Beef Enchiladas with Cheese (Printable)

Tender beef and cheese wrapped in tortillas, baked with enchilada sauce until golden and bubbly.

# What You'll Need:

→ Beef Filling

01 - 1 lb ground beef
02 - 1 small onion, finely chopped
03 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
04 - 1 tsp ground cumin
05 - 1 tsp chili powder
06 - 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
07 - 1/2 tsp salt
08 - 1/4 tsp black pepper

→ Assembly

09 - 8 medium flour tortillas (8-inch)
10 - 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
11 - 1 can (15 oz) red enchilada sauce
12 - 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)
13 - 1/2 cup sour cream, for serving

# Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).
02 - Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon, for about 5 minutes until browned.
03 - Add chopped onion and minced garlic to the skillet and cook for 2–3 minutes until softened.
04 - Stir in cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, salt, and black pepper. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant, then remove from heat.
05 - Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce evenly on the bottom.
06 - Lay out a tortilla, place about 1/3 cup beef mixture and 2 tablespoons shredded cheese in the center, roll tightly, and place seam-side down in the dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
07 - Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the rolled tortillas and sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese on top.
08 - Bake uncovered for 20–25 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
09 - Let cool for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with sour cream.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The beef stays incredibly moist and flavorful, soaking up all those spices without any weird greasiness that sometimes happens with ground beef dishes.
  • Everything comes together in 50 minutes flat, which means you can actually pull this off on a weeknight and still feel like you cooked something impressive.
  • That bubbling cheese on top tastes ten times better than it has any right to, especially when it gets those golden crispy edges.
02 -
  • Don't skip the spice toasting step because raw spices taste dusty and bitter, but toasted spices taste like you actually planned this meal.
  • If your tortillas are dried out or cracked, quickly warm them in a dry skillet or over a flame before rolling because a little steam makes them flexible and cooperative.
03 -
  • Use a baking dish with slightly raised edges because enchilada sauce is runny and enthusiastic about escaping during baking.
  • If you can't find good enchilada sauce, a quick swap is mixing tomato sauce, chili powder, and beef broth, which gives you control over the heat level and tastes surprisingly authentic.
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