A very tasty skillet beef enchiladas recipe. This Mexican-inspired dish is an easier and quicker version of traditional enchiladas. No filling, no rolling, and no baking. Just throw all the ingredients in a pot or skillet pan, then dinner is ready for the entire family in less than 30 minutes.
If you are looking for an easy one-pot meal recipe, try these Skillet Beef Enchiladas. It's made with simple ingredients and loaded with flavors. A great recipe that takes little effort to put together, it’s perfect on a busy day.
This is also the perfect way to do something delicious with leftover corn tortillas!
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A Quick One-Pot Meal with Easy Ingredients:
To make this skillet beef enchilada, you will need; ground beef, canned enchilada sauce, corn tortillas, mixed Mexican-style cheese, diced green chilies (optional, for those of you that like spicy food), onion, garlic, and salt.
The Best Ground Beef for Enchiladas:
Minced beef is a relatively inexpensive protein choice and is versatile! It's the perfect addition to easy weeknight dinners. To make this recipe, you will need extra-lean ground beef -90/10 or 93/7 because these types of meats are the perfect choice for meals like tacos or enchiladas, especially those with sauces.
Enchilada Sauce:
This recipe is all about simplicity. Therefore, we are going to use a store-bought or canned enchilada sauce.
There are so many enchilada sauces to choose from. I recommend using a red version with a level of spiciness according to your liking.
Enchilada sauce is one of main ingredient that will make or break this recipe. For that reason, pick the best quality enchilada sauce that you know will taste good with or without modifications.
Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies
This is an optional product. In this recipe, I used RO-TEL Mild Diced Tomatoes and Green Chilies. If you don't have this in your pantry, or if you don’t want the extra heat, just skip it.
A good replacement ingredient is chopped green bell pepper if you have any.
Enchilada Seasoning:
I only used simple seasoning of cumin and salt.
As we know canned products are not all made equally! You may or may not need to adjust the seasoning according to your liking. But if you do, cumin, taco seasoning or chili powder would be the perfect choice to spice things up!
Check Out More Delicious Mexican-Inspired Recipes:
- MEXICAN BREAKFAST TOAST
- ELOTES MEXICANOS – MEXICAN CORN SALAD
- SHRIMP AVOCADO MANGO SALAD
- INSTANT POT CARNITAS (TENDER AND CRISPY)
- INSTANT POT CILANTRO LIME RICE
- CHORIZO SOUP (WITH BLACK BEANS AND VEGGIES!)
- TOFU RANCHEROS (LOW CARB AND HIGH IN PROTEIN!) – WITH RECIPE VIDEO 🎥
Corn Tortillas:
Corn tortillas are traditional in enchiladas. I used the 6-inch corn tortillas, cut them into inch wide strips, then fry them to get a nice brown color and crispier texture.
Cheese:
You can use Mexican-style mixed cheese or shredded Colby Jack cheese, or a combination of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese for melting.
How to Make the Enchiladas:
The cooking process is pretty simple and done in one skillet pan. Here are some important steps to follow:
- Crisp the corn tortilla. Fry the corn tortillas first before adding into the mixture. This adds a nice texture to the dish and avoids them from being soggy.
- Brown the beef. This is a pretty standard thing to do with ground beef in most recipes. This process not only gives the meat a nice brown color crust but also brings out the flavor.
- Cook the onion and garlic. These ingredients are used in many recipes to add texture and flavor to foods.
- Add the seasoning. Add the cumin, and salt to the mixture.
Add the sauce. Mix in the enchilada sauce, the optional diced tomatoes and green chilies (RO-TEL), and half of the crispy corn tortilla to the mixture. Then simmer until thickened.
- Melt the Cheese. Lastly, top the mixture with the remaining crispy corn tortillas and melt the cheese at low heat.
What to Serve:
You can serve this beef enchilada with Mexican rice, refried beans, or black beans. Black olives will also make a good topping choice!
