

  • 8 tortillas (or burrito wraps)
  • 1.5 cups (150g) grated melting cheese, or more (I like Monterey Jack, tasty or cheddar cheese)
  • Cilantro/coriander leaves , roughly chopped (optional garnish)

Instructions

  • Mix together Spice Mix ingredients. Set aside.

Enchilada Sauce

  • Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and mix to combine into a paste. Cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
  • Add 1/2 cup chicken broth, whisk straight away then it will turn into a thick smooth paste quite quickly.
  • Add remaining chicken broth, passata, salt, pepper and 2 tablespoons of SPICE MIX. Whisk
  • Increase heat slightly to medium high. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes, whisking regularly, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick syrup (see video). Remove from stove.

Filling

  • Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
  • Heat oil in a skillet over high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes.
  • Add beef and cook for 2 minutes, breaking it up as you go. Add remaining Spice Mix. Cook for a further 2 minutes or until completely brown.
  • Add refried beans, black beans, about 1/4 cup of Enchilada Sauce + salt & pepper. Mix (Note 4) and cook for 2 minutes then remove from stove (see video).

Enchiladas

  • Smear a bit of Sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (stops sliding).
  • Place filling on the lower third of a tortilla. Roll up then place in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining Filling & Tortillas.
  • Pour Sauce over the Enchiladas, top with cheese, bake for 10 minutes covered (Note 5) then 10 minutes uncovered. Serve hot!

Recipe Notes:

1. You can just use all onion or garlic powder, if you only have one of them. Fresh garlic is not the same, however, as a last resort substitution, you can use 3 garlic cloves, minced, instead of onion & garlic powder. Saute in the heated oil before proceeding with the recipe.
2. Tomato passata is pureed plain tomatoes that is not seasoned. Unlike crushed tomatoes, it is thick and smooth, like a thick tomato soup. In Australia it can be purchased in a bottle in the pasta aisle of major supermarkets (Coles, Woolworths). You can make your own simply by using a blender to puree canned tomatoes.
America: If you can’t find passata in the US (it is available at Walmart, Costco), a great substitute is US canned tomato sauce eg Hunts (yes, I’m such a food nerd I brought back cans to use for this recipe and it’s a near perfect substitute).
3. Black beans are commonly used in Mexican & Tex Mex cooking. It’s becoming more widely available in Australia. It can be purchased in the Mexican or canned beans aisle in most major supermarkets, as well as Harris Farms and Thomas Dux. You can substitute with red kidney beans or another type of beans if you prefer.
4. The refried beans should loosen as it heats and stir through easily. If not, add a splash of water.
5. To bake covered, I just pop a baking tray on top on the baking dish. Otherwise, cover with foil.
6. To make ahead, roll up enchiladas and place in casserole dish (can smear with sauce underneath). Keep sauce separate and top just before baking.
7. Nutrition per serving, assuming you use lean beef mince (this is a great recipe for using lean beef, you would never know!).
Beef Enchiladas_Nutrition

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 608gCalories: 649cal (32%)Carbohydrates: 55.3g (18%)Protein: 45.6g (91%)Fat: 28.6g (44%)Saturated Fat: 10.3g (64%)Cholesterol: 116mg (39%)Sodium: 1237mg (54%)Potassium: 1183mg (34%)Fiber: 13.4g (56%)Sugar: 5.7g (6%)Vitamin A: 1600IU (32%)Vitamin C: 47.9mg (58%)Calcium: 340mg (34%)Iron: 20.5mg (114%)
Keywords: beef enchiladas, enchiladas recipe
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published June 2016. Updated August 2019 with new photos, new video, new process photos and refreshed writing – no change to recipe, I wouldn’t dare!

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Hi, I'm Nagi!

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735 Comments

  1. Lou says

    April 2, 2023 at 10:36 am

    5 stars
    Very tasty; both hubby and I loved it! I cut the recipe down to 2 servings (still made a lot for 2 but we also had mexican rice with it). Followed the recipe except didn’t use refried beans, just mashed the other 1/2can of black beans. The wraps came out a little soggy so next time will toast them up first as suggested by another reviewer.

