The BEST Beef Enchilada Casserole Recipe (Prepped In 10 Minutes)

This beef enchilada casserole is loaded with flavor. It has the perfect combination of seasoned ground beef, enchilada sauce, tortilla shells, and melty shredded cheese, all packed in one casserole. And it's so, so easy to make too. Honestly, the best part about this beef casserole - besides how delicious it is - is that you can have it all set and ready to bake in just 10 minutes!

The Best Beef Enchilada Casserole

If you like enchiladas or beef burritos, you're going to love this enchilada bake recipe. It has everything that makes traditional enchiladas so delicious, like ground beef that's cooked in a blend of spices and seasonings, flour tortillas shells smothered in enchilada sauce and lots and lots of melted shredded cheese.

Now, instead of being rolled up like a burrito, those ingredients are layered on top of one another to create one of the most delicious casseroles you'll ever have! Seriously, out of the casserole recipes I've made recently - and I've made a lot - this enchilada one is definitely one of my favorites.

Plus, as I mentioned just a second ago, I love how easy to make this beef enchilada recipe is to make. Again, it'll take you no more than 10 minutes to prep and then the oven takes care of all of the heavy lifting after that.

By the way, since this casserole is so quick and easy to make, you'll have plenty of time to make a tasty side to go with it. At our house, we almost always serve these air fryer tortilla chips and this Chipotle guac with it.

Ingredients

Another thing to love about this beef enchilada casserole recipe is that it's made almost entirely with kitchen/pantry staples. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you have most - if not all - of them at your house already!

Anyway, here's what you'll need to make it:

• ¾ lb ground beef
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1 ½ tsp chili powder
• ½ tsp cumin powder
• 2 tbsp water
• 14 oz can red enchilada sauce (or green enchilada sauce)
• 8 corn tortillas
• ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Chopped cilantro, or parsley, as desired

Pretty simple stuff, right?!

By the way, you can use almost every single one of these ingredients to make this burrito casserole recipe next. So, if you end up with some extras of them, you might want to give that recipe a shot next!

Ingredient Substitutions and Suggestions

Now, I always make this enchilada casserole with the ingredients listed above, but you can certainly make some changes to the recipe if you want. With that said, I have some suggestions on how you can do that.

Make It "Loaded"

If you like to load up your enchiladas, you can add things like black beans or pinto beans, diced onion, green onions, green chiles, diced tomatoes, sliced black olives, and cooked rice to this casserole. From time to time I'll add pinto beans, black olives, and green chiles to mine.

Switch Up The Sauce

To give this recipe its signature flavor, I used canned red enchilada sauce. But, with that said, you can also use green enchilada sauce instead. Honestly, you can use any kind of enchilada sauce that you want to make it. You can even make a homemade enchilada sauce if you have a family recipe for it.

Swap The Tortillas

As for the tortillas, I think corn tortillas work best because they hold their shape well, but if all you have is flour tortillas, those will definitely work too.

Use Different Cheeses

For the cheese, I like to use shredded cheddar, specifically sharp cheddar, for a bolder flavor. But, you can use anything you want, like Monterey Jack cheese, pepper jack for some spice, or a Mexican cheese blend.

Toppings and Extras

As for the finishing touches, I love topping this casserole off with some sour cream and hot sauce. But, sometimes I'll also top it with some cilantro, avocado, or sliced radishes.

How To Make Beef Enchilada Casserole

Now it's time to get to the fun part - making this beef enchilada casserole!

As you know by now, this recipe is really simple to make. All you really have to do is cook the ground beef and then assemble the casserole - that's it.

Anyway, let's not waste another second and get cooking!

Step 1: Cook The Ground beef

First things first you'll want to preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

Then, you can take out a large skillet and put it on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Next, either spray it with nonstick cooking spray or add a little oil to it to coat the surface, and add the ground beef to the hot pan.

Now you can cook the ground beef for a few minutes while breaking it apart until it has browned on all sides. Once it's browned, add the onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and salt and pepper to the skillet. By the way, you can also use taco seasoning instead of this spices mixture. The taco seasoning will give it a slightly different flavor, but it's just as delicious.

Anyway, after you add the seasonings, you'll want to pour the two tablespoons of water into the pan and cook for 2 minutes over low heat, stirring the ground beef to coat it in the seasonings. Oh, and if you are using it, you can stir in the cilantro too.

Step 2: Assemble the casserole

Now, once the ground beef is good to go, you can set it aside and start assembling the casserole.

So, to start the assembling process you'll want to spread some of the enchilada sauce of your choice on the bottom of a square 9-inch baking dish. Then, place a layer of corn tortillas - or flour tortillas - on the bottom of the pan. I like to cut my tortillas in half and arrange them with the cut side along the sides of the pan.

Next up, you can add a fourth of the ground beef mixture evenly on top of the tortillas, and then add some more enchilada sauce, followed by the shredded cheddar cheese. Then, you can repeat this layering process with the corn tortillas, beef, remaining sauce, and cheese until you've used up all of the ingredients. Just make sure to finish the casserole off with shredded cheese on top.

Step 3: Bake The Casserole dish 

So, now that your ground beef enchilada casserole is prepared, you'll want to cover the baking dish with tin foil, and then you can put it in the oven to bake for about 20 minutes. Then, you'll want to remove the foil and bake it for another 10 minutes until the melty cheese is golden brown on top.

Finally, once your enchilada casserole is baked to perfection, you can let it cool for a few minutes, then serve it with some sour cream or anything else you want, and enjoy!

How To Store Beef Enchilada Casserole

This recipe for beef enchilada casserole will make about 4 servings so, it's really the perfect casserole to make for family dinner. 

Now, if for some reason you do end up with leftovers, you can either cover the casserole dish with a lid or transfer the leftovers to an airtight container. Stored either of these ways, it'll last in the fridge for about 3-4 days.

Alternatively, if you want to keep your casserole for even longer, you can freeze it in an airtight container or freezer-safe bag for 2-3 months.

How To Reheat Enchilada casserole

Once you're ready to enjoy this delicious enchilada casserole again, you'll definitely want to reheat it.

So, to reheat your casserole, you can just put the leftovers back in the baking dish you cooked it in and warm it in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350°F - or until the cheese melts again and the filling is warmed through.

However, to reheat your leftovers even quicker, you can microwave them. When I go this route I'll heat 'em up in 30-second increments until they're warm. Usually, this takes less than 2 minutes to happen.

Wrapping It Up

Well, that's how to make an enchilada casserole with ground beef!

This ground beef casserole has quickly become one of my family's favorite Mexican inspired dishes. From the seasoned ground beef to the creamy enchilada filling, chewy tortillas, and melty cheese, it's just so, so good! Honestly, if you love enchiladas you have to give this recipe a shot.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this enchilada casserole as much as I/we do.

As always, if you give this easy recipe a try, leave a comment below and let us know what you think!

More Casserole Dishes

I mentioned earlier that we've been making a ton of casseroles on the blog lately. So, if you're looking for another one to make, we've got you covered.

Here are some of our most popular ones:

• Chile relleno casserole
• Mexican street corn casserole
• Cowboy cornbread casserole
• Pork chop casserole
• Chicken tater tot casserole

Also, for more deliciousness, don't forget to follow us on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. We post new recipes on them every single day.

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