Cheesy shredded beef enchiladas are the most delicious, easy dinner idea. This is one of my absolute favorite meals to make and it's been rated 10/10 by my family (I know yours will feel the same)! The best part? Using leftover shredded beef, I can whip these bad boys up in just 30 to 40 minutes. And of course, they get devoured even more quickly!
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This recipe uses my incredibly delicious Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef. It's so convenient to slow cook a big roast, freeze or refrigerate leftovers, and use them to make quick, easy meals all week!
If you've still got leftover shredded beef after making this recipe (and you probably will), try substituting beef for chicken in these tasty Taco Salad Bowls! Or make these Taco Stuffed Peppers with shredded beef instead of ground.
You can also get out some corn tortillas and make shredded beef tacos with all of your favorite toppings like pico de gallo salsa, hot sauce, sour cream, and Homemade Guacamole!
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How To Make Shredded Beef Enchiladas
- Step By Step Photos
- How To Make Shredded Beef For Enchiladas
- Expert Tips
- What To Serve With Enchiladas
- Variations
- How To Store Leftovers
- How To Reheat
- Make Ahead Instructions
- More Mexican Food Recipes
- Best Shredded Beef Enchiladas Recipe
Why You'll Love This Recipe
It's quick & simple: you'll need minimal ingredients to whip up this tasty dinner (only 6)!
Easy to customize: substitute or add ingredients as needed to appease picky eaters.
Cheesy: anything with cheese is a winner in my book!
Healthy: this recipe is high protein and gluten free. You can also easily make keto enchiladas by substituting low carb tortillas. I use La Banderita Brand (note, however, that these are not gluten free).
Ingredients & Substitutions
This pulled beef enchiladas recipe requires only 6 simple ingredients.
- Enchilada sauce: you can certainly make homemade enchilada sauce if you feel up to it! I personally like to use the Old El Paso brand, but any will do. You can also use green enchilada sauce if preferred.
- Corn tortillas: or substitute flour tortillas if you don't need to worry about making your enchiladas gluten free.
- Shredded beef: pulled chuck roast made with Mexican seasonings like chili powder and cumin.
- Cheddar cheese: freshly shredded is always best in my opinion. Bagged will work just fine if you want to save some time and effort.
- Cilantro: chopped greens to add delicious flavor and color!
- Queso fresco: I love sprinkling the top of these enchiladas with queso fresco for some extra cheesy goodness. You can also just use more cheddar if preferred.
- Optional toppings: sour cream, baja sauce, chopped green onion, avocado slices, guacamole or pico de gallo salsa. Add all of your favorites!
How To Make Shredded Beef Enchiladas
Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and measurements. We'll start here with a quick overview!
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.
- Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towels and microwave to soften.
- Portion beef into tortillas. Sprinkle with a little shredded cheese (reserve some for topping) and chopped cilantro. Roll and line in your baking dish.
- Cover enchiladas with remaining red sauce and cheeses.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until bubbling around the edges.
- Add desired toppings and enjoy!
Step By Step Photos
How To Make Shredded Beef For Enchiladas
It's super easy to make pulled beef for enchiladas! And it can be used in tons of other recipes.
You'll simply slow cook a 2-3 lb. beef chuck roast in a seasoning mixture of salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, chili powder and ground cumin.
Slice an onion and arrange pieces in the bottom of your crockpot. Place seasoned roast atop onion, add lime juice/beef broth and cook on low for a long time (8-10 hours or until fork tender).
Shred your beef and then portion it into food storage containers. Freeze or refrigerate your beef and use it for quick, easy dinners all week! For more thorough instruction see this post: Slow Cooker Mexican Shredded Beef.
Expert Tips
Something I love about this recipe? You can easily modify the quantity of enchiladas you make! This means if you've got a family member or two out of the house for the evening, you can make a half or quarter batch. I sometimes like to use a medium sized baking dish (it's 7.5 x 10) to make just six enchiladas. When making a full batch I like to whip out my big 9 x 13 dish!
What To Serve With Enchiladas
- Chips with salsa & Homemade Guacamole
- A side of rice: Spanish or cilantro lime!
- Black or refried beans
- Corn Avocado Salad
Variations
This recipe is very flexible and can be made in many different ways!
Protein: Mix things up and make your enchiladas with seasoned shredded chicken or ground beef (rather than shredded).
Mix-ins: add more than just shredded beef, cheese and cilantro to the inside of each enchilada. Try sautéed green chilies, peppers and onions. Add some chives, chopped green onion or beans (black, cannellini, refried).
Sauce: try using green enchilada sauce rather than red! I normally make this meal with mild enchilada sauce. If you like spicy food, you can use medium or hot and even mix in some red pepper flakes if desired.
Toppings: fun toppings are the best way to get creative with this recipe. Try baja sauce, guacamole, chopped cilantro, green onion, chives, red onion (pickled or fresh), sliced jalapenos (picked or fresh), sour cream mixed with lime juice, avocado lime crema, you name it! The options are endless.
