Ground Beef Enchiladas

4.58 from 14 votes

Savory ground beef, lime rice, and cheese are stuffed and rolled in a flour tortilla shell then oven-baked with a savory enchilada sauce for the perfect Mexican-inspired beef dish. Perfect for an easy weeknight meal or fiesta, this enchiladas recipe is ready in just under an hour.

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Total Time50

Course: Ground Beef Recipes

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: beef enchilada recipe, beef enchiladas, best beef enchilada recipe, ground beef enchiladas

Servings: people

Calories: 287kcal

Author: Isabel Laessig

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