Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (2024)

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Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (1)

After a long week, Tex Mex is always my favorite comfort food, and these ground beef enchiladas with green sauce will liven up any home taco night and have the whole family cleaning their plates! I use our famous (and easy) green enchilada sauce on beef as well as chicken enchiladas, and this homemade beef enchilada filling is tender and fragrant, pleasing adults and kids alike!

Served with my easy crock-pit pinto beans, Mexican fried rice, or our mexi-corn salad, these enchiladas are a make-ahead dish that can be given to a family member or loved one for heating later, or savored at home for a special weeknight meal.

Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (2)

How To Make Ground Beef Enchilada Filling:

I have found the best meat for beef enchiladas is 80/20 ground beef which provides just enough fat for a mild, creamy enchilada filling full of flavor. After browning well, we’ll add diced white onion and garlic which cooks down and makes the foundation of an authentic, Texas enchilada filling.

For flavor, I add Texas chili powder (such as Gebhardt’s or Mexene brand), onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper. This spice blend gives the bold flavor of Tex Mex, without a taco meat seasoning package, which never tastes like the restaurants and comes out salty and overpowering.

Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (3)

To keep the filling from being dry and crumbly, I like to use just a small bit of tomato sauce which adds richness and holds the filling together nicely. If you don’t have tomato sauce just use a couple tablespoons of water with a squirt of ketchup–with the richness of the ground beef and bold spices you’ll never taste the ketchup and you’ll come out with a beefy filling, rich in flavor and easy to work with.

Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (4)

How to Prepare Corn Tortillas for Rolling Up into Enchiladas:

If you try and make enchiladas without preparing your corn tortillas first, you’ll quickly find that the tortillas break around the filling or become glued together while baking. There are several methods for preparing corn tortillas to roll into enchiladas, but I find the tried and true method remains my favorite.

In a small nonstick pan, pour in a little flavorless oil and place it over low-medium heat. Fry the tortillas 8-10 seconds on each side, and transfer to a plate. Repeat this method with all of the tortillas and keep them warm and covered before starting to fill and roll them. This method always delivers the best results without any tortillas breaking.

Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (5)

How Much Filling Should I Place Inside an Enchilada?

In a standard corn tortilla, 2-3 Tablespoons is perfect. This allows for easy handling of the cooked enchiladas and keeps the seams in place during cooking.

Some cooks like to place the beef inside and add a sprinkling of their favorite mexican cheese on top of the enchilada filling before rolling up. The melted cheese adds an ooey-gooey cheese factor and also acts as a kind of glue to hold the rolled tortillas in place.

Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (6)

Cook the enchiladas at 350 degrees, smothered with homemade green enchilada sauce and topped with cheese. For an extra kick, pickled jalapenos and cilantro make a festive garnish.

Don’t forget to get the Green Enchilada Sauce Recipe here! I wrote a separate recipe with step-by-step pictures for ya!

If you would like to use canned green enchilada sauce, I recommend Las Palmas Green Enchilada Sauce available here, or Old El Paso Green Enchilada Sauce available here. They’re not quite as delicious as homemade but they’re great for busy people. 🙂

This green enchilada recipe is delicious with these recipes from the blog…

  • Restaurant Style Mexican Rice
  • Texas Pinto Beans Recipe in the CrockPot
  • The Famous Candlelite Inn Guacamole Salad Recipe
  • Mexican Steaks with Queso Blanco
  • Smoked Chicken Nachos Recipe
  • Corn and Black Bean Salad with Mexican Vinaigrette
  • Steak Street Tacos Recipe
Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (7)

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Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (8)

Yield: 8

Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes 20 seconds

Total Time: 55 minutes 20 seconds

These comforting, authentic ground beef enchiladas are smothered in green enchilada sauce and baked to cheesy tex mex goodness!

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds ground beef, 80/20 blend
  • 1 t. kosher salt
  • 1/2 onion, small dice
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press
  • 1/2 t. onion powder
  • 1 t. black pepper
  • 1 t. Texas chili powder
  • 1/2 t. garlic powder
  • 3 T. water
  • 1/2 c. tomato sauce (4 oz. can)
  • 1 batch of Green Enchilada Sauce
  • 25-10 corn tortillas
  • 1/4 c. oil for heating the tortillas
  • 1 c. shredded Monterrey Jack or Quesadilla or Oaxaca cheese

Instructions

Prepare the Green Enchilada Sauce according to the instructions found here.

