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”!
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!
What you need for Beef Enchiladas
Here’s what goes in my 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!
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.
Try these on the side
Grilled Corn or try this Mexican Corn
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!
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Beef Enchiladas
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:
Nutrition Information:
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!
Mexican Mania
Life of Dozer
Rain, hail or shine, Dozer blasts through the dog door out into the backyard to chase rabbits and bark at birds.
Luckily, he has a raincoat to help keep him dry(ish) on wet days!
So tasty! I made double of the meat and sauce to freeze, but I think we might just have this again for dinner tomorrow! They were a bright spot in a rough day, thank you.
I LOVE these enchiladas! ( I HATE the canned enchilada sauces) Changed recipe to add garlic during the last 2 minutes of cooking the beef. Decreased cayenne to 1/4 tsp. Cooking times were MUCH longer than suggested. (2 minutes to cook beef? 2 minutes to heat all the beans? Not in my kitchen! ) I used homemade refried beans. See link at end. I used a bit more flour in the sauce, but it was still very runny. Suggest 5 TBS flour next time. Used Better Than Bouillon Chicken and omitted salt in sauce. Did add salt to filling (1/4 tsp pepper and 1/4 tsp. salt.) Omitted cilantro. I used most of the sauce. Made 10 enchiladas; filled each with about 2-3 HEAPING TBS filling. Had small amount of filling and sauce left over. Made only 10 tortillas because 1. I only had 10 tortillas and 2. I could only squeeze 10 tortillas in my 9 x 13″ glass dish. Probably makes #12 (8-10 inch) enchiladas. Served with sour cream, some refried beans, and Mexican salad (shredded lettuce, tomato, onion). Restaurant taste and quality! Superb! Might try reviewer’s suggestion for adding sauce late in cooking…tortillas were a bit wet but not soggy. Homemade refried beans (never want to buy canned ones again) Easy and delicious recipe from MarasFlourpower.
Thanks for the recipe! These were an instant favorite!
That’s fantastic Jeannie and thanks so much for all that feedback! I am glad that you enjoyed the dish!! N x
Another great recipe Nagi, Thank you . I made the enchiladas, pickled cabbage, guacamole and pico salsa , fantastic meal and quite different to our usual Sunday dinner , family loved it .
Your recipes are always so tasty.
I made this for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious. All the family loved it, and I will definitely make it again. Thanks Nagi!
Great recipe !
Can we substitute black beans with lentils?
Thanks
That’s not strictly Mexican Lee but it would taste ok! N x
I dont have access to canned refried beans, do you have a recipe for it?
No I don’t, sorry! N x
Made these for dinner during the week. They were delicious and so easy to make. We served it with Mexican Red Rice. Definitely making these again 🙂
WOW!!! This was really incredible!! I made it with homemade tortillas. I also used half venison mince and beef mince. Really nice flavour!! This recipie is a keeper. I’ll definitely be making it again.
Venison would be amazing here!! N X
Why would you only use 8oz (1 cup) of tomato sauce when you use 1 1/2 cups of the passata?
Because the Hunt’s/American Tomato Sauce is a slightly different texture to passata so you don’t need as much! N x
I love this recipe and agree with Candice don’t like store bought enchilada sauce also make the recipe then make up the amount you need and freeze the rest of the ingredients for another quick meal
Can you freeze the left over enchilada sauce? Just made them absolutely delicious x
Yes you can Marie! N x
Made these for dinner tonight and they were delicious! So quick and simple to make. Served with pico de gallo, diced avo and a dollop of sour cream – yum!
I’ve made many of your recipes and they never disappoint.
Thank you Skye!! I am glad that you liked it!! N x
I made this with some leftover beef I wanted to finish. The funny thing is that the beef contained soy sauce and bok choy, so you wouldn’t think it would taste nice, but it was delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
Interesting combo Mili!! N x
Thank you so much for sharing your enchilada sauce recipe! I can’t stand the store bought kind. This was delicious!
Woo hoo!! I am happy you liked it Candice!! N x
Still making this regularly. We love them with a gooey fried egg on top! So good!
Thank you so much for sharing your enchilada sauce recipe! I can’t stand the store bought sauce. This one is delicious!
I love this recipe and agree with Candice don’t like store bought enchilada sauce also make the recipe then make up the amount you need and freeze the rest of the ingredients for another quick meal
Pretty easy recipe. The sauce was very good. It was a very good recipe.
I am happy that you enjoyed it LKP!! N x
This was sooooooo good! Easy enough to make on a weeknight without relying on premade sauce.
That’s great Bobbie!! N x
Best enchiladas ever! I sometimes make up a tray before work and toss them into the oven as soon as I get home. I was so intimidated by the thought of making enchilada sauce before this. Never buying it pre-made again!
Also, super easy to adapt this recipe to other fillings! I’ve made these with beef, chicken, and even tofu, sweet potatoes, and cauliflower.
Thanks for those tips Adrian!! N x
Could I make these with corn tortillas for gluten free? If so, any changes? I am trying to get through all your recipes that can be GF and you have a lot! All of them wonderful! Thank you😊
These are the best enchiladas I have ever had. So simple to make. I have no idea why making enchilada sauce was daunting to me before…guess I never looked. Haha I was also a little worried about the structural integrity after reheating the next day for lunches, but they actually tasted better. The tortillas held up! Thank you again, Nagi. All my dinners are slowly but surely becoming 100% RecipeTin.
I like to hear that Viki!! N x