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These ground beef skillet enchiladas have all of the delicious flavors of traditional enchiladas but require none of the fuss! Plus, we’ve included a hidden veggie for an added nutritional boost!
“I’ll have the ground beef enchilada plate, please!” I have said that sentence more times than I can count (enchiladas are 100% my go-to Mexican order), but I haven’t ever actually tried to make my own ground beef enchiladas. I’ve always just assumed that REALLY good enchiladas (good enough to rival the enchiladas from the tiny, always-packed Mexican restaurant in my hometown) require a lot of work, ingredients, and skill. These ground beef skillet enchiladas, on the other hand, require simple ingredients, very little actual cooking, and have all of the flavors of my long-time favorite Mexican dish!
Our Favorite Ground Beef
Before we dig into these enchiladas, let’s chat ground beef! We always opt for grass-fed and finished beef when we can…here’s why: grass-fed and finished beef contains higher concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids, polyunsaturated fats, conjugated linoleic acid, vitamins, and minerals than conventional beef. Consuming grass-fed and finished beef also allows us to skip out on the trace hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides that are often found in conventional beef. Click HERE to find out more about WHY we choose grass-fed beef!
ButcherBox is our favorite source for high-quality grass-fed and finished beef. We love that ButcherBox delivers this quality meat straight to your doorstep so that you don’t have to worry about finding it at your local grocery store (we know that can be tough!). Right now (through September 23rd, 2020), when you sign up as a new ButcherBox member, you can get FREE ground beef for life! Sounds too good to be true, right? It isn’t! With each future box, you’ll receive 2 pounds of high-quality, grass-fed, grass-finished ground beef for the duration of your membership…SCORE! ButcherBox is our favorite way to get high-quality proteins because it is convenient, cost-effective, and we know we can trust their sourcing. We’ve used them for the majority of our monthly proteins for nearly 4 years here, and remain huge fans.
Get your free grass-fed ground beef HERE.
Ground Beef Skillet Enchiladas Ingredients
This recipe calls for some pretty basic enchilada ingredients (think: enchilada sauce, tortillas, etc.), plus a few veggies that may surprise you – after all, we’re all about food that tastes good and is good for you! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Ground Beef – for this recipe, you’ll need 2 pounds of lean ground beef. If you’d prefer to use ground turkey or chicken, feel free to make that swap!
- Yellow Onion – you’ll also need 1 small yellow onion,…
- Red Bell Pepper – …1 red bell pepper, and…
- Olive Oil – …2 teaspoons of olive oil to saute your veggies in!
- Cauliflower Rice – this ingredient may surprise you, but just 10 ounces of cauliflower rice (fresh or frozen, just be sure to defrost the rice if you’re using frozen) packs a huge punch of nutrition without altering the flavors of this skillet at all.
- Enchilada Sauce – you’ll also need 2 (15-ounce) cans of enchilada sauce,…
- Black Beans – …1 (15-ounce) can of black beans,…
- Spices + Seasonings – …2 teaspoons of chili powder, and 1 teaspoon of garlic powder.
- Corn Tortillas – enchiladas aren’t enchiladas at all without tortillas! You’ll need 6 corn tortillas cut into 1-inch strips here.
- Shredded Cheese – finally, you’ll top your skillet with about 2 cups (we won’t tell if you add a little extra!) of shredded Mexican-blend cheese.
How to Make a One-Pan Enchilada Skillet
This dish is as easy as it sounds, y’all! Here’s how you’ll use one skillet to throw this meal together:
- Brown the Ground Beef – first, heat a large oven-safe skillet (a cast iron skillet works great here!) over medium-high heat, and add the ground beef and salt. Cook the meat for 5-8 minutes, until browned, then remove it from the pan, and drain off the excess fat.
- Chop + Saute the Pepper and Onion – while the ground beef is cooking, chop the onion and bell pepper. Once the ground beef has finished browning and has been removed from the skillet, return the pan to medium heat, and add the olive oil to the skillet along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook the veggies for 5-6 minutes, until the onion and pepper have softened.
- Combine the Rest of the Ingredients – add the ground beef back to the skillet along with the cauliflower rice, enchilada sauce, broth, beans, chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir everything together until fully combined, then stir in the corn tortilla strips.
- Bake – sprinkle the shredded cheese over the top of the dish, then bake at 425 F for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned (hello, cheesy goodness!).
- Garnish + Enjoy – garnish the skillet with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado or guacamole, sour cream, and any of your other favorite toppings, and enjoy!
What to Serve with Skillet Enchiladas
This meal is loaded with veggies, protein, and energizing carbs, so it’s a pretty well-balanced meal all on its own, but if you’d like to add a side, beans (black, pinto, or refried), rice, or a simple salad or slaw would all be great here. To keep things really festive, serve this skillet alongside tortilla chips and homemade salsa verde!
These skillet enchiladas are SO delicious and make for the perfect easy weeknight meal – we hope you love them!
Just for You
Beef Recipes
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Ingredients
- 2 pounds lean ground beef (turkey works well here, too!)
- 1 teaspoon salt to taste
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 10 ounces cauliflower rice defrosted if frozen
- 2, 15-ounce cans enchilada sauce
- 1, 15- ounce can black beans
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 6 corn tortillas cut into 1-inch strips
- 2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese
- 1 avocado diced, for garnish
- Fresh cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Heat a large oven-safe skillet (cast iron works great here!) over medium-high heat and add the ground beef and salt. Cook for 5-8 minutes, until browned, then remove from pan and drain off the excess fat.
