These beef and bean enchiladas are everything you want from comfort food - rich, cheesy, gently spiced, and completely satisfying. Soft tortillas are filled with a deeply flavoured beef mixture, rolled up, smothered in sauce, and baked until bubbling and golden. Perfect for busy weeknights, casual entertaining, or batch cooking, this is a recipe you'll come back to again and again.
This heat level is easily adjustable depending on who you're cooking for, the ingredients are simple and affordable, and they're freezable - all pluses in my book!
Serve these delicious beef and bean enchiladas with your choice of guacamole or avocado slices, pico de gallo salsa or sour cream. We love ours with red rice too. The rice can be made with or without a Thermomix.
Check out the Tips below for optional flavour and dietary variations.
Tips
- Optional variations:
- Spicy beef and bean enchiladas - add chipotle paste, chilli flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Creamy beef and bean enchiladas - add some sour cream or cream cheese to the filling.
- BBQ beef and bean enchiladas - swap half of the tomato enchilada sauce for BBQ sauce.
- Gluten-free - use corn tortillas.
- Lower-fat - use lean beef mince and reduced-fat cheeses.
- Dairy-free - use dairy-free cheese and leave out sour cream.
- This beef and bean enchiladas recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less or more people. If doubling the recipe, use 2 medium dishes or 1 large one for baking the enchiladas.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes - assemble up to 24 hours ahead, cover, and refrigerate. Bake when needed.
Yes - freeze unbaked or baked for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight and reheat until piping hot.
Make sure the beef filling is thick and avoid over-saucing the tortillas before baking.
Cheddar for flavour, mozzarella for melt - or a Mexican cheese blend if available.
Yes - shredded beef, brisket, or leftover chilli works beautifully.
They're mild by default - easily adjusted with chipotle paste, chilli flakes or cayenne pepper.
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How to make these Beef and Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 500ml chicken stock (made using 1 stock cube or pot)
- 500ml passata
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried oregano
Beef and bean filling:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion (approx. 140g), finely chopped
- 500g beef mince (10% or 15% fat)
- 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 0.5 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed (or kidney beans can be used as a substitute)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To assemble and serve:
- 75g mature cheddar, grated
- 75g mozzarella, grated
- 8 mini flour tortillas
- coriander leaves, roughly chopped, to garnish
- pico de gallo salsa (optional)
- guacamole or slices of avocado (optional)
- sour cream (optional)
Instructions
Enchilada sauce:
- Make sauce first - heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and mix to combine into a paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in roughly a quarter of the stock, whisking until it turns into a thick smooth paste.
- Gradually stir in the rest of the chicken stock, then add the passata, salt, pepper and spices. Stir to combine everything together.
- Increase the heat slightly to medium high and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Beef and bean filling:
- Then make the beef and bean filling - heat the oil in a large frying pan, saucepan or skillet over a medium low heat and fry the onion for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened but not golden.
- Add the beef mince and continue to fry for about 5 minutes, until the mince has browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes before stirring in the ground cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and cayenne pepper, if using. Cook for 1 minute then add the black beans and 120ml of the enchilada sauce, plus salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Assemble, cook and serve:
- Mix the grated cheeses together in a bowl, then smear some of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (approx. 27cm x 20cm), to stop sliding.
- Spoon an eighth of the beef and bean filling into the centre of a tortilla, sprinkle with a small amount of grated cheese, then roll up and place it in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining beef and bean filling, some grated cheese and tortillas.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the assembled tortillas, sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and bake for 10 minutes covered with tin foil, then 10 minutes uncovered.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving with your choices of Mexican sides.
Serving suggestions
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Beef and Bean Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp plain flour
- 500 ml (2 cups) chicken stock (made using 1 stock cube or pot)
- 500 ml (2 cups) passata
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 0.25 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp dried oregano
Beef and bean filling:
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 onion (approx. 140g) finely chopped
- 500 g (1.1 lb) beef mince 10% or 15% fat
- 2 large cloves garlic crushed
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 0.5 to 1 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 400 g (14.1 oz) tin black beans drained and rinsed (or kidney beans can be used as a substitute)
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
To assemble and serve:
- 75 g (2.6 oz) mature cheddar grated
- 75 g (2.6 oz) mozzarella grated
- 8 mini flour tortillas
- coriander leaves roughly chopped, to garnish
- pico de gallo salsa (optional)
- guacamole or slices of avocado (optional)
- sour cream (optional)
Instructions
Enchilada sauce:
- Make sauce first - heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and mix to combine into a paste and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in roughly a quarter of the stock, whisking until it turns into a thick smooth paste.
- Gradually stir in the rest of the chicken stock, then add the passata, salt, pepper and spices. Stir to combine everything together.
- Increase the heat slightly to medium high and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the sauce thickens to the consistency of thick syrup. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6.
Beef and bean filling:
- Then make the beef and bean filling - heat the oil in a large frying pan, saucepan or skillet over a medium low heat and fry the onion for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened but not golden.
- Add the beef mince and continue to fry for about 5 minutes, until the mince has browned. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes before stirring in the ground cumin, smoked paprika, oregano and cayenne pepper, if using. Cook for 1 minute then add the black beans and 120ml of the enchilada sauce, plus salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes, then remove from the heat.
Assemble, cook and serve:
- Mix the grated cheeses together in a bowl, then smear some of the enchilada sauce on the bottom of a baking dish (approx. 27cm x 20cm), to stop sliding.
- Spoon an eighth of the beef and bean filling into the centre of a tortilla, sprinkle with a small amount of grated cheese, then roll up and place it in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining beef and bean filling, some grated cheese and tortillas.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the assembled tortillas, sprinkle over the rest of the cheese and bake for 10 minutes covered with tin foil, then 10 minutes uncovered.
- Rest for 5 minutes before serving with your choices of Mexican sides.
Notes
- Optional variations:
- Spicy beef and bean enchiladas - add chipotle paste, chilli flakes or cayenne pepper.
- Creamy beef and bean enchiladas - add some sour cream or cream cheese to the filling.
- BBQ beef and bean enchiladas - swap half of the tomato enchilada sauce for BBQ sauce.
- Gluten-free - use corn tortillas.
- Lower-fat - use lean beef mince and reduced-fat cheeses.
- Dairy-free - use dairy-free cheese and leave out sour cream.
- This beef and bean enchiladas recipe is easily adapted if you're cooking for less or more people. If doubling the recipe, use 2 medium dishes or 1 large one for baking the enchiladas.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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