Beef Enchilada Casserole
Beef Enchilada Casserole is layers of seasoned ground beef, cheese, enchilada sauce, and soft flour tortillas baked until everything is hot and bubbly. It’s an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love!
It’s no secret I LOVE Mexican food. I’m all about tacos and fajitas, but there is one item I’m sure to order whenever we go out to eat and that’s enchiladas. I love the delicious red enchilada sauce, the melted cheese, the tender tortillas. Seriously, I’m getting hungry just thinking about it.
This Beef Enchilada Casserole takes all of the flavors and simplifies the process by layering the ingredients in a casserole dish rather than rolling them. Personally I like this so much better because the sauce gets into every nook and cranny and all of the flavors really meld together so that every bite is a little fiesta in your mouth.
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What Ingredients are in Beef Enchilada Casserole?
- Flour tortillas – I use flour tortillas because I like how soft they are but if you want a more authentic enchilada experience feel free to substitute corn tortillas. They will most likely be smaller so you may need a few more.
- Red enchilada sauce – My favorite part! I highly recommend making this homemade red enchilada sauce because it has such an amazing flavor (and can be made up to 2 weeks ahead of time) but you can also use your favorite brand of store bought enchilada sauce.
- Seasoned ground beef & onions – Ground beef and onions are cooked together with taco seasoning for a spicy beef filling.
- Cheddar cheese – It wouldn’t be an enchilada without cheese! You can use sharp or mild cheddar or use a Mexican blend if you prefer.
How to Make Beef Enchilada Casserole:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brown ground beef for 5 minutes. Add onions and continue to cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add taco seasoning to the beef along with ¼ cup of water and stir together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes until the liquid mostly disappeared.
- In a greased, 11×9 casserole dish add ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and then place two tortillas on top of it so that they cover the bottom of the dish.
- Place 1/3 of the beef on top of the tortillas, followed by ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and 1 cup of cheese.
- Place two more tortillas on top of the cheese and repeat the beef, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Place the final two tortillas on top and place the remaining beef on top then pour remaining enchilada sauce over it followed by cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to bake for 10 minutes.
What to Serve with Beef Enchilada Casserole:
- Pico de Gallo and chips
- Avocado Coleslaw
- Spanish Rice, or white rice
- Refried Beans
Looking for More Comfort Food Casseroles?
- Chicken Enchilada Casserole
- Breakfast Burrito Casserole
- King Ranch Chicken Casserole
- Chicken Tortilla Casserole
- Taco Macaroni Casserole
- Pizza Casserole
- Chicken Parmesan Bake
- Creamed Corn Casserole
- More Casserole Recipes…
BEEF ENCHILADA CASSEROLE
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Easy Recipes and Simple Entertaining Ideas!
Beef Enchilada Casserole
Beef Enchilada Casserole is layers of seasoned ground beef, cheese, enchilada sauce, and soft flour tortillas baked until everything is hot and bubbly. It's an easy weeknight dinner that the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds Ground Beef
- ½ cup Yellow onion, diced
- ¼ cup Taco seasoning
- 2 cups Enchilada sauce
- 6 8-inch Flour tortillas
- 12 ounce Cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Brown ground beef for 5 minutes. Add onions and continue to cook for another 3 minutes.
- Add taco seasoning to the beef along with ¼ cup of water and stir together. Continue to cook for 5 minutes until the liquid mostly disappeared.
- In a greased, 11x9 casserole dish add ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and then place two tortillas on top of it so that they cover the bottom of the dish.
- Place 1/3 of the beef on top of the tortillas, followed by ½ cup of the enchilada sauce, and 1 cup of cheese.
- Place two more tortillas on top of the cheese and repeat the beef, enchilada sauce, and cheese. Place the final two tortillas on top and place the remaining beef on top then pour remaining enchilada sauce over it followed by cheese.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the cover and continue to bake for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 483kcal, Carbohydrates: 21g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 31g, Saturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 969mg, Potassium: 336mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 5g, Vitamin A: 745IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 296mg, Iron: 3.3mg
Nutrition Disclaimer: We are not certified nutritionists. Nutrition facts are an estimate and are provided as a courtesy. They are generated by an online API which recognizes ingredient names and amounts and makes calculations based on the serving size. Results may vary.
This was our first beef enchilada we’ve ever made. We always make chicken and my wife found this and said I’d like to try it. It was fantastic! I did use “El Pato” red enchilada sauce instead of making the sauce, we were a bit rushed and I didn’t have time to make the suggested sauce, I will the next time. I added chopped cilantro and jalapeños to the top at the end and cooked for the last ten minutes, a perfect addition!
Richard, we love hearing that. Glad everyone enjoyed it!
Made a variation on this last night and it was great! The changes I made were I used 1 lb. of ground beef and then made up for the missing pound with leftover homemade black bean salsa (basically seasoned black beans, corn, chopped tomatoes), then I used burrito-size wheat low-carb tortillas and used a 9×13 dish. For the enchilada sauce, I used 1 can of hot store-bought enchilada sauce then added chopped chipotles and about a cup or so of beef & red pepper broth leftover from another recipe (basically just the remaining juices from slow-cooking pieces of steak with frozen red & green peppers and onions). For cheese (and I used a bunch – much more than recipe called for) I used some store-bought shredded Mexican blend then shredded about 4 oz. each of monterey jack and sharp cheddar. Wound up baking approx. 10 additional minutes with the foil removed so the cheeses could fully melt. Also topped with pickled jalapenos. 🙂 Thanks for the recipe idea!
Can this Beef Enchilada Casserole be prepared one night and baked the next day? I hope.🙂
Yes! It may have to bake slightly longer to heat it all the way through you’ll just have to check the temperature in the center before you remove it from the oven.
