The Chunky Chef

Everyday meals with a dash of gourmet

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Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

 One bite of these beef enchiladas and you’ll be hooked!  The filling is super flavorful and the homemade sauce really takes it from great to OMG fantastic!

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

Mexican food… ahhhhh Mexican food.  I just simply do NOT get tired of eating it!  Tacos, nachos, burritos, chimichangas, fajitas, and enchiladas.  There are so many recipes for enchiladas, but this one is my absolute favorite one.  Beef enchiladas with something extra… a homemade enchilada sauce!

Look at that gooey, melted cheese in the photo above!!  *drools*

Okay Amanda, let’s focus on the recipe here!  Making your own enchilada sauce is super easy!   All it takes is 15-20 minutes and a handful of ingredients I bet you already have on hand 🙂

You’re just going to make a roux by heating some vegetable oil in a saucepan, whisking in some flour, and cooking it for a minute.  Add your seasonings and whisk in your vegetable or chicken stock to combine and remove any lumps.  Now just simmer for 10-15 minutes.  That’s it you guys.  I had a brain fart the day I was making these and photographing them, so I don’t have many shots of my sauce, apart from this one…

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

But HERE is where the recipe came from, and she is awesome!  Check it out!

Hopefully soon, I’ll be learning to can, and then I plan to make a big batch of this sauce and can it so I can always have a jar ready to go 🙂

Alright, let’s get to the filling!  Which do you prefer… chicken or beef?  I love them both equally, and what I love about these enchiladas, is that it works perfectly for either chicken or beef!  It would also work if you’d prefer a vegetarian bean filling.

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

I used a ground beef with a higher fat ratio for extra flavor, and browned it in my BIG skillet.  Once the meat was most of the way browned, I added in my onion, garlic, and green chiles, to saute for a few more minutes.  Then drain the meat mixture and set aside.

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

 

Now just set up an assembly area and add a couple of tablespoons of the enchilada sauce to a flour tortilla, add some black beans down the center, top with ground beef mixture, drizzle with a little more sauce, and top with some shredded cheese.

Roll up the tortilla and place in a greased 9×13″ baking pan.  Repeat with remaining tortillas, then spread sauce over all the tortillas and cover with shredded cheese.

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, and broil the last couple of minutes if you want it more of a golden brown.  Garnish with some chopped cilantro and green onions, it adds such a great flavor!

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

I like to serve my enchiladas with some sour cream, extra cilantro and green onions, and with some sweet corn on the side.

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

That cheese you guys… O…M…G!  So cheesy and gooey!

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

To complete your Mexican dinner fiesta, why not serve up some tortilla chips with a yummy roasted corn and poblano salsa, corn and avocado salsa, or some restaurant style salsa?  Can you tell I love salsa? 😉

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

IF you have any leftovers, (and I say if because let’s face it, once you try one, you won’t be able to have just one, I promise you!) they reheat really well and make a hearty lunch 🙂

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

These would be perfect for any meal, but will also make a great Cinco de Mayo dinner 😉

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Recipe adapted and inspired from Gimme Some Oven

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Course: Entree
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 4 -6 servings
Author: The Chunky Chef
These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!
Print

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 yellow onion diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1.5 lbs ground beef
  • salt and pepper
  • 4 oz can diced green chiles I used mild
  • 15 oz can black beans rinsed and drained thoroughly
  • 8-10 flour tortillas
  • 3 cups Mexican-blend shredded cheese
  • 1 batch homemade red enchilada sauce or 1 can store-bought enchilada sauce
  • chopped fresh cilantro and green onions for garnish

Instructions

  1. If you're making homemade enchilada sauce, prepare it.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  3. Add oil to a big skillet and heat over medium high heat. Add ground beef and crumble (use a potato masher to make it easier). Once ground beef is about halfway cooked, add onion, garlic, and green chiles and saute for 3-6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain beef mixture.
  4. To make the enchiladas, spread a couple of tablespoons of the enchilada sauce over the tortilla. Add beans in a line down the middle of the tortilla, then add in a spoonful of the beef mixture, drizzle some extra enchilada sauce over the meat, then add one third of a cup of cheese. Roll up tortilla and place in a greased 9 x 13" baking pan. Continue with remaining tortillas.
  5. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas, and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
  6. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, broiling the last few minutes if you want the cheese to be a more golden brown. Garnish with chopped cilantro and green onions.

Recipe Notes

** you could easily swap out ground turkey, diced chicken, pre-cooked shredded chicken or all beans for the beef in this recipe.

 

These beef enchiladas are filled with a flavorful beef, bean and chili mixture, covered in a delicious homemade sauce and smothered in gooey cheese!

