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Beef Enchilada Skillet

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This hearty, sizzling Beef Enchilada Skillet is perfect for a cozy evening! It’s made with just a handful of ingredients and tastes great!

 

Main image for Beef Enchilada Skillet Post

 

These skillet enchiladas are the perfect combo of tender ground beef, savory enchilada sauce, and crispy tortilla pieces.

Then they are all smothered with melty cheese and your favorite toppings. 

It’s a deliciously comforting dish anytime you’ve got Mexican food cravings! 

And you can have it right in the comfort of your home. No takeout!

This enchilada skillet recipe is super easy to make! One skillet and a no-fuss cleanup!

Plus you can adjust the toppings based on what you have at hand or your personal preferences. Easily customize it!

It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you need a quick but satisfying meal.

And it’s a great way to enjoy Mexican food but with no complex ingredients or cooking methods.

 

All ingredients laid out on counter

 

What Is an Enchilada Skillet?

A cheesy beef enchilada skillet is kinda like a deconstructed version of traditional enchiladas. 

Instead of rolling up the fillings in tortillas and baking them, everything is cooked together in a skillet on the stove. 

It still has all the important parts of enchiladas though! 

Tortillas, a savory sauce, ground meat, and cheese. It’s all there! 

And it’s all in a one-pan meal that’s both easy to make and delicious!

 

How to cut a tortilla for beef enchilada skillet

 

What Ingredients Are in Beef Enchilada Skillet?

These skillet beef enchiladas are made with simple ingredients you can find at any local grocery store.

  • Cooking Oil: A little goes a long way for frying the tortillas. Vegetable or canola oil works great.
  • Tortillas: You can use either flour tortillas or corn tortillas, cut into bite-sized pieces.
  • Ground Beef: The star of the skillet, providing rich and hearty flavors.
  • Yellow Onion: Adds a hint of sweetness and depth to the dish.
  • Red Enchilada Sauce: Choose your heat level to customize the spice of your skillet.
  • Toppings: Customize with Mexican shredded cheese, sour cream, olives, green onions, or avocado.

Pro Tips: 

  • If you want a more flavorful skillet you can add taco seasoning to your ground beef while cooking.
  • Cheddar cheese would work too.
  • Homemade enchilada sauce is another option.

 

Tortillas removed from skillet with onions and ground beef added to skillet

 

How to Make Beef Enchilada Skillet

This ground beef enchilada skillet is great recipe to make for the whole family!

  1. Fry the tortilla pieces until crispy in hot pan of oil. Set them aside on paper towels to drain any excess fat.
  2. Cook the ground beef and onion in the same skillet.
  3. Stir in the enchilada sauce and bring the beef mixture to a simmer.
  4. Add the fried tortilla pieces back into the skillet, mixing well.
  5. Serve hot with your choice of toppings for a deliciously customizable meal.

Pro Tips: 

  • To keep your tortillas crispy, add them back to the skillet just before serving. 
  • Cook on medium-high heat so you don’t burn them!

 

enchilada sauce added to cooked ground beef and onions

 

Can You Make Enchilada Skillets With Chicken?

You can absolutely make these with chicken instead of beef! 

It’s super easy to customize and using chicken is a great idea for those who prefer poultry.

Or if you’ve tried beef and just want to try something different. 

Just use some cooked, shredded chicken in place of ground beef.

Just follow the same steps as with the beef.

Boom! Delicious casserole ready to enjoy!

And hey, you can actually use ground turkey too!

 

cooked tortillas added to enchilada ground beef

 

How to Store Leftover Beef Enchilada Skillet

Storing leftover ground beef enchiladas is easy! And if you have leftovers you can enjoy your beef enchilada skillet for another meal! 

Simply transfer the cooled skillet leftovers into an airtight container and refrigerate. 

Properly stored, it will keep well for 3-4 days. 

When you’re ready to eat, you can reheat the skillet on the stove over medium heat.

You may need to add a splash of water if necessary to keep it moist.

 

Mixed up skillet ready to serve

 

Can You Freeze Beef Enchilada Skillet?

Freezing ground beef enchilada casserole is a great way to have a ready-made meal on hand.

And for those nights when cooking is the last thing on your mind? Perfect! 

To freeze, let the skillet cool to room temperature.

Then transfer the mixture to a freezer-safe container or a heavy-duty freezer bag. 

It can be frozen for up to 2-3 months. 

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.

Then reheat on the stove or in a microwave. Good enchiladas easy!

 

zoomed out image of enchilada skillet in pan with an assembled bowl next to it

 

What to Serve with Beef Enchilada Skillet?

You can serve your cheese enchiladas with a bunch of different side dishes. 

Consider serving it with one of our favorite Side Dishes for kids...

Here are some of my favs:

And don’t forget a bit of sour cream or a squeeze of lime juice for a bit of zest!

This beef enchilada skillet recipe is exactly what you need to cook a simple, flavorful dish! One the whole family can enjoy! 

 

Beef enchilada skillet bowl topped with avocado, sour cream olives and cheese

 

Additional Ground Beef Recipes You’ll Love…

It’s great for a busy weeknight or a lazy weekend meal! It’s sure to become a favorite in your home!

 

Yield: 6 Servings

Beef Enchilada Skillet

Beef enchilada skillet bowl topped with avocado, sour cream olives and cheese

Discover how to make an easy Beef Enchilada Skillet! It’s a perfect, quick meal for any night of the week! Even picky eaters love it!

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes

Instructions

  1. In a large deep skillet over medium heat, add oil and let heat up.
  2. While oil is heating, take your tortillas and while stacked, cut them into small bite sized pieces. I cut mine 6 cuts across (long strips), then turned my cutting board and cut 6 across again, getting small tortilla bite sized squares.
  3. Add tortillas to hot oil and fry for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from pan and set aside.
  4. Add ground beef and onions to skillet. Cook until ground beef is cooked through and onions are translucent.
  5. Add enchilada sauce to ground beef mixture and cook on medium until sauce it heated through.
  6. Add tortilla squares back into pan and stir, mixing thoroughly.
  7. Serve immediately.
  8. Add favorite toppings like sour cream, olives, green onions, cheese & avocado.
Originally Posted: April 30, 2015

Photo and Text Updated: March 13, 2024

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Katerina Petrovska

Sunday 17th of March 2024

This beef enchilada skillet was a huge hit! It was a flavorful, cheesy, one-pan wonder that combined all the classic enchilada elements without the fuss. Super satisfying and delicious!

Catalina

Friday 15th of March 2024

Tried the Beef Enchilada Skillet recipe last night, and it was a smashing success! It had all the flavors of my favorite enchiladas but was much simpler to prepare.

Erin | Dinners, Dishes and Desserts

Friday 15th of March 2024

So delish! Can't wait to make this again for dinner!

Amanda Batcher

Thursday 14th of March 2024

This is such a fantastic recipe. I made it the other night and it came out perfect!

Sandra

Thursday 14th of March 2024

This was delicious, hearty and very easy to make dinner last night! We all enjoyed it!

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