Beef and Vegetable Enchiladas

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Beef and Vegetable Enchiladas are filled with ground beef, corn, beans, and spinach and are topped off with a homemade spiced enchilada sauce.

We eat a of Mexican food in our house.  I find that it’s easy to make and it’s something that everyone will eat.  There’s also a pretty decent Mexican restaurant in town if we are in the mood for it and don’t want to cook.

Most of the time we make Beef Tacos because they are fast to make and we usually have all of the ingredients at home.  When I can get Hatch chiles my favorite thing to make are Beef Hatch Chile Enchiladas.  For a saucy entree I always go with homemade Wet Burritos.  I don’t always use beef in my recipes, I do occasionally use chicken like in my Chicken Taco Rice Bowls.

One thing that my Mexican cooking lacks is vegetables.   While I’ll throw in an onion here or some peppers there I rarely have a decent amount of vegetables in a taco, burrito, or enchilada. 

What is an enchilada?

An enchilada is a traditional Mexican food that consists of a corn tortilla rolled around a filling and covered with a sauce. The fillings include of variety of ingredients such as chicken, beef, pork, cheese, beans, vegetables, or a combination of all of these.  Enchiladas are covered in a savory sauce.  The sauce can be red and made from tomatoes or chili peppers, green and made from tomatillos, or white and made from cheese and cream. 

So when I saw a recipe for beef and vegetable enchiladas that were stuffed with different vegetables I was really excited.  I often use beans or corn as I side dish but I never actually put them into my filling.  I thought the idea was a great way to get vegetables into my meal. 

Can I add different vegetables?

You can add your favorite vegetables to this enchiladas.  The recipe calls for black beans but you can substitute refried beans or pinto beans.  You could also add peppers or onions though I would cook them first before putting them into the filling.   Feel free to add your favorite vegetables to the filling mix.

While corn tortillas are traditionally used in enchiladas I rarely keep them in the house.  We prefer flour tortillas so that is what I used for these enchiladas.   If you prefer corn tortillas those can be substituted.

Ingredients:

• lean ground beef
• garlic cloves
• shredded cheddar cheese (or a Mexican cheese blend would work)
• black beans
• diced green chiles (these can be found in a can in the market)
• spinach
• frozen corn
• cumin
• chili powder
• salt and pepper
• scallions
• flour tortillas (or corn tortillas if you prefer)

Before making the enchiladas you will want to make the enchilada sauce.   The sauce can be made and refrigerated up to 24 hours before making the enchiladas.  I like to make it the night before so it’s ready to go when I am ready to cook.

To make the enchiladas preheat the oven to 400 degrees.   Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray and set it aside.

Cook the ground beef and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper and mix into the beef.  Cook until the beef is cooked through and is beginning to brown.  Remove from the stove and put the cooked beef into a large mixing bowl.

Add half the cheese, the black beans, diced chiles, spinach, corn, and half the scallions to the mixing bowl.  Mix well to combine.

Pour one cup of the enchilada sauce into the beef and vegetable filling and mix well.

Working on a clean surface put several tablespoons of filling in the middle of each tortilla.  Fold in the sides and roll up the tortilla.  Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.

Pour the sauce over top of the enchiladas making sure to cover the tortillas.  Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheese.  Bake for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is hot.

These enchiladas were packed with vegetables and the homemade sauce is delicious.  I thought the spinach added a different texture to the enchiladas and it also packed extra nutrients. 

How do you store beef and vegetable enchiladas?

Store them in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.  When ready to enjoy reheat in the oven or the microwave.  You may want to add additional sauce to the top so they don’t dry out.

We really enjoyed these enchiladas and found them to be filling.  We had enough leftover for lunch the next day.

I also think that you could make them without the beef if you are looking for a vegetarian enchilada.   The vegetables and cheese could easily work on their own. 

Beef and Vegetable Enchiladas

Enchiladas stuffed with ground beef and vegetables then topped off with a homemade sauce.

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Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Author: Hezzi-D

Equipment

• 1 9 x 13 Baking Dish
• 1 skillet
• 1 Mixing Bowl

Ingredients

• For the sauce:
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1/4 c. flour
• 1 can 6 oz. tomato paste
• 1 ½ c. beef broth
• ¾ c. water
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• For the filling:
• ¾ lb. lean ground beef
• 3 garlic cloves minced
• 1 1/2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 can 15 oz. black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 5 oz can diced green chilies
• 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach thawed and squeezed dry
• 1 c. frozen corn
• 1 Tablespoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• ½ teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 scallions thinly sliced
• 8 tortillas

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with cooking spray and set aside.
• To make the sauce heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
• Add in the cumin, chili powder, garlic, flour, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute whisking constantly.
• Whisk in the beef broth and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and stir in the pepper. Remove from heat.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat cook the ground beef and garlic. Add in the cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper and mix well.
• Cook until the beef is browned. Remove from heat and spoon into a large mixing bowl.
• Add 1 cup of cheese, black beans, diced chilies, spinach, corn, and half of the scallions to the beef mixture. Stir well to combine.
• Pour one cup of the enchilada sauce into the filling mixture and stir well to combine.
• Put several tablespoons of the filling in the middle of each tortilla. Fold in the sides and roll up. Place seam side down in the prepared baking dish.
• Pour the enchilada sauce over top of the tortillas making sure to cover completely. Sprinkle the tops with the remaining cheese.
• Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly.
• Service with remaining scallions sprinkled on top and a side of sour cream.

Notes

A Hezzi-D Original recipe