    Reply
  2. Melanie says

    March 1, 2023 at 8:27 am

    I made your beef enchiladas for the first time today. So delicious! I will be adding this to my recipe list. Looking forward to receiving your cookbook in the U.S. soon. Thanks for all the great recipes!

    Reply
  3. Linda Scott says

    March 1, 2023 at 6:07 am

    Hi Nagi & Dozer! Greetings from Scotland – just made these tonight for my husband and I – they were a big hit! Easy, really tasty, and a perfect reminder of my Tex Mex days. I didn’t have any refried so that was left out. I’m unable to get Enchilada sauce here in the UK (I can’t find it anyway) so I was thrilled with your recipe. Thank you !!

    Reply
  4. Don Kelly says

    February 26, 2023 at 4:59 am

    I have only tried two of these meals. They were so good I can hardly wait to try more.

    Please send more. Thanks

    Reply
  5. Patricia says

    February 22, 2023 at 9:32 am

    As an Oklahoman, these enchiladas were to die for! They had just the right balance of sauce, cheese, and spice, and the tortillas were just right. I can understand why this is a frequently requested recipe!

    Reply
  6. Patricia Surin says

    February 22, 2023 at 9:31 am

    As an Oklahoman, these enchiladas were to die for! They had just the right balance of sauce, cheese, and spice, and the tortillas were just right. I can understand why this is a frequently requested recipe!

    Reply
  7. Beth Nixon says

    February 8, 2023 at 1:19 pm

    5 stars
    This is such an easy and tasty meal! My whole family loves it!

    Reply
  8. Carol says

    February 2, 2023 at 10:26 am

    Really liked it, used canned enchilada sauce-big mistake! Put the tortillas under the broiler for 2 mins first. Great supper for a cold winter night.

    Reply
  9. Leslie says

    January 29, 2023 at 1:45 pm

    5 stars
    Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious. I used a combination of cheddar and havarti (my two personal favorites) and they were so good.

    Reply
  10. Bishop Joel Johnson (ret.) says

    January 22, 2023 at 6:35 am

    5 stars
    Yesterday I prepared this wonderful recipe for our 48th wedding anniversary dinner – a private affair as we invite family & friends only for those ending in five or zero. I loved the ease of preparation – and purposefully over-sauced so as to have gravy to spare for future mashed potatoes. And, thanks for the heavenly cookbooks!

    Reply
  11. Lee uerkwitz says

    January 21, 2023 at 5:19 am

    As a Texan, I would never make enchiladas with untoasted tortillas. Toast your tortillas on a comal, or hot skillet (preferably cast iron) before filling them and baking. They will not get mushy that way. Also, if you only need less than the full batch for a meal, only bake enough enchiladas as you’ll eat. Store the fillinf, sauce and cheese separately and then bake them fresh each time you eat them. So much better than reheated, mushy enchiladas!

    Reply
    • Joni Ramirez says

      February 6, 2023 at 1:27 pm

      The recipe doesn’t specify if corn or flour tortillas are to be used. Which did you use?

      Reply
  12. Carol Ferrier says

    January 13, 2023 at 10:06 am

    I’m searching for recipe ideas and came across your site…Your recipes look delish! I love how you’ve give given a submenu for important things on your site…recipes, video, and Dozier!! Now I also have something to share with my sweetheart…he adores dogs and just about all critters ha-ha!

    Reply
  13. robert kostka says

    January 4, 2023 at 12:12 pm

    5 stars
    Love this recipe. I used beef broth instead of chicken, used 1 1/2 cups of tomato sauce with extra dash of seasoning when I made that, I’ve had tried a number of store bought sauces not liking any of them. This was excellent.

    Reply
  14. Gretchen says

    December 30, 2022 at 7:07 pm

    5 stars
    Beef enchilada recipe awesome used roasted tomatoes in can blended with a bit of tomato paste.And chichi brand corn flour tortillas.I bet it would work with grd turkey too.Crazy good.Added avocado and Greek yogurt subbed out sour cream.

    Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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