These delicious, hearty, and easy ground beef enchiladas are packed with flavor, loaded with cheese, and are simple to make! They are the perfect comfort food for a busy weeknight or a weekend family gathering. These cheesy enchiladas are sure to be a hit with everyone who tries them. Even the leftovers taste amazing the next day.
I’m a big fan of enchiladas. I grew up in California, lived there for years as an adult, and then I ended up moving to Texas. So enchiladas and all kinds of delicious Mexican and Tex-Mex food have been a part of my life for, well, most of my life. One of my all-time favorite Mexican dishes is enchiladas. I just love all that cheese, meat, and sweet and zesty enchilada sauce. I’ve been making enchiladas of all kinds for years, but one of my favorite recipes is this ground beef enchilada recipe. It’s made with simple, affordable ingredients, and it makes a great family dinner or party food, and it won’t break the bank!
Ground Beef Enchiladas
This delicious enchilada recipe starts with ground beef. I cook it with onions and combine it with refried beans, jalapenos, and zesty seasonings along with enchilada sauce. Then, I fill tortillas with the mixture, cover them with enchilada sauce, shredded cheese, and black olives, and bake them until they’re melty and delicious. It’s a quick and easy recipe that I can make for family dinners or bring to parties and potlucks, and the flavor is so delicious I never have leftovers. Ever.
Why You’ll Love This Ground Beef Enchilada Recipe
- The combination of ground beef, diced jalapenos, onions, zesty seasonings, refried beans, spicy cheese, and red enchilada sauce is a flavor explosion in your mouth.
- These enchiladas are made with flour tortillas. They are soft and chewy, and the hearty beef and bean mixture, along with all the cheesy goodness is simply irresistible.
- They are a classic Mexican food dish that has been enjoyed by people of all ages for generations, and with the addition of the diced jalapenos, they are a nice kick of heat that adds tremendous flavor.
- These beef enchiladas are super easy to make and are a great weeknight dinner recipe.
Ground Beef Enchiladas Ingredients
This recipe only uses a few simple ingredients that you can find at any grocery store. It only takes a few minutes to get everything you need!
- Ground beef
- Onion
- Chili powder
- Granulated garlic
- Paprika
- Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- Black pepper
- Ground cumin
- Red pepper flakes
- Refried beans
- Diced jalapenos
- Red enchilada sauce
- Boars’ Head bold 3 pepper Colby jack cheese (or your favorite cheese)
- Sliced black olives
- Flour tortillas
How to Make Ground Beef Enchiladas
Making this recipe is just as easy as the shopping trip you’ll make for the ingredients. It only takes a few minutes and a few simple steps. Then, you’ll have a dish full of delicious, cheesy enchiladas to serve to family and friends.
Step 1: Prep
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside.
Step 2: Cook the Ground Beef
Cook the ground beef and onions in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the beef is no longer pink, and the onions are tender. Drain and return to the pan.
Step 3: Make the Filling Mixture
Add refried beans, diced jalapenos, and seasonings to the meat mixture and stir. Then, pour a can of enchilada sauce into the mixture, stir, and cook over medium heat until hot.
Step 4: Fill the Tortillas
Open the second can of enchilada sauce and pour a little into the bottom of the baking dish. Then add the rest to a bowl. Dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce and place it on a plate. Add the meat mixture to the center and cover it with cheese and olives. Roll up the tortilla and place it in the baking dish. Repeat until all the tortillas are filled.
Step 5: Top the Tortillas
Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce, more cheddar cheese, and black olives.
Step 6: Bake
Cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the ground beef enchiladas are heated through and the cheese is melted. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Top with fresh cilantro, avocado, and sliced green onions, if desired. Enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Only cook the beef until it’s no longer pink. Overcooked beef is rubbery and devoid of flavor.
- Don’t skip dipping the tortillas in the enchilada sauce. It allows for even distribution of flavor and reduces fogginess.
- The enchiladas cook in 50 minutes. The last 10 minutes of baking the enchiladas uncovered will make the cheese nice and golden.
Variations
- If you prefer a mild recipe, omit the jalapenos.
- You can use ground turkey, pork, or even chorizo in this recipe.
- You can use your favorite type of cheese for this recipe. Taco mix and Mexican mix both work well.
What to Serve with Ground Beef Enchiladas
Serve these enchiladas topped with sour cream and chopped green onions. Of course, they pair well with all your favorite Mexican dishes and sides, as well. Serve them with all of your favorites.
Recipe FAQ
Chicken enchiladas are the most popular kind of enchilada.
There are two things you can do to make really good enchiladas. First, you can briefly fry the tortillas to create a barrier against the sauce and avoid fogginess. Second, you can dip the tortillas in enchilada sauce so you don’t have to pour as much sauce in the dish. This also avoids soggy enchiladas.
Beef enchiladas are made with ground beef, enchilada sauce, seasonings, tortillas, and cheese.
The best way to cook enchiladas is by baking them covered first, then finishing them without a cover. This helps the enchiladas heat through evenly and the cheese to melt evenly. Remove the cover adds some color to the cheese.
In almost all cases, corn tortillas can be used interchangeably with flour tortillas.
How to Store and Reheat Ground Beef Enchilada Leftovers
Refrigerate these enchiladas in an airtight container for up to 3 days. For longer storage, freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight, freezer-safe container.
To reheat enchiladas, bake them for 20 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees.
Try This Easy Ground Beef Enchilada Recipe Today
These ground beef enchiladas are as easy as they are delicious. They are loaded with zesty, beefy, cheesy goodness, and are ready in under an hour. With a combination like that, this is one recipe that you need in your life. Give it a try, and I know you’ll make it a permanent part of your recipe rotation. After all, good enchiladas are a thing of beauty!
More Delicious Enchilada Recipes You’ll Enjoy
These Green Chile Pork Enchiladas are made with shredded pork, loaded with cheese, sour cream, green chile sauce, topped with black olives, green onions, and cilantro. An easy and delicious enchilada recipe the whole family will enjoy.
Ground Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground beef
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Slap Ya Mama seasoning
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 15 ounce can refried beans
- 4 ounce can diced jalapenos
- (2) 15 ounce cans red enchilada sauce
- 16 ounce Boars’ Head bold 3 pepper colby jack cheese, or your favorite cheese
- 2.25 ounce can sliced black olives
- 20 flour tortillas, 6-8 inch size
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (F) and spray a 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef and onions until beef is no longer pink and onions are tender. Drain and return to the pan.
- Add refried beans, diced jalapenos, and all the seasonings to the meat mixture. Stir to combine.
- Pour one can of enchilada sauce into the beef mixture, stir to combine and cook over medium heat until heated through.
- Open the other enchilada sauce and pour a little sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour the remainder in a bowl.
- Dip a tortilla into the sauce, place in the baking dish, add meat mixture to the center of the tortilla, cover with cheese and sliced olives. Roll up and place at the end of the baking dish. Repeat the process until the baking dish is full. Add another layer on top until all of the meat mixture is used.
- Pour any remaining sauce over the enchiladas, add additional shredded cheese, sliced black olives, and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese is melty and bubbly.
- Remove foil and bake for 5-10 additional minutes.
- Serve hot with your favorite Mexican side dishes.
Notes
Nutrition
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Kathleen
These sound amazing and I just saw and subscribed to your site so plan to make them later on this week but not meaning to sound dumb what is slap your mama seasoning? I’m anxious to hear what it is / or where I can find it. Thanks Kathy
Great Grub, Delicious Treats
Hi Kathleen, Slap Ya Mama is a Cajun seasoning that enhances the flavor and is one of our favorite seasonings. It can be purchased at Walmart, most grocery stores, and even on Amazon. I hope you can find it but it can be omitted. I hope you enjoy these enchiladas if you do make them. Thank you for the 5-star rating too! :)