For the enchilada filling: Place the ground beef in a saute pan over medium-high heat and sprinkle with kosher salt. Sear the meat well, drain, and then add in the diced onion and garlic. Add the spices. Cook 2 minutes to soften the vegetables. Add in water and cook 5-10 minutes to a saucy consistency. The beef filling should be moist but not runny with water. Continue simmering if you need to evaporate excess water. Add the tomato sauce. Simmer 5 minutes or so and season to taste. Remove from the heat and cool.

In a saute pan, add a little oil and fry each corn tortilla for several seconds on both sides. Remove the tortilla to a plate lined with paper towels and repeat with the remaining corn tortillas. This warms them for the filling and makes them rollable.

Place about 1/4 c. of green enchilada sauce in a large casserole dish. Lay a tortilla flat and fill with about 2-3 T. of filling. Roll up and place into the casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas until your casserole dish is full.

Pour the green enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and cover with cheese of your choice.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove and top with pickled jalapenos, sour cream, cilantro, or your favorite toppings! Serve hot with beans and rice!

Did you make this recipe? Please leave us a comment below and let us know how it went!

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Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to good enchiladas? ›

The most important tip for avoiding soggy enchiladas is to briefly fry your tortillas in hot oil before you fill and roll. This creates a little bit of a barrier so that the tortillas don't soak up too much of the sauce and therefore start to break down.

How to make can green enchilada sauce better? ›

To make your canned enchilada sauce taste homemade, grab some butter, a little flour, and some chicken stock. This trifecta of ingredients infuses a canned enchilada sauce with a satisfyingly thick texture and a rich, savory flavor.

Is it better to cook enchiladas covered or uncovered? ›

Assemble the remaining enchiladas. Then spread any remaining sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, followed by any extra cheese. Bake. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, until the enchiladas are cooked through and the tortillas are slightly crispy on the outside.

Do you put sauce on enchiladas before or after baking? ›

Step 1: Make 10 minute homemade red enchilada sauce using fridge and pantry staples. Step 2: Sprinkle shredded Mexican blend cheese into the centers of corn tortillas then roll and place inside a casserole dish. Step 3: Cover with red sauce then bake.

What is the best melting cheese for enchiladas? ›

Monterey Jack is a mild, creamy cheese that melts easily and adds a smooth texture to the enchiladas.

Are enchiladas better with corn or flour tortillas? ›

Corn tortillas go well with Mexican dishes like tacos, enchiladas, and tamales. They are also perfect for use in tostadas, sopes, and quesadillas. Flour tortillas are often used in burritos, fajitas, and chimichangas. They are also great for making quesadillas, sweet dishes like dessert tacos, and breakfast burritos.

Are enchiladas better with red or green sauce? ›

If you are making enchiladas, you may be wondering, “Which sauce should I use?” This is an excellent question, and the most straightforward answer is whatever you prefer. If you are making beef enchiladas, it is more common to pair them with a red sauce, and chicken enchiladas usually have a green sauce.

How to make can enchilada sauce taste better? ›

Add stock - Chicken, beef, or vegetable, stocks pack a ton of flavor - because they are prepared by simmering bones and vegetables in water for hours, often with herbs and spices until the flavor is extracted - and can instantly elevate the flavor of canned enchilada sauce.

What can I add to canned enchilada sauce to make it taste better? ›

Let's begin with why you should use flour, butter, and stock to make that canned sauce even better. For starters, the butter will emulsify and add creaminess to your sauce without taking away the shine from the flavors of the other ingredients.

Why do flour tortillas get soggy in enchiladas? ›

Tips for keeping your flour tortillas from getting soggy in enchiladas. Try preheating your enchilada pan in the oven before you start cooking. Adding your tortillas intoan already-warm pan instead of a cold one will help them start cooking and getting crispy right away, rather than risking sogginess.

How long to put enchiladas in the oven at 350 degrees? ›

Pour the enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas and top with any remaining meat or cheese. Bake in the preheated 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 to 30 minutes.

What kind of cheese do Mexican restaurants use in enchiladas? ›

Queso fresco comes from Jalisco, in the western part of Mexico. It has a mild, slightly tangy flavor and crumbles and shreds easily, making it makes a fantastic topping for Beef and Cheese Enchiladas or sweet-tangy Grilled Corn.

Can you put too much sauce on enchiladas? ›

Another thing that adversely affects enchiladas is the addition of too much sauce. If you've ever thought, "There is no such thing as too much sauce," you might want to think again. Although it might be tempting to dump the whole serving of sauce in, this can actually be an enormous mistake.

Why do you dip tortillas in oil for enchiladas? ›

First, it creates a barrier on the surface of the tortilla that allows the tortilla to absorb some sauce—but avoid completely disintegrating. Second, it adds flavor; the sugar in the tortilla starts to caramelize and the proteins brown. Finally, it adds richness from the oil.

References

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