Homemade Enchilada Sauce

Course: Sauce
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 2 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 17 minutes
Servings: 2 cups
Author: The Chunky Chef
You'll never want store bought enchilada sauce again!
Print

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
  • 2 Tbsp flour
  • 4 Tbsp chili powder use less if you are afraid of it being too spicy
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • 1/4 tsp oregano
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 cups vegetable stock or chicken

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add flour and whisk together over the heat for one minute. Stir in the remaining seasonings (chili powder through cayenne pepper). Then gradually add in the stock, whisking constantly to eliminate lumps. Reduce to low and simmer 10-15 minutes until thickened.
  2. Use immediately or refrigerate in an air-tight container for up to two weeks.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I think I’ve just found my new favorite set of pictures friend!!!!!! These are AMAZING!!! I believe you when you say how good they are……… dare I make them?!!?! Well I’m pinning for SURE… and who am I kidding, I’ll probably be eating these by the end of the week. I love the IMG flip thingy!!!!! So cool!
    Stephanie recently posted…BLT Grilled CheeseMy Profile

    Reply

    • Ahhhhh thank you girl!!! You should have seen what I rigged up to get the cheesy shots lol 🙂 Mexican food, then pizza, then Italian food, Brinner, and then just repeat over and over again… that’s my perfect dinner rotation! I was inspired by Dini to make a .gif for the post… I love how it turned out 😀

      Reply

    • Thank you!!! Oh Ginger, it was a LOT of trial and error 🙂 I set up my food shot about 2.5 feet away from my big outside patio doors, making sure to backlight the food, and I balanced the spatula to hold the enchilada up so that the cheese was all melted and stringy (I had to put a dish towel over the handle of the spatula to be enough weight to counter balance)… then just snapped pics like crazy 😀

      Reply

    • Thank you so much Michelle!! You know when you’re doing a food photoshoot and you look down at the camera and just think, “oh yeah, that’s the one!”… I literally danced around when I realized I finally got a cheesy shot! Lol, I’m such a dork 🙂

      Reply

  20. Hi! the photos look amazing! Do you have any tips and tricks for the perfect fork-pick-up shot? I’m assuming you’re balancing the camera with the other hand?

    Reply

    • Hi Kim!! Thank you soooo much! 😀 I actually placed a dish towel on the handle of the spatula, acting as a counter weight so that it held the enchilada up, and then I snapped photos like crazy 🙂 My big tip would be to set your focus area so you’re focusing right on the gooey cheese and take a LOT of photos

      Reply

  23. i stumbled upon this recipe on Pinterest and made it for a fiesta we were going to. People RAVED about it. There was a gentleman there from Mexico who had three helpings and absolutely loved it.

    Needless to say, this is now our go-to recipe. Wwe were actually requested to make it during our upcoming vacation! I think it’s the homemade enchilada sauce that nailed it.

    Thank you so much for making me look so good! I know a number of my friends repinned this on their own wall.

    I’m very wary of Pinterest recipes but this one nailed it!

    Reply

    • Oh my gosh Michele, I’m SO glad everyone loved it!!! Hearing things like that just make my day, scratch that, my week 😀 I know what you mean about recipes on Pinterest, I’ve been burned a few times before with not so great ones! I’m so happy you took a chance on mine 🙂

      Reply

  24. I’m trying these tonight, without the chiles because I have none. Your pictures are awesome! I hope they taste just as good 😊

    Reply

  31. Oh wow…the stringy cheese pictures are making me hungry! These look delicious…I am going to try out your recipe with ground turkey.

    Reply

  32. These look great! Would they turn out if I prepared them the night before and then poured the sauce on right before I baked them? When I work I like to have meals prepped so when I get home I can just pop them in the oven!

    Reply

  33. I love your blog btw. Your photos and viewpoint is wonderful and your food looks delicious! The green stuff looks a little bit like parsley to me though… no worries. I do what I have to do for photos too! 😉

    Reply

  34. Loved, loved, loved these!!! We had company over and had this with your cilantro lime rice, roasted corn and poblano pepper salsa, salsa fresca, and chips. The enchiladas were the hit of the night (even with one gentleman whose mother cooked him authentic Mexican food every day of his childhood)! That was followed closely by the roasted corn and pepper salsa. I thought that was fantastic! For those who are going to make this, note that I made it according to directions exactly and ended up with twice as much of the meat as I needed for a pan of enchiladas. Also, I expected the enchilada sauce to thicken like the powder kind where you add tomato sauce and water. Needless to say, I cooked it a bit too long and ended up with a little less sauce than I would have liked. Of course the flavor was still perfect, and it didn’t seem dry at all. Just something to note when waiting for it to thicken on the stove. But seriously…I’m in love with this enchilada and the roasted corn and pepper salsa. I will be making them for years to come! Thanks so much for this!!! (P.S. The Zuppa Toscana is awesome too! I’m going to be trying a lot more of your recipes now – I trust you wholeheartedly with food!)