Storing Leftover Tortillas:
Place the leftovers in an airtight container and keep it for up to 2 days in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
I hope you'll enjoy this recipe! If you try it out please don't forget to come back and rate the recipe card!
This recipe is inspired by Cook Country. I adjusted the ingredients and cooking method to get the best of it.
Skillet Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef , ( 90/10 or 93/7)
- 15 oz red enchilada sauce, (about 2 cups)
- 10 oz diced tomatoes and green chilies , (such as from Rotel)
- 1½ cups diced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin or taco seasoning, (add more according to your liking)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 12 (6-inch) corn tortillas, (cut the corn tortillas in half and cut again crosswise)
- 1½ cups cheese, (Colby Jack cheese, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, or a combination of these cheeses)
Instructions
- Heat ¼ cup of oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat until simmering. Fry the tortilla until lightly brown and crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Set aside. Leave about 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Add ground beef, cook undisturbed for 1 minute over medium-high heat. Start breaking up the meat with a spatula for 1 minute, then add onion, and cook for about 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic, and cook for 1-2 minutes or until the meat is browned.
- Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the diced tomatoes and green chilies, and enchilada sauce. Dip about 2 cups of tortilla chips briefly in the sauce. Submerge them in the sauce using the spatula. Simmer until the sauce is thickened for about 7 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add in the remaining tortilla chips, then sprinkle with cheese. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet, and cook until the cheese is melted (for about 3 minutes), OR transfer the skillet to oven and broil until cheese is melted and bubbling for about 1-2 minutes If using the latter option be sure to use an oven-safe skillet.
- Serve with your favorite toppings, such as: avocado, sour cream, jalapeno, scallion, etc.
Beth
These look so delicious and so yummy! I can't wait to make these! My daughter loves enchiladas! She'll be so excited to try this!
Pam
I could just dive right into that skilletful of cheesy goodness right now!
Noelle
This was delicious! perfect dinner for the whole family, thanks for the idea 🙂
Sarah Bailey
Ohh now this sounds like it would be absolutely delicious - there is nothing quite like a skillet to make a good meal.
Alina | Cooking Journey Blog
I love this easy and delicious recipe. Perfect flavorful family dinner idea!
Heidy
My family loved these skillet beef enchiladas! They raved about so much I will be making them again in the coming weeks!
Pam Wattenbarger
We love enchiladas. I think being able to make a one-pot version will be great.
Amber Myers
Yes please, I must try these for dinner. They look so delicious.
Heather
These enchiladas were a huge hit with the family. Love the flavors and will be making again soon.
Tasheena
This looks like a lot of fun to make. Looking forward to making this for my family.
Monica Simpson
I've never tried enchiladas in a skillet before. Also thanks for the tip about the corn tortillas. I hate when they get soggy!
Chef Dennis
This skillet beef enchiladas recipe looks absolutely delicious. I must have this today. My wife will love this too.
Jennifer Van Haitsma
Enchiladas is my favorite mexican dish! That's what I always get when we order take out. Thanks for sharing this!
Gervin Khan
Such an easy and delicious dish to make for everyone!
Kita Bryant
These would be awesome for some dinner. I love making Mexican food.
Jessica Formicola
These enchiladas are my family's new favorite meal! It will definitely be going on our regular rotation!
Mary
This looks really delicious and thanks for sharing this recipe.
Mary
I love one pot meals especially as they save me a lot of time and money. I think I've found myself a new recipe, which I'm not going to hesitate to make. I love tortilla, which I already have at home and some of these ingredients, but I'll be using taco spice since it's my absolute favourite. I also love that this recipe is bursting with colours which will be appealing to my kids. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us.
Sonia
I love the way you explain the recipe with everything so detailed + the list was super helpful. Thankyou for creating this beauty recipe.
Rika Livingston
You're welcome!
Rika Livingston
You're welcome, Mary!
Rika Livingston
Thank, Gervin!