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!
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“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 arugula salad or Mexican street corn and kale slaw would all be great here. To keep things really festive, serve this skillet alongside tortilla chips and homemade salsa verde!
More Favorite Ground Beef Recipes
Ground Beef Skillet Enchiladas
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!
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.
Nutrition
Is there a slaw recipe you would recommend with this just for more veggies?
THIS one would be delicious!
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.
Wahooo! Toddler approved is the best!
Can’t wait to try this! Brandi, do you (or Cassy) have a favorite, clean corn tortilla brand? Thank you!
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.
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.
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