    Reply

    • Hi Melinda!! OMG, your comment just absolutely made my whole night 😀 I am SO SO SO happy that you all loved these so much! Thank you so much for trusting my recipes to a dinner with company over 🙂 You’re right, the recipe does make a lot of beef filling… I should mention that in the post, I usually freeze the leftover meat mixture so I can have enchiladas even quicker the next time 🙂 Thank you again for your amazing comment!! xoxo

      Reply

      • I’m glad to have made your night, since you absolutely made mine! I froze the extra beef too and am excited to use it now that I know how amazing it is. 🙂

        Reply

  35. These look seriously amazing – sharing sharing sharing! (Yummly, FB, Pinterest.)
    I’ve actually never had enchiladas with a tomato-based sauce, only coriander and they were nothing to write home about so I’m really excited to try yours!!

    Reply

  36. I just found this recipe recently and made these tonight and WOW, my whole family loves them! I’ve struggled to find an enchilada recipe that trumps the Mexican restaurants and this does! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

  37. Wow, just found this on Pinterest and happened to have everything in my kitchen, they did not disappoint at all!! Hubby loved them!!! Snow is flying and we are in heaven!!!

    Thanks so much will have to check out blog

    Reply

  38. This is my enchilada sauce recipe almost and I do not use so much garlic. Finally, someone who makes it from scratch. I hate that canned stuff. It is a corporate take on Tex-Mex and not at all authentic like yours and mine. Great Job! : )

    Reply

    • Hi Mary 🙂 Thank you! I never claimed them to be authentic, which, you are correct, would use corn tortillas 🙂 My family prefers the taste of the flour tortillas, so that’s what I used. Around here, many places offer “enchiladas” with flour tortillas, as a slightly “Americanized” version of the dish. You could certainly use corn tortillas for this if you wanted.

      Reply

  40. Made these enchiladas tonight…AMAZING! Made the homemade sauce…also AMAZING! Thank you for a great recipe!!

    Reply

  41. The homemade enchilada sauce is a winner! I intend on using it from now on when making enchiladas! I did have to double the sauce. For the meat part, thought it was bland, so I added a jar of salsa to it to flavor it up some more. Used corn tortillas- the enchiladas were restaurant quality! Thanks for sharing this recipe!

    Reply

  42. These were absolutely delicious!! It is very hard to find a dish that my whole family enjoys, but my 3 year old, 6 year old, 9 year old, and husband cleaned their plates. I’m glad I used your homemade enchilada sauce!! Definitely a keeper. Thanks so much for sharing!

    Reply

    • Hi Tendayi 🙂 I’m SO happy to hear that the whole family loved the enchiladas!! I know what you mean about it being hard to find a dish the whole family loves… we have that problem here too lol

      Reply

  43. I just made the tonight. i never eat enchiladas because the chicken and corn tortilla ones i make are very time consuming and that is with using canned enchilada sauce.

    I decide to try some ground beef and flour tortilla ones and found this recipe. Boy was it alot easier even with making the homemade enchilada sauce!

    My whole family loved it and I will be making these again. The only thing I would do different next time is I would double the enchilada sauce mix. My family loved the sauce and was asking for more sauce and I didnt have any left over after making the recipe.

    I think they were perfect just as is, however I would make extra sauce so they can add more to their taste.

    Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, I will be returning to your website to try other delicious recipes soon!

    Reply

  44. Made these tonight for supper. Tasted great. Mine turned out soggy though with a lot of grease on the bottom. I used venison and shredded my own cheese, Any ideas how to prevent this?

    Reply

    • Hi Leanna 🙂 I’m happy to hear that you loved the taste, but sorry to hear things got greasy. I’ve never had that problem before… so my suggestions would be to drain the beef (or other ground protein) really well, and to maybe use a bit less sauce. It also could have been the venison, as I’ve only made this recipe using beef, chicken and turkey. Hope this helped!

      Reply

  45. Is this a gluten free recipe.? My friend loves Mexican food, but it has to be gluten free..thank you…Terri

    Reply

    • Hi Terri 🙂 I know white rice is gluten-free, but as we don’t have any gluten allergies here, I don’t know enough about it to say for certain. Your best bet would be to run the recipe by your friend, as she would know what contains gluten and what doesn’t 🙂

      Reply

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