- While the ground beef is cooking, dice the onion and bell pepper. Once the ground beef has finished browning and has been removed from the skillet, return it to medium heat and add the olive oil to the skillet along with the onion and bell pepper. Cook for 5-6 minutes, until the onion and pepper have softened.
- Add the ground beef back to the skillet along with the cauliflower rice, enchilada sauce, beans, chili powder, and garlic powder. Stir everything together until fully combined, then stir in the corn tortillas.
- Sprinkle cheese over the top of the dish, then transfer it to the oven. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and browned, then remove from the oven.
- Serve garnished with the cilantro and diced avocado. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Recipe Notes
- For vegetarian: replace the ground beef with an additional can of black beans.
- For grain-free: use grain-free tortillas, such as Siete, in place of the corn tortillas.
Sara says
This looks seriously delicious. What brand enchilada sauce do you recommend? The few I’ve seen in the store here in VA have some funky ingredients. Would love to be able to have a clean one on hand.
Brandi Schilhab says
We just used a canned store-bought enchilada sauce, Sara! Nothing too special! We do have a quick homemade enchilada sauce that you can find HERE if you’d like to go that route!
Kathi Lowry says
Is the cauli rice necessary? Can I sub regular rice? Cauli rice and my tummy are not friendly!! Thanks for another delicious recipe!
Brandi Schilhab says
Not necessary, Kathi! You can totally sub an equal amount of cooked rice to help thicken up your skillet!
Heather says
Just meal prepped this for lunches for the week. Tried a taste… delicious! I used Skinnytaste’s enchilada sauce rather than canned. https://www.skinnytaste.com/the-best-enchilada-sauce-recipe/
Brandi Schilhab says
YAY! Such a great meal prep lunch idea!!
Joy Sederwall says
Primal kitchen Has enchilada sauce now in a jar.
Brandi Schilhab says
Thanks for letting us know!
Sherry Urffer says
Made this recipe exactly as is and loved it! Full of veggies and easy to prep. A wonder dish for a family. Thank you!
Brandi Schilhab says
So glad you enjoyed this one, Sherry! Thank you for sharing!
Kortnee says
Looks
Great! I don’t see the nutritional info, am I missing it? Thanks so much!
Brandi Schilhab says
I just added it, Kortnee!!
Julia says
What makes this recipe so high in sodium? Is it the enchilada sauce, and if so can you recommend a brand that doesn’t have as much? Thanks!
Brandi Schilhab says
That must be it! We just use a regular ole grocery store brand, Julia. We do have a recipe for homemade enchilada sauce on THIS post.
Savina Thomsen says
We loved this! I used the skinny taste enchilada sauce recipe as well. The only minor thing I would change for next time is to cook the cauliflower rice a bit more. We could taste it a bit too much.
Brandi Schilhab says
Glad you loved it, Savina!!
Liz says
Taste was delicious, but next time I’ll skip the cauliflower rice. It added an unpleasant, raw crunchy texture which we didn’t love.
Brandi Schilhab says
Oh no! So sorry about that, Liz!
Leah says
Wondering if it could be made ahead and frozen?
Brandi Schilhab says
Yes! This is a great meal to freeze!
Anita Baker says
For those of us not in the US and don’t have access to enchilada sauce, can you tell me what’s in it so I could still try and make it? Is it like a tomato passata with cumin, coriander and smoked paprika?
Brandi Schilhab says
Hi Anita! We have an enchilada sauce recipe in THIS post. I hope that helps!
Jess says
This was so good! I doubled the recipe, used spanish rice instead of cauliflower, and added corn because we had some on hand. The extra freezed really well and was such an easy meal for later.
Brandi Schilhab says
Yay, so glad to hear that, Jess! Thank you for sharing this with us!
Tara says
Hi there! This may be a silly question but what constitutes a serving in this recipe? Asking for macro tracking purposes.
Brandi Schilhab says
Hi Tara! This recipe makes 5 total servings. The nutrition facts are for 1 serving (so 1/5 of the total recipe).
Stephy says
Do you drain the beans?
Brandi Schilhab says
Yes, we drained the beans!
Elizabeth Mucaria says
I never ate enchiladas before. I did prepare it with inly one can of the sauce. I really enjoyed it. There is llenty if leftiver for lunch or dinner tomorrow. Thanks.
Brandi Schilhab says
I’m so glad, Elizabeth! Thank you so much for sharing this with us!
Amanda says
Should I drain the beans?
Melissa Guevara says
Hi Amanda, yes! We recommend draining the beans. Thanks for asking! -Team F&F
Ashley says
Unfortunately, this wasn’t a winner for us. The cauliflower rice overpowered everything in texture and flavor, which is saying a lot because enchilada sauce is so flavorful. We ended up crushing some tortilla chips and adding a ton of toppings which was fine for one meal, but we tossed what was left. Perhaps worth trying if you cut the cauliflower in half.
Melissa Guevara says
We are sorry to hear that this recipe didn’t turn out to your liking, Ashley. We appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback with us. -Team FF
Courtney says
Can’t wait to try this! Brandi, do you (or Cassy) have a favorite, clean corn tortilla brand? Thank you!
Brandi Schilhab says
Hi Courtney! We just use whichever corn tortillas we can find at HEB. Sometimes HEB brand, sometimes Guerrero, and sometimes Mission! I hope that helps.
Annette Harris says
This is such an easy and delicious recipe! My toddler, husband and sister all approved! It makes a ton and holds up great as left overs.
Brandi Schilhab says
Wahooo! Toddler approved is the best!