One Skillet Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

These enchiladas are so much fun…everything – e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g – is made in the same skillet! The filling is made in the skillet, the sauce is made in the skillet, and the enchiladas bake in the skillet. That means a few different things…1 – You can feel super cool and efficient. 2 – You have way less cleanup…way less. 3 – Layers of flaaaava.

P.S. I am done buying canned enchilada sauce from the grocery store. I experimented today with this new homemade sauce, it took two seconds to make, I had everything I needed in my pantry already, and it tastes waaaaaaay better than the canned stuff you get at the store. Seeeeeeeya later store bought sauce. All that’s in this sauce is flour, oil, chicken stock, tomato paste, spices, and a little bit of sugar and cocoa powder. I had all these things on hand, so I had to buy nothing. Super easy.

In general, I am a big fan of enchiladas. I think they are fun to make, I love how much versatility they have, and I (especially) love eating them 😀. Any meal that you assemble and then bake in the oven is a fave for me. Lasagnas, casseroles, baked pasta dishes, and enchiladas, of course! I think it’s fun to be able to pop it in the oven, clean up the kitchen, and then pull out a steaming, baked dish of tastiness a little while later. That = satisfaction to me.

The filling of these enchiladas could not be simpler. All we’ve got goin’ on in there is ground beef, onions, and some taco-like spices (i.e. chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika). We brown the beef and onions together, add the seasonings and some water, let that cook down a bit, and set it aside in a bowl. And then guess what is all over your pan? Flavaaaaaa. And where is that flavor going to go? Into our homemade enchilada sauce! See how cool this all is?

The sauce is super simple, too. All we do here is add oil and flour into our skillet, let that cook for a few seconds, whisk in our tomato paste and spices, add the chicken stock, sugar, and cocoa powder, whisk to combine, and simmer until it has thickened. Which takes almost no time. Maybe five minutes. So easy!

From there, we remove most of the sauce, leaving a small layer on the bottom of the skillet, stir about 1/4 cup of our sauce into the beef filling mixture, and reserve the rest for pouring all over top of the enchiladas. Then you just fill the tortillas, add some cheese, roll ’em up, and bake it! (Still in the skillet…win.)

Even though these enchiladas are so dang simple, they are the best enchiladas I’ve ever had. Hands down. For reals. And I’m a big fan of enchiladas, and I have eaten A LOT of them…so it’s saying something that these are the best I’ve ever had. Just trust me and make them…kay? Cool.

You guys want to know my massive cooking fail that I experienced today? Two words: Carrot Dogs. My friend told me about carrot dogs and was raving about them. Have you heard of them? Basically you use carrots as a hot dog substitution. You boil them, marinate them overnight, and then grill them…and they are supposed to taste just like hot dogs.

HA. Failure. My half-chewed bite ended up in the sink. It…was…SO SALTY. Soy sauce was the main ingredient in my marinade, and it basically tasted like I was dumping a cup of salt down my throat. So traumatizing.

I’m not going to permanently knock carrot dogs…maybe someone out there has a killer recipe that really does make them taste like hot dogs…but I’m thinking that I am going to retire from my carrot dog experimentation…clearly I don’t know what I’m doing. I totally wish it would have worked – finding fun vegetarian substitutions for meat dishes is SO much fun! One of my fave things eva.

Here’s the recipe for these delicious enchiladas!

One Skillet Beef and Cheese Enchiladas

These enchiladas are so much fun because everything is made in the same skillet. Not only the filling and the sauce, but the enchiladas are baked in the skillet, too! They are the best enchiladas I’ve ever had!

• Author: Annie Chesson
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 8 servings 1x

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the enchiladas:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 onion, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 8 flour tortillas (the 6 inch size used for soft tacos)
• 8 oz bag of Mexican blend cheese (2 cups)

For the sauce:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 cups chicken stock

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a skillet (I used a 12 inch cast iron) over medium high heat, add your ground beef and onions. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Cook until the beef has browned and the onions have softened. When close to finished, add your spices (1/2 teaspoon each of chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika) and 1/4 cup of water. Cook for about a minute until the water has cooked down. Remove the beef mixture to a bowl.
4. In the same pan, add your flour and oil. Whisk together and add your tomato paste and spices (1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin, and 1/2 teaspoon each of garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika) along with a bit of salt and pepper. Let this cook for a minute or so and then whisk in your chicken stock, cocoa powder, and sugar.
5. Let the sauce simmer until it has thickened, which shouldn’t take long – probably less than 10 minutes.
6. When the sauce is finished, season to taste with salt and pepper, and remove 1 1/2 cups of the sauce from the pan. Set the sauce aside.
7. Add 1/4 cup of your set aside sauce to your beef mixture and stir to combine. Season the beef mixture to taste with salt and pepper.
8. Lay out 8 tortillas. Add about 3 tablespoons of meat to each tortilla and about 2 tablespoons of cheese. Roll up each enchilada tightly and place in your skillet. I was able to fit 8 rolled up enchiladas perfectly in my 12 inch skillet.
9. Pour the remaining set aside sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle the remaining cheese over top.
10. Bake for 20 minutes. Broil for an additional few minutes if you want the cheese to get a little bit brown.
11. Optional: top with sour cream and cilantro.

Notes

I wasn’t super convinced that I loved this sauce when I tried it before baking, but by the time it is done baking in the oven, the sauce is to die for!

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 enchilada
• Calories: 380
• Sugar: 2 g
• Sodium: 628 mg
• Fat: 20 g
• Carbohydrates: 27 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Protein: 24 g
• Cholesterol: 60 mg

If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!

In the mood for more yummy enchilada recipes? Check these out:

Skinny Vegetarian Enchiladas

Chicken Enchiladas with Greek Yogurt Sauce

Enchilada Dip