Skinny Beef Enchiladas taste indulgent, comforting, and delicious, but are a healthy, approachable, weeknight dinner that is sure to leave you wanting them again!
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Okay guys, I’m on a mission to increase the amount of easy and healthy dinners on this website for you all so that you have a dependable list of go-to dinners you’ll want to make again and again.
Weekday dinners in my book have to be: easy, under 30 minutes (unless its inactive time), healthy, and above all else – be delicious enough that the people eating it give rave reviews so that we’ll want to make it over and over. This is a fast way for a recipe to become a staple in our house that we like to fall back on in a pinch.
Like I’ve said many times, I meal plan all my dinners the week before, but to do that I have a few that usually remain my go to’s for a long time! It can be really difficult and overwhelming to be making new recipes every time you cook during the week, so I usually only try 1-2 new recipes per week.
SKINNY BEEF ENCHILADAS
These Skinny Beef Enchiladas ended up being too easy to fathom…I made it three weeks in a row! The plus side is that it's super filling (even for my husband), and there's enough to have leftovers every time