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Home Mexican Recipes

Beef Enchiladas

By:Nagi
Published:15 Aug '19Updated:10 Mar '20
674 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!

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!

I doubled this recipe and my family of 5 devoured it! Massive hit, will make again and again. That beef filling - best I've ever had.

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

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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 224 votes
Servings4
Tap or hover to scale
Print
  • 603
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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674 Comments

  1. Angie Kneibert says

    December 4, 2021 at 8:30 am

    5 stars
    Amazing! Paired them with guacamole and a side of Spanish rice. My husband hates beans, so I omitted the black beans but I did add the refried beans hoping they would meld with the beef. He never suspected and devoured them! He even asked “Why haven’t you made these before?” That’s a win!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      December 5, 2021 at 1:34 pm

      Sneaky veg!!! Love it! N x

      Reply
  2. Julie L. says

    December 1, 2021 at 11:50 am

    5 stars
    Made these for dinner tonight and they were awesome! I had to make a few changes to accommodate what I had on hand. I only used 1/2 pound of ground chuck and I only had 3 large flour tortillas. I left the rest of ingredients as written, so I ended up making three giant Enchiladas. The homemade enchilada sauce was perfect! My husband ate one and I ate 1/2 of one for dinner, and we have leftovers for lunch tomorrow! Thanks for the great recipe! I will definitely make this again! Now I’m going to check out your chicken enchilada recipe!😊

    Reply
  3. Gioia Small says

    November 25, 2021 at 6:48 pm

    Absolutely delicious! Very moist and oh so tasty YUM

    Reply
  4. Mary says

    November 22, 2021 at 11:15 am

    Can I make these enchiladas and store a day ahead?

    Reply
  5. Josefina Scruggs says

    November 17, 2021 at 9:47 am

    5 stars
    This recipe is amazing! I didn’t have received beans or black beans, but I did have a large can of seasoned pink beans so I puréed half and used the other half whole. My family loved this meal. Thanks for making the recipe simple to follow and deliciously flavorful!

    Reply
  6. Caitlin says

    November 3, 2021 at 5:08 am

    5 stars
    Can this be made ahead and kept in the refrigerator for another day?

    Reply
  7. Marcia Simeon says

    October 28, 2021 at 10:53 am

    5 stars
    Amazing beef enchiladas, thank you!!

    Reply
  8. Cat says

    October 26, 2021 at 3:52 am

    Thinking of using leftover pot roast instead of ground beef!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 26, 2021 at 10:26 am

      Great idea! N x

      Reply
  9. SS says

    October 23, 2021 at 11:41 pm

    5 stars
    Really tasty, I’ll be adding this recipe to my repertoire. I personally cooked for longer, about 40 mins in total. Kids enjoyed and very filling, so that’s a bonus!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 24, 2021 at 2:33 pm

      Glad you enjoyed it! N x

      Reply
  10. Alyssa says

    October 14, 2021 at 1:36 am

    Hi just wanted to say love your recipes! It’s my go to site for dinners! I was just wondering if I can use vegetable broth instead of chicken? I have some unused vegetable broth I want to get rid of, I just dont want to mess with the recipe too much because yours are usually 100% spot on perfect.

    Reply
  11. Clo says

    September 27, 2021 at 5:50 am

    I absolutely love your recipes, I’m just wondering would beef stock be better in this recipe or is s there is a reason flavour wise for the chicken stock. Thanks xxxx😘😘😘

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      September 27, 2021 at 6:22 am

      Hi Clo! Beef stock will work fine, I just use chicken stock because the flavour is more “clean” and in this dish, the spices dominate. So the beef stock is really unnecessary. Also, I only use store bought beef stock selectively because the flavour isn’t the best. Store bought chicken stock, on the other hand, is much better! N x

      Reply
      • Clo says

        September 27, 2021 at 6:24 am

        Thank you so much, that is great to know. You have amazing recipes and I’m so happy to have them, lots of love from Ireland xxxx😘😘😘

        Reply
  12. Ayanda says

    September 18, 2021 at 11:03 pm

    5 stars
    Scrumptious food looking mouthwatering and presentation is superb 😋😋😋

    Reply
  13. Nina says

    September 13, 2021 at 7:49 am

    5 stars
    Delicious!! Last night I made these enchilada’s for dinner. The family demolished them. This morning I am still dreaming of how tasty they were and I want them for dinner again tonight!!!!
    I used half smoked paprika and half sweet, and I used smoked chipotle powder instead of cayenne which gave them a lovely warmth.
    Ahhhhhh Nagi, you’ve done it again!!

    Reply
  14. Sarah says

    September 10, 2021 at 5:16 pm

    5 stars
    Thanks Nagi, these were fab. So yummy and I really enjoyed making the sauce. Big thumbs up from the rest of the family!

    Reply
  15. Paula D Coxwell says

    August 26, 2021 at 10:33 am

    5 stars
    I made this recipe using ground ostrich because my boyfriend is AG+ (Alpha-Gal, allergic to anything mammal). This is an awesome recipe. I used sliced black olives, 1 can green chilies, and a quarter tsp of my homegrown/dehydrated peppers. Love the spices. So easy to make sauce & filling.

    Reply
  16. Andrea says

    August 26, 2021 at 6:56 am

    5 stars
    These were absolutely amazing!! My annoyingly picky husband loves them. Will definitely keep these in my dinner rotation. Thanks for a easy, tasty recipe!

    Reply
  17. Jennifer says

    August 22, 2021 at 10:23 am

    5 stars
    Delicious ! So easy and I loved it being more than just beef and bread. Husband approved.

    Reply
  18. Katy says

    August 18, 2021 at 6:12 am

    5 stars
    Winner, winner, winner! Works a treat with Quorn mince and subbed black beans for some chopped peppers and mushrooms, shows you can really change this up how you like. Absolutely delish, thank you as ever!

    Reply
  19. Megan says

    August 16, 2021 at 3:17 am

    This was amazing! Guests and hubby loved it!

    Reply
  20. Michelle says

    August 13, 2021 at 5:42 pm

    Hi Nagi, could I freeze half the enchilada sauce and half of the beef mixture ? as only making it for two of us. Thank you 😊

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 14, 2021 at 10:43 am

      Hi Michelle, you can assemble in full and freeze to then you just need to bake to serve! N x

      Reply
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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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