Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes are one of the best Mexican weeknight dinner recipes. These enchiladas feature an easy spiced ground beef filling wrapped in flour tortillas and smothered with creamy green poblano sauce. The whole recipe takes 30 minutes to assemble and can be made ahead of time!

If you’re looking for Ground Beef Enchiladas better than any tex-mex restaurant, this is the recipe for you! While these Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes may taste like they took hours of prep, they’re really easy to throw together even on a busy week night. I always have ground beef in the freezer and this is the perfect recipe for using it up!

The Best Ground Beef Enchiladas Recipe

While this recipe has a lot of nostalgia for me and I would make it even if it had a zillion steps, it’s actually really easy to throw together! A creamy, cheesy beef enchilada filling plus a quick creamy poblano sauce sauce make this delicious enchilada recipe perfect for any night of the week.

Ground beef mixed with homemade taco seasoning, diced potatoes, corn, and cheese, rolled in flour tortillas before being smothered in green sauce and cheese before baking. These Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes come out of the oven hot and bubbly and full of flavor.

Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes are one of my favorite comfort foods EVER and this recipe is so good. The creamy poblano sauce will rival any restaurant! If you love enchiladas as much as I do, try my classic Red Chicken Enchiladas!

Why You’ll Love this Recipe

Easy – Ground beef enchiladas are so easy to throw together any night of the week! You can prep the filling several days in advance and all you have to do is whip up the sauce and bake!

Great for meal prep – This recipe is easy to double or triple and re-heats like a dream. You can freeze it before baking making it an awesome recipe for meal trains. You can freeze it after it’s baked and reheat it no problem! It’s a wonderful freezer meal option to have on hand.

Customizable – Ground Beef Enchiladas are so easy to customize to your tastes! You can swap in different proteins like shredded pork (carnitas), shrimp, shredded chicken, or even veggies. Try a different sauce like classic red sauce. Need to use up some veggies? No problem! Throw some sautéed veggies in the filling. Not a fan of flour tortillas? Swap in corn!

How to Make Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes

This recipe is cozy and delicious without being overly involved. I love making Ground Beef Enchiladas any night of the week!

TOOLS NEEDED

• BAKING DISH
• MIXING BOWL
• SHARP KNIFE
• CUTTING BOARD
• Blender
• Skillet with Lid

INGREDIENTS AND SUBSTITUTIONS

• Beef. I usually use 90/10 ground sirloin, but any ground beef works. You could also swap in ground turkey or chicken for a lighter option.
• Veggies. I mixed in a bit of diced potato, onion, and corn into the filling for some extra texture! You could also add sautéed squash or zucchini, bell pepper, etc.
• Taco seasoning. I always make my own, but you can use your favorite store bought seasoning as well. Scroll down for my taco seasoning recipe!
• Cheese. I love shredded monterrey jack because it’s flavorful and melty. I always shred my own cheese because pre-shredded cheese contains cellulose (wood pulp) to keep it from clumping.
• Poblano peppers. You can find poblano peppers at just about any grocery store these days. They have a hint of spice, but tons of great flavor. In a pinch, you could use several cans of chopped green chilies instead, but your sauce won’t be green.
• Cream cheese. Cream cheese makes the green sauce creamy and keeps it from breaking while baking.
• Chicken Broth. For extra flavor, I thin the sauce with a bit of chicken broth. You could also substitute water mixed with a bouillon cube.
• Tortillas. I think that flour is best here, but you can swap corn in if that’s what you have.
• Toppings. I topped these enchiladas with a fresh corn salsa, jalapeño, and some cilantro.

The Process

• Char the poblanos. Before making the sauce, we want to char the poblanos for flavor and so they’re nice and soft. I use a pair of tongs and rotate them over the flame on my gas burners until they’re blackened all over. Alternately, place them on a baking sheet and broil on high heat, turning the peppers once, until blistered all over. Place the hot charred peppers in a ziplock bag or a heat safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Once the peppers are cool, peel and dice them.
• Make the sauce. Combine all the sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside.
• Make the filling. Heat the oil in a large skillet and add the onions. Saute for 2-3 minutes until soft and then add the ground beef. Use a silicone spoon or spatula to break the meat up as it cooks. Add the taco seasoning, diced potatoes, and corn and season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft. Remove from the heat and cool for 15-20 min. The filling can be made up to 5 days in advance.
• Prepare the baking dish. Lightly spray a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Pour a thin layer of the sauce on the bottom of the dish.
• Roll the enchiladas. Microwave the flour tortillas for a few seconds so that they’re pliable. Place about 1/3 cup of the filling on the tortilla and top with some shredded cheese. Roll it up and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.
• Top and bake. Pour the rest of the sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining shredded cheese. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly. Remove from the oven and top your ground beef enchiladas as desired.

Making Your Own Taco Seasoning

As I mentioned above, I always prefer to make my own taco seasoning. Usually what you buy in the store is loaded with sodium and preservatives so I like to make a large batch and store it in an airtight container in my fridge.

If you’d like to make your own taco seasoning for the ground beef enchiladas filling too, here’s my recipe!

In an airtight container, combine 1/4 cup ancho chile powder, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin, 1 tablespoon onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, and 2 teaspoons dried oregano. Give your spice mixture a shake and store in a cool, dark place. You can keep this taco seasoning for up to 3 months.

What to Serve with Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes

While Ground Beef Enchiladas are great on their own, I love serving them with all kinds of sides!

If you’re really going for a Tex-Mex fiesta, try serving them alongside my 5-INGREDIENT GUACAMOLE, INSTANT POT REFRIED BEANS, STOVETOP MEXICAN RICE, or ELOTE QUESO with a WATERMELON MARGARITA on the side.

Whatever you serve Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes with, they will be delicious!

Storing, Freezing, and Reheating Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes

My favorite part of ground beef enchiladas is that they’re so easy to freeze and store! They’re a great meal to give away for meal trains and it’s easy to make a double batch so you always have some in the freezer.

To store: Let your enchiladas cool to room temperature. Transfer them to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 5 days. If you want to freeze ground beef enchiladas, transfer your cooled enchiladas to an airtight container or freezer-safe ziplock bag. Freeze for up to 3 months.

To reheat: if reheating from frozen, let the enchiladas defrost in the fridge. Once defrosted, microwave them until warmed through.

If you want to freeze ground beef enchiladas before baking, follow the instructions up to assembly. After you assemble the enchiladas, you can place them in a baking dish or an aluminum baking tray. Top with sauce and cheese, cover tightly with plastic wrap and foil, and freeze for 3 months. To bake after freezing, transfer the enchiladas to the fridge overnight to defrost. Once defrosted, bake as directed.

How to Top Ground Beef Enchiladas for Serving

If you know me, you know that I am a HUGE toppings person. The more the merrier, I say! Here are some of my favorite ingredients for topping ground beef enchiladas warm out of the oven:

• Fresh Cilantro
• Green Onion
• Thinly-sliced White Onion
• Guacamole
• Tomato Salsa
• Corn Salsa
• Sour Cream

Any one of these options would make a great addition to these Ground Beef Enchiladas Verdes!

Ground Beef Enchiladas FAQs

Are ground beef enchiladas verdes gluten free?

Yes! If you use corn tortillas or gluten-free flour tortillas these enchiladas are gluten-free.

Do you have to fry flour tortillas for enchiladas?

Nope! I always fry my corn tortillas (like in my Red Chicken Enchiladas recipe), but when using flour I just microwave them until they’re soft and stretchy.

Can I make these enchiladas vegetarian?

Totally! Instead of beef, you can easily swap in black beans, sautéed peppers and onions, sautéed veggies, etc.

What’s the best cheese for ground beef enchiladas?

I love Monterrey jack cheese because it has good flavor and it’s super melty. You could use a combination of cheddar and monterrey jack, or even pepper jack cheese.

More Mexican-Inspired Recipes

Beef Chile Colorado
Red Chilaquiles
Easy Pollo Asado
Bean and Cheese Tostadas
Pozole Verde with Pork

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