How To Store Leftovers
Allow cooked enchiladas to cool completely and transfer them to an airtight food storage container. Refrigerate for 3-4 days.
You can also place enchiladas in a freezer safe food storage container and keep them frozen for up to 3 months! I love making a double batch of these enchiladas as easy meal prep.
How To Reheat
To reheat refrigerated enchiladas, you can simply microwave them on high for 60-90 seconds or bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through. You can also reheat from frozen by microwave or oven, it will just take a little longer for leftovers to heat completely.
Make Ahead Instructions
To make enchiladas ahead of time, assemble them in a freezer safe baking dish (use a disposable dish if you'd like to give enchiladas to family or friends, I like these lidded aluminum pans).
Instead of coating the bottom of your pan with enchilada sauce, use non-stick cooking spray (this will keep tortillas from getting soggy). Other than this, assemble the dish as you normally would.
Tightly cover uncooked enchiladas with foil and freeze for up to 3 months (or refrigerate for 3-4 days, and of course, you don't need to use a freezer safe pan if you're planning to simply refrigerate)!
Cook enchiladas from frozen or allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before heating. Place in a 375°F oven for 25-30 minutes (from thawed). To reheat from frozen, leave enchiladas covered in foil and cook for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer until the dish is completely heated throughout and bubbling.
More Mexican Food Recipes
- Creamy Taco Soup (Healthy/Low Carb)
- Easy Homemade Guacamole
- Beef Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Chicken Taco Stuffed Peppers
- Classic Skinny Margaritas | Just 5 Ingredients!
- Taco Salad Bowls With Shredded Chicken
- Low Carb Taco Casserole
- Blackened Mahi Mahi Fish Tacos
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Best Shredded Beef Enchiladas Recipe
Equipment
- Baking dish *1 large 9x13 or two medium 7x10-ish sized pans.
Ingredients
- 28 oz. can red enchilada sauce *hot or mild *see note below
- 12 corn tortillas *5-6 inches in diameter
- 2 cups shredded beef *see note below
- 1 & ½ cups sharp white cheddar cheese *yellow also works
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro
- ¼ cup queso fresco *crumbled
Optional toppings
- Sour cream, baja sauce, chopped green onion, jalapeno slices, red onion, avocado slices, pico salsa
Recipe notes:
Enchilada sauce: you can certainly make your own enchilada sauce if you feel up to it! I typically use canned and prefer the Old El Paso brand in mild, but any will do. You can also use green enchilada sauce if preferred. Shredded beef: visit this post to see detailed instructions for preparing a large batch of Mexican Shredded Beef. You can use it in all kinds of recipes, it's super versatile!Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Spread a thin layer of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a baking dish.
- Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave to soften.
- Portion shredded beef into tortillas and sprinkle with a little bit of cheddar cheese and chopped cilantro (make sure to reserve some cheese to sprinkle on top before baking). Roll and line enchiladas in your baking dish.
- Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce, reserve cheddar cheese and crumbled queso fresco.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, until bubbling around the edges.
- Add desired toppings and enjoy!
Storage instructions:
- Allow cooked enchiladas to cool completely and transfer them to an airtight food storage container. Refrigerate for 3-4 days. You can also place enchiladas in a freezer safe food storage container and keep them frozen for up to 3 months! I love making a double batch of these enchiladas as easy meal prep.
How to reheat:
- To reheat refrigerated enchiladas, you can simply microwave them on high for 60-90 seconds or bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes, until warmed through. You can also reheat from frozen by microwave or oven, it will just take a little longer for leftovers to heat completely.
Make ahead:
- To make enchiladas ahead of time, assemble them in a freezer safe baking dish. Use a disposable dish if you'd like to give enchiladas to family or friends, I like these lidded aluminum pans. Coat the bottom of your pan with non-stick cooking spray, rather than enchilada sauce to prevent tortillas from getting soggy. Tightly cover uncooked enchiladas with foil and freeze for up to 3 months (or refrigerate for 3-4 days, and of course, you don't need to use a freezer safe dish if you're planning to simply refrigerate)! Cook enchiladas from frozen or allow them to thaw in the refrigerator overnight before heating. Place in a 375°F oven for 25-30 minutes (from thawed). To reheat from frozen, leave enchiladas covered in foil and cook for 30 minutes, uncover and bake 5-10 minutes longer until the dish is completely heated throughout and bubbling.
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Mary Anne Russo says
These look amazing! I will be trying this and thanks for the different variations of the recipe!
Garlic Salt & Lime says
I hope you love them as much as we do!
Anna Price says
This recipe looks amazing and I think my boyfriend will actually eat this. Thank you for including photos of the steps and also for the expert tips. Both are very helpful.
Garlic Salt & Lime says
This is one of my husband's favorites so I bet your BF will love it too! Hope you enjoy!