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My Ground Beef Enchiladas recipe is loaded with freshly seasoned lime rice, ground beef, and savory enchilada sauce! Ready in under 1 hour using simple ingredients, I guarantee you will want to make these enchiladas all the time.
Jump to:
- Beef Enchiladas
- Beef Enchiladas Ingredients
- Lime Rice Ingredients
- Enchiladas Sauce Ingredients
- Beef Enchilada Recipe Tips
- How to Make Lime Rice for Enchiladas
- How to Make Enchilada Sauce
- How to Make Enchiladas
- Make-Ahead Ground Beef Enchiladas
- Can I freeze enchiladas?
- Ground Beef Enchilada Recipe FAQs
- Mexican Beef Recipes
- 📌 Pin it for later!
- 📋 Recipe
- 💬 Reviews
Beef Enchiladas
The first time I made homemade beef enchiladas for my family, I knew instantly they would be a keeper. It took barely an hour to make them, and they were quickly devoured!
Now, they're a regular part of our dinner menu. From the fresh, zesty lime rice to the homemade enchilada sauce, this beef enchiladas recipe is packed with flavor and totally irresistible. It makes a great weeknight dinner or party food!
My favorite thing about this recipe is how fun it is to get the kids involved in making it. You can have them assemble and roll the tortillas, then ladle the sauce over top together. Try it out, and I promise everyone will have fun!
Thanks for such an easy enchilada recipe. I used regular rice instead of the lime rice and it was still delicious. It was a huge hit with my family.
Leigh
Beef Enchiladas Ingredients
- Ground beef - see How to Defrost Ground Beef if using frozen
- Flour tortillas
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro (optional)
Lime Rice Ingredients
- Water
- Basmati brown rice
- Salt
- Lime (juice and zest)
- Cilantro (optional)
Enchiladas Sauce Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Flour
- Chili powder
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
- Dried oregano
- Vegetable broth
- Tomato paste
Beef Enchilada Recipe Tips
- You can use canned enchilada sauce if you don't have the time to make your own.
- Regular white or brown rice can be used in place of the lime rice if you prefer. Feel free to use leftover rice. Beef enchiladas are a great way to use up leftovers!
- The meat filling can be made ahead of time, or you can use leftovers. I love using taco meat for this recipe. See How Long to Cook Ground Beef for tips!
- When rolling the enchiladas, don't over-stuff the tortillas. You want to be sure to completely wrap the tortilla around itself with the seam-side down. This is the best way to get the enchiladas snug in the baking dish.
- Don't drown your enchiladas in the sauce before you bake them. Remember, there is sauce already inside the enchilada, so when baking them you want just enough sauce to cover them. This will keep them from getting soggy.
- Reserve some of your cheddar cheese to sprinkle over the enchiladas during the last 10 minutes they bake in the oven.
How to Make Lime Rice for Enchiladas
- Bring water to a boil in a small pot on the stove.
- Reduce heat and add rice and salt. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed.
- Zest half a lime over the rice. Stir lime zest, lime juice, and cilantro into the rice.
Note: As a reminder, you can also use plain white or brown rice. When I'm running short on time, the rice cooker is my best friend. Leftover rice works, too!
How to Make Enchilada Sauce
- In a small pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk until well blended. Add chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and oregano and whisk until well blended and smooth.
- Pour in the vegetable broth very slowly while whisking. Make sure no big lumps form. Add more vegetable broth if needed to make the desired smooth consistency. Add the tomato paste and whisk until the sauce is completely smooth.
- Bring to a simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and serve.
Note: Nothing beats homemade enchilada sauce. But, you can use canned, if you're short on time.
How to Make Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 7 by 11-inch baking dish. Cook ground beef, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper, in a pan until browned, or use our Crockpot Taco Meat recipe to prepare beef ahead of time.
- Add cheese and cilantro and mix through.
- Construct enchiladas by adding a few spoonfuls of lime rice to a tortilla. Top with ground beef and some enchilada sauce. Don't over-stuff the tortillas!
- Brush the baking dish with enchilada sauce.
- Roll the tortilla and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining 5 tortillas. They will fit snugly in the pan.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve warm.
Make-Ahead Ground Beef Enchiladas
- Follow the recipe according to the instructions by assembling the enchiladas and placing each rolled enchilada in the baking dish.
- Instead of covering the enchiladas with the enchilada sauce, keep the sauce on the side until you are ready to bake the enchiladas.
- Leave the assembled enchiladas in the refrigerator for up to 1 day.
- When ready to make the enchiladas, simply spoon the sauce over the enchiladas and bake according to the recipe instructions.
Can I freeze enchiladas?
