These ground beef enchiladas are the best around! An easy 30 minute meal made with seasoned beef, cream cheese, enchilada sauce, melty cheese, and a few other simple ingredients. This meal is a family favorite and makes great leftovers.

 

Tex-Mex inspired beef enchiladas is a recipe I turn to if we are having friends over or I just need a satisfying meal to get us through the week. They are easy to prep ahead of time and make the BEST leftovers.

Any meal that can be made in about 30 minutes is always a winner in my book. This recipe uses shortcuts like packaged seasoning and canned enchilada sauce to help speed up the cooking process, but you can easily substitute homemade versions of both.

If you love a good Tex-Mex meal be sure to try these totchos, bean dip, cattle drive casserole, and quesadillas.

Ingredients

• Ground beef – I like using lean ground beef for this recipe.
• Onion – You will need about 1/2 of a large onion. I like using yellow onion or sweet Vidalia onion.
• Diced green chiles – This adds another layer of flavor to the spice.
• Cream cheese – Cream cheese is added to the beef mixture to give it a delicious creamy consistency.
• Tortillas – Flour or soft corn tortillas will work. I like using the soft taco sized flour tortillas because they are easy to roll.
• Taco seasoning – Use 1 package or homemade taco seasoning.
• Enchilada sauce Use a large can of red enchilada sauce or homemade enchilada sauce.
• Shredded cheese – I like using either cheddar cheese, colby jack cheese, or a Mexican blend cheese.

How to make ground beef enchiladas

Find the full printable ingredients and recipe and the bottom.

Step one: Beef – Cook the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain off any excess grease and stir in the diced onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the taco seasonings and water. Stir to coat the meat.

Step two: Stir in diced chiles and cream cheese. Stir until the cream cheese melts.

Step three: Pour a little of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 casserole dish. Place some of the ground beef mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll. Place the enchilada seam side down in the casserole dish.

Step four: Pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas.

Step five: Bake the enchiladas for about 20 minutes or until the cheese melts.

Tips for success

• Make sure to drain off any excess grease after cooking the beef.
• Cut the cream cheese into cubes to help it melt faster.
• If you decide to use corn tortillas, warm them up in a skillet before rolling. It help to make them more pliable and easier to roll.
• Don’t forget to place the enchiladas seam side down so they don’t unroll.

Beef enchilada toppings

The enchiladas are great on their own but feel free to add some tasty toppings like guacamole, sour cream, green onions, jalapenos, salsa, cotija cheese, and fresh cilantro.

What to serve with beef enchiladas

Enchiladas can be paired with a variety of delicious side dishes. A few favorites include:

• Refried beans
• Black beans
• Green salad
• Corn casserole
• Mexican rice
• Tex-Mex white sauce
• Homemade Spanish rice

Recipe variations

Try changing up a few of the ingredients for a whole new meal.

• Beef enchiladas with green sauce – Try a new spin on these enchiladas by swapping out the red sauce with green sauce.
• Beef with bean enchiladas – Add in drained black beans or pinto beans to the enchilada filling.
• Enchiladas with sour cream sauce – Substitute the red sauce with a creamy white sour cream sauce.
• Beef enchiladas with veggies – Add in some diced green bell pepper or sliced mushrooms with the beef mixture.

How to store

Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat in the oven or the microwave.

Freeze any leftovers in a freezer safe container for up to 3 months. I like using a disposable aluminum pan that is then wrapped in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.

Common questions

More ground beef recipes

This is a great recipe for a pack of ground beef. Here are some of our other favorite beef recipes.

• Ground beef ramen
• Ground beef alfredo
• Ground beef taco dip
• Ground beef and rice casserole
• Sloppy Joe casserole