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A rectangular serving of Beef Enchilada Casserole topped with melted cheddar and white cheese and sprinkled with fresh cilantro and green onions.

Beef Enchilada Casserole

This recipe creates a layered, cheesy beef and bean casserole using corn tortillas and a homemade enchilada sauce. It is a simple dish suitable for weeknight meals.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican

Ingredients
  

For the Enchilada Sauce
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
  • 15 ounces tomato sauce
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
For the Casserole Filling and Assembly
  • 1 pound ground beef Substitute with chicken if desired
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 4.5 ounces diced green chiles
  • 15 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
  • 12 corn tortillas 6 inches
  • 3 cups shredded colby jack cheese

Equipment

  • 9 by 13 inch baking dish
  • Large skillet

Method
 

  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
  2. In a large skillet for the enchilada sauce, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add 1 diced onion and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Saute until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes.
  3. While the onion is cooking, add the ground beef to a separate skillet to make the enchilada filling, breaking it up and seasoning it with salt and pepper. Once broken up, add the second diced onion and cook until the beef is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
  4. Stir chili powder and cumin into the onion for the enchilada sauce and cook for about thirty seconds. Then stir in 1 tablespoon all purpose flour. Slowly whisk in chicken stock. Then stir in the tomato sauce and minced garlic. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes.
  5. Once the beef is cooked through, remove from the heat, drain the fat and stir in the green chiles and black beans.
  6. Transfer the enchilada sauce to a blender and blend to make smooth (optional). Pour 1/2 cup in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce into the beef mixture.
  7. Dip 6 tortillas in the remaining sauce to coat them and line the bottom of the casserole dish with them.
  8. Divide the beef mixture in half, and add half of it to the top the tortillas in the pan. Top with 1 cup of cheese.
  9. Dip the remaining 6 tortillas in the enchilada sauce and top with the remaining beef mixture and 2 cups colby jack cheese.
  10. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly.

Notes

For the enchilada sauce, you can substitute store-bought sauce for the homemade version if you need to save time. If you replace the ground beef with shredded cooked chicken, add the chicken after draining the fat from the beef skillet, and stir it into the sauce mixture before assembly.

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