Yum! I made this for supper for my family tonight and we all loved it. I added black beans to the beef and seasoned with my own spices rather than taco spice. I will certainly make it again, thank you!
I’m almost 39 weeks pregnant and have been making freezer meals. This casserole sounds delicious – could I make in advance and freeze?
Yes! This is a great casserole for freezing. To reheat just let it thaw in the refrigerator the day before then cook according to the recipe instructions. Make sure to test the center before removing from the oven as it might take a bit longer to heat through after being frozen.
Making the homemade enchilada sauce was most definitely a plus… GOODBYE CAN GOODS! This even got my 13 year old daughter interested in assisting me with this recipe and I must say this is one of my family’s favorite!!!
Can I use corn tortillas?
Yes. It works with corn or flour tortillas
Just finished this and it was delicious! I added corn and smeared each top tortilla with retried beans. But it didn’t come out in layers like your beautiful pictures! It sort of slid off and was pretty runny. Any idea why?
Maybe you cut it a little sooner than we did? I probably let mine rest for 15-30 minutes after it came out of the oven. I find that any lasagna-type dish cuts better that way. If that’s not the case you can also add less sauce between each layer. If you’re going to add corn make sure it is well drained. Both the corn and refried beans will add a little extra moisture.
Can I use green enchilada sauce instead of red? Trying to use our canned goods that we already have. I understand it may change the flavor a bit but just wanted to hear your thoughts?
Of course! I personally love green enchilada sauce with that tangy tomatillo and lime flavor. I do think it’s better with chicken though but it still works with beef. We do have a chicken version of this casserole if you want to try it https://www.homemadeinterest.com/chicken-enchilada-casserole/
I accidentally made it with 1/2 the beef and sauce, and it was a hit! I can’t wait to try it again!
This is a great recipe. My friends love it. If I have a can in the house
, I add chili peppers in adobo sauce.
I have made this twice to rave reviews. The second time I didn’t realize that I had no tortillas so made them from scratch…great recipe and love the sauce.
This was absolutely delicious! I had an extra roasted poblano that I added that with the onions. I’ll be making this a lot! Thank you!
Scanned perhaps 10 recipes in Pinterest but this one seemed the best and I was right
Can you make and freeze?
I used shredded chicken. Added diced green chilies , sliced black olives to the layers. Just delicious! Served with Spanish rice
This was delish! Everybody in the family loved it!
My mother-in-law used to make three of these casseroles – one mild, one hot and the third – blow your doors off but she never shared her recipe. Thank you for doing that. This is very much like her’s and I can’t thank you enough for posting it.
Aww I’m so happy to hear that!! It’s definitely one of my favorite casseroles
Followed recipe using grass fed organic ground beef. Made the taco seasoning and homemade sauce. This recipe is a keeper! Probably the best I’ve had. Might try it next time with vegan ground meat just for something different. The recipe has so much flavor, just perfect.
HELP! Trying desperately to print this recipe but Print button apparently not working. No printer friendly version available
Hi, we have had a few people mention this lately but I haven’t been able to reproduce the problem. If you have a minute could you tell me what browser you’re using (chrome, firefox, edge/explorer, safari…) and if you are on a desktop or on your phone? I would really like to get this fixed! In the meantime I’m going to email you a pdf version that you can print.
Thank you so much for the pdf version. I’m using an iPhone with a Safari browser
Made enchilada sauce and added one can drained and rinsed black beans and one can drained corn and a few more spices. Baked in 9×13 pan. Family liked it!
Recipe calls for 1/4 cup taco seasoning. Is this correct? Sound like a bit much for the recipe.
Yes that is correct. If you were using a store bought packet it has about 2 tablespoons for 1 lb of meat. We use 2 pounds of meat for this recipe so we use 4 tablespoons. You can definitely use less if you prefer. Start with two tablespoons and see what you think.
Tried this the other day and loved it!! I did make the mistake of leaving it in the oven on warm for about an hour before we ate so it was a little browned on the top but it was spot on delicious with your red sauce recipe and some added chives, black olives and jalapeños it was a dinner I will definitely be repeating!!
Out of curiosity, do you have any suggestions for substitutions for the flour tortillas layers? Due to stomach surgery last year, I can’t have bread products anymore really without becoming sick or overly full and bloated within a few bites, and I’m not a fan of corn tortillas due to the texture. I’ve replaced flour tortilla shells with whole lettuce leaf when making tacos (it’s actually really good!) but that doesn’t seem like it’d work as well here for swapping the tortilla layer. I’d like to try this recipe out as a replacement for normal beef enchiladas once in awhile.
Hi Kel, in the past I’ve used zucchini as a substitute. Use a mandoline to slice the zucchini lengthwise into strips. You can follow the directions to prepare zucchini here https://www.homemadeinterest.com/chicken-alfredo-zucchini-lasagna-low-carb/
Hi there!
What’s the serving size per person?
Hi Leigh, you’ll cut this into 10 equal portions. One portion is a serving.
your directions are terrible. What onion ???? How much onion ??? IN BIG LETTERS USE THE DAMN FOIL. It is probs a good recipe but I could have used mine to shingle a roof. This is not the first recipe of yours that is not written well and does not turn out well. VERY EXPENSIVE to make guesses where you are unclear.
Are you using the recipe card at the bottom of the post (there is a button at the top that will get you there quickly)? It clearly states 1/2 cup of diced yellow onion and the last step begins with “Cover with aluminum foil”. I’m always open to constructive criticism and I take every note to heart but I do not know what your confusion is in regards to this recipe. I can only assume you are reading the brief instructions within the post and aren’t reading the detailed ingredients/instructions in the recipe card….though it very clearly states cover with aluminum foil there so…
I added 2 cans of chopped up black olives on the meat layer, delicious.