A flavorful Beef and Bean Enchilada Bake with just a little kick – sure to please at your next potluck or family gathering.
This post is sponsored by The Beef Checkoff. All opinions are my own.
With all of the fun activities going on this time of year, you may find yourself looking for recipe inspiration and you will find a variety to choose from here today. Now to make the enchiladas!
To begin, shred 5 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese. Set it aside for now.
Dice enough onion to give you ½ cup of onion, then dice ½ of a green bell pepper. These should be diced fairly small. Set them aside for now.
In a medium skillet, brown a pound of lean ground beef until it is no longer pink. As it cooks, break up the beef with your spoon or spatula as much as possible – you don’t want any big chunks to make rolling your enchiladas difficult.
When the beef is no longer pink, sprinkle in a tablespoon of chili powder, a teaspoon each of ancho chile powder and chipotle chile powder, and 1/16th teaspoon (a big pinch) of cayenne pepper. Stir these thoroughly into the meat and cook for about 2 more minutes to bring out all of that gorgeous, spicy aroma.
Pour the ground beef into a mixing bowl. Add in 2 cups (16 ounces) of refried beans and stir it together.
Add in half of your shredded cheese and stir that in as well. Set this mixture aside for the time being.
In the same skillet that you cooked the beef, drizzle in a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and add in the diced onion and pepper. Cook these on medium low heat for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender and the onion has a little color to it.
Pour in 2 cups (16 ounces) of tomato sauce and add in 6 ounces (a small can) of tomato paste. Whisk these all together until smooth.
Pour in 2 cups of chicken broth and stir to combine. Sprinkle in a teaspoon of chili powder, a half teaspoon each of salt & black pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
Give it another stir. Bring this mixture to a gentle simmer and let it bubble for about 5 minutes on low heat. You don’t want this to splatter, you just want the flavors to meld together. Remove it from the heat and whisk in ½ cup of sour cream.
Pour about 2/3 cup of the sauce into your beef mixture and stir it to combine.
Ladle a cup of the sauce into a 9 x 13 baking dish.
Now let your oven start heating up to 400 degrees while you put the enchiladas together.
Now for the fun part!
If you have little ones at home, this is a great way to have them help you out in the kitchen. Rolling enchiladas is simple as can be.
Grab 16 small corn tortillas. You want these to be warm, so I suggest wrapping the stack in two damp paper towels and microwaving them for 45-60 seconds. Warming them up makes the tortillas more pliable so they don’t crack as you work with them.
Take a tortilla and place about ¼ cup of the beef & bean mixture lightly off center. I find that a muffin scoop works perfectly for this.
Use a spoon or little spatula and spread it into a bit of a line.
Roll the tortilla up like a cigar and place it in the baking dish, seam side down. Do this with all of the remaining tortillas.
Spoon 2 cups of the sauce over the top of the enchiladas. Spread it around with the back of a spoon. Sprinkle the remaining cheese all over the top.
Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
Serve these delicious enchiladas with additional sour cream and the remaining red sauce that you have been keeping warm on your stove.
Enjoy!
I don’t know about you, but when we go to a potluck or other celebration, I find that people often look for foods with a little substance to them. They’ll want to nibble and try little goodies of course, but they also want to be filled and not walk away hungry.
An enchilada filled with tender beef and beans and overflowing with flavor is a sure way to make your guests happy and their tummies satisfied.
For more recipes and great information about beef and all of the way you can serve it up, connect with The Beef Checkoff on their Website.
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