• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

RecipeTin Eats

Fast Prep, Big Flavours

  • My RecipeTin
  • Recipes
  • Recipes By Category
    • Mains
      • Chicken
        • Chicken mince
      • Beef Recipes
        • Ground Beef (Mince)
      • Pork
      • Lamb
      • Turkey
      • Shrimp / Prawns
      • Salmon
      • Fish
      • Salad Meals
    • Quick and Easy
    • Soups
    • One Pot
    • Stews
    • Slow Cooker
    • Sides
      • All
      • Vegetables
      • Show Off Salads
      • Rice
      • Potato
    • Pasta
      • All
      • Pasta bakes
      • Pasta salads
    • Sweet
      • Cake recipes
      • Cupcakes & Muffins
      • Cookies
      • Puddings & Cosy Desserts
      • Bite Size
      • Pies
      • Slices & Bars
      • Frosting & Icing
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
        • All
        • Stir fries
        • Noodles
        • Soups
        • Chinese
        • Japanese
        • Korean
        • Thai
        • Vietnamese
      • French
      • Greek
      • Indian
      • Italian
      • Mediterranean
      • Mexican
      • Middle Eastern
      • South American
    • Dietary
      • Gluten Free
      • Low Calorie
      • Vegetarian
    • Other Categories
      • BBQ
      • Breakfast
      • Burgers
      • Cocktails
      • Party Foods
      • Rice Recipes
      • Roasts
      • Sandwiches & Sliders
  • ✨Special✨
  • Collections
  • About
    • Me
    • RecipeTin Meals
    • Free Recipe Books
    • Contact
    • eBooks
      • The Food Photography Book
      • Chicken Wings Cookbook
    • Food Bloggers Central
    • Nitty Gritty
      • Policy: Use of Recipes & Images
      • Privacy & Disclosure
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

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 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!

Mexican Mania

Pan of Chicken Enchiladas
Chicken Enchiladas
A great everyday Beef Burrito, made with super tasty seasoned beef filling. Fresh and freezable versions! recipetineats.com
Beef Burrito
Pile of golden, crispy and juicy Pork Carnitas on a white plate.
Carnitas (Mexican Slow Cooker Pulled Pork)
Crisp corn taco shell stuffed with juicy Chicken taco filling
Quick Chicken Tacos (with sauce!)
Mexican Shredded Beef taco spread - tortillas, sour cream, avocado, lime, pico de Gallo
Mexican Shredded Beef (and Tacos)
Mexican Pulled Pork Tacos - the juiciest, easiest, most flavoursome Pork Carnitas you will ever make! recipetineats.com
Mexican Recipes

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!

Dozer the golden retriever in a rain coat, looking up at rain clouds

SaveSave

SaveSave

Previous Post
Thai Beef Salad
Next Post
Tokyo Travel Guide: Ueno

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

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Related Posts

Overhead photo of Mexican Corn Salad

Mexican Corn Salad

Overhead photo of Mexican Meatballs served with guacamole and sour cream over rice

Mexican Meatballs

Overhead photo of Beef Barbacoa Tacos

Beef Barbacoa – Mexican Pulled Beef

More Mexican Recipes

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cooked this? Rate this recipe!




674 Comments

  1. Leanne says

    June 16, 2022 at 9:05 pm

    I made this tonight for dinner, everyone loved them. As usual great easy recipe to follow and delicious. I won’t be buying enchiladas again. Thankyou , Nagi Thankyou

    Reply
  2. Colleen says

    June 15, 2022 at 4:32 pm

    5 stars
    Omg this is the bomb. My partner and I love love love them. Thank you for this recipe. We cook them maybe weekly or fortnightly. Love the flavour.

    Reply
  3. Kandra says

    June 13, 2022 at 2:34 am

    5 stars
    This recipe exceeded my expectations in every way. I don’t care for red enchilada sauce but this…this ! This was amazing ! I followed the recipe exactly and will make these again and again and again. I used corn tortillas because flour tortillas have no business being called enchiladas. HA! They are amazing reheated the next morning for breakfast with eggs. I know this because I am having exactly that as I type this. Great recipe !

    Reply
  4. Billie says

    June 11, 2022 at 6:07 am

    5 stars
    I have to say that I was a little dubious but oh my, it’s left me wanting more. The only additional thing I did was add a tiny naga chilli for depth of flavour and heat as well as ground coriander instead of oregano to the spice mix.

    This will definitely be a firm favourite.

    Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
  5. mary says

    June 7, 2022 at 10:17 pm

    I can’t wait to make this. I have loved all your recipes. I can figure it out, but the recipe doesn’t adjust the tomato sauce, just the passata, when you change the number of servings.

    Reply
  6. Felicia says

    June 4, 2022 at 10:37 pm

    5 stars
    First time making enchiladas, really really nice – but you’re right about branded enchilada bottle sauce, so not great, will be less lazy next time & make yours 🙂

    Reply
Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

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

Free Recipe eBooks

Join my free email list to receive THREE free cookbooks!

Meet Dozer

Official taste tester of RecipeTin Eats! Meet Dozer
As Featured On

What's for Dinner?

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

Beef Enchiladas

Butter Chicken served over basmati rice in a bowl, ready to be served

Butter Chicken

Overhead photo of 2 black bowls with Chinese Chicken Salad with Asian Dressing, ready to be eaten

Chinese Chicken Salad

Salisbury Steak recipe in skillet.

Salisbury Steak with Mushroom Gravy

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken - 7 ingredient magic. The coconut fragrance is heavenly! recipetineats.com

Vietnamese Coconut Caramel Chicken

Fast prep. Big flavours!

Never miss a recipe

Back to Top
  • Related
  • RecipeTin Japan
  • Food Bloggers Center
  • Help
  • Contact Us
  • Image Use
  • Privacy Policy & Terms
Site Credits Maintained by Zao Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled © RecipeTin Eats 2022 · All Rights Reserved Back to Top