Simple homemade Beef Enchiladas are full of Mexican comfort food flavors. This recipe includes a quick homemade red enchilada sauce and an easy ground beef filling thatโ€™s ready for the oven in 30 minutes. 

Beef Enchiladas in a ceramic baking dish.

Enchiladas originate in Mexico where people have been wrapping corn tortillas around fillings since Mayan times. Youโ€™ll find there are a wide variety of preparations, fillings, and sauces out there. This version uses corn tortillas that are filled with a mixture of ground beef, onion, chiles, and spices. Add in a little cheese and itโ€™s smothered with a simple red chili powder enchilada sauce. This is a popular preparation that comes from Northern Mexico and the American Southwest.

Can I use store bought enchilada sauce?

This recipe calls for a quick homemade red enchilada sauce. It is super easy to make enchilada sauce at home and takes less than 10 minutes, but if youโ€™d like, you can always use a store bought can. Youโ€™ll need one 15 ounce can, or about 2 cups.

 Vegetable broth being poured into a pot full of enchilada sauce ingredients.
Ground Beef Enchilada Filling in a stainless steel pan on the stove.
Dipping tortilla into enchilada sauce
Beef Enchilada Filling with Cheese

Can I use flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas?

Traditionally, enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, but you can also use flour tortillas if youโ€™d like. The texture will be softer than when prepared with corn tortillas. No heating of the tortillas will be necessary.