- Simply stuff and roll each enchilada according to the recipe instructions.
- Individually wrap each enchilada in plastic wrap (rather than wrapping them together- it will protect the enchiladas from freezer burn).
- Frozen enchiladas can stay in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Don't forget to also freeze your enchiladas sauce- this way you can assemble everything once you are ready to reheat.
- When ready to make the enchiladas, let both the enchiladas and the enchilada sauce thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Assemble and bake the enchiladas according to recipe instructions.
When I freeze enchiladas, I typically freeze them before the sauce covers them. This will help keep the tortillas crispy and not soggy during the reheating process!
Ground Beef Enchilada Recipe FAQs
Traditionally, an enchilada is a Mexican recipe complete with a corn tortilla rolled in a filling and baked with a savory sauce, usually chili-based or cheese-based (such as mole sauce or chile con queso). My beef enchiladas consist of ground beef, shredded cheese, and lime rice, and are rolled in a flour or corn tortilla, then baked in a homemade enchilada sauce.
Enchiladas are best stored in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped or sealed in a container for up to 3 days.
As the recipe is written, my enchiladas recipe is not gluten free. To make this a gluten-free recipe, simply swap the flour tortillas for corn tortillas and when making the enchiladas sauce, use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch instead of 2 tablespoons of flour.
Though both tacos and enchiladas have similar rolling techniques, enchiladas are oven-baked in a savory chili sauce and topped with cheese. Tacos tend to be smaller and usually have an opening at the top of the shell to stuff with toppings. For a Mexican-inspired taco recipe, try my tacos de birria or Carne Asada tacos.
Mexican Beef Recipes
- Mexican Ground Beef Casserole
- Birria Tacos
- Taco Soup Recipe
- Crockpot Taco Meat
- Papas Rellenas
- Try all our Beef Taco Recipes!
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Ground Beef Enchiladas
Equipment
- 1 small pan
- 1 small pot
- 1 zester
- 1 baking dish
- Aluminum foil
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 ladle
- 1 Whisk
Ingredients
Enchiladas
- 1 Ib. ground beef
- 6 flour tortillas
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons cilantro coarsely chopped
Enchilada Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons chili powder more if you like it spicier
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
Lime Rice
- 2¼ cups water
- 1 cup basmati brown rice uncooked
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ lime zested
- 1 teaspoon lime juice
- ½ cup cilantro chopped
See our Beef Temperature Chart for helpful tips on cooking any cut of beef!
Instructions
Enchilada Sauce
- In a small pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add flour and whisk until well blended, then add chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, cumin, and oregano and whisk until well blended and smooth.
- Pour in the vegetable broth very slowly while whisking. Make sure no big lumps form. Add more vegetable broth if needed to make the desired smooth consistency. Then, add the tomato paste and whisk until the sauce is completely smooth.
- Bring to a simmer until slightly thickened. Remove from heat and set aside.
Lime Rice
- Bring water to a boil in a small pot on the stove top. Reduce heat and add the rice and salt.
- Cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed.
- Zest half of a lime into the rice, then add lime juice and cilantro to the rice and stir.
Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 7 by 11-inch baking dish. Cook ground beef, seasoned to taste with salt and pepper, in a pan until browned or use our Crockpot Taco Meat recipe to prepare beef ahead of time.
- Add cheese and cilantro and mix through.
- Construct enchiladas by adding a few spoonfuls of lime rice to a tortilla. Top with ground beef and some enchilada sauce. Don't overstuff the tortillas.
- Brush the baking dish with enchilada sauce.
- Roll the tortilla and place seam-side down in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining 5 tortillas. They will fit snugly in the pan.
- Cover the pan with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 10 minutes.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and serve warm!
Video
Notes
- You can use canned enchilada sauce if you don't have the time to make your own.
- Regular white or brown rice can be used in place of the lime rice if you prefer. Feel free to use leftover rice. Beef enchiladas are a great way to use up leftovers!
- The meat filling can be made ahead of time, or you can use leftovers. I love using taco meat for this recipe. See How Long to Cook Ground Beef for tips!
- When rolling the enchiladas, don't over-stuff the tortillas. You want to be sure to completely wrap the tortilla around itself with the seam-side down. This is the best way to get the enchiladas snug in the baking dish.
- Don't drown your enchiladas in the sauce before you bake them. Remember, there is sauce already inside the enchilada, so when baking them you want just enough sauce to cover them. This will keep them from getting soggy.
- Reserve some of your cheddar cheese to sprinkle over the enchiladas during the last 10 minutes they bake in the oven.
Nutrition
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Nunya says
Can you use ground chicken breast instead of ground beef?
Isabel Laessig says
Absolutely!