Best Beef Enchiladas

Honestly, I haven't tried a lot of enchilada recipes.

I grew up eating my mom's cheese enchiladas and they have always been one of my favorite dishes.

Why mess with a good thing, right?

Well, we had company coming over for dinner a few weeks ago and I found myself looking for a recipe that would help me use up some of the ground beef in the freezer.  I did an ingredient search and came across a recipe for beef enchiladas.

I had most of the ingredients already and everything I needed for a couple of Mexican side dishes, so I went for it.

The first thing I loved about these enchiladas was that there is ZERO mess.  I'm used to making enchiladas where the tortillas are dipped in warm sauce before rolling.  I scald my fingers and make a big splattery mess every. single. time.

Don't get me wrong, my mom's enchiladas are delicious and I will absolutely keep making them because they're worth that little bit of trouble- but it was nice to have a recipe that avoided that step.

I also loved the filling- the beef and black bean mixture is hearty and delicious!  The whole thing just works so well and comes together super quickly.  Definitely a keeper!

Everyone loved the enchiladas and my family immediately asked me to keep this in the dinner rotation- which I'm more than happy to do because they're simple and super delicious.  They're also a great make-ahead meal; I made up a pan much earlier in the day than I planned on serving them and just popped them in the oven about 30 minutes before I planned to serve them.

Serve with Mexican rice and a salad and you have one simple and delicious meal.

P.S. Sorry about the pictures, I was running short on time!  :-)

Best Beef Enchiladas

Click to see the recipe on Allrecipes.com

2 lbs ground beef

1/4 onion, finely chopped

1 C shredded Cheddar cheese

1/2 C sour cream

1 Tbsp dried parsley

1 Tbsp taco seasoning (or1 1/2 tsp flour, 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp dried minced onion, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp paprika, 1/8 tsp powdered beef bouillon, 1/8 tsp white sugar, 1/8 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp onion powder)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

2 1/2 C enchilada sauce

1 1/2 tsp chili powder

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp salt

8 flour tortillas

1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 (4 oz) can sliced black olives, drained

1/4 C shredded Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

2. Cook and stir ground beef with onion in a skillet over medium heat until meat is crumbly and no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Drain grease. Stir 1 cup Cheddar cheese, sour cream, parsley, taco seasoning, oregano, and black pepper into the ground beef until cheese has melted. Mix in enchilada sauce, chili powder, garlic, and salt; bring to a simmer, reduce heat to low, and simmer until meat sauce is slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.

3. Spoon a small amount of meat sauce on the bottom of the pan and spread to coat.  Lay a tortilla onto a work surface and spoon about 1/4 cup of meat sauce down the center of the tortilla. Top meat sauce with 1 tablespoon black beans and a sprinkling of black olives. Roll the tortilla up, enclosing the filling, and lay seam-side down into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas. Spoon any remaining meat sauce over the enchiladas and scatter any remaining black beans and black olives over the top. Sprinkle tortillas with 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese.

4. Bake in the preheated oven until cheese topping is melted and enchiladas and sauce are bubbling, 20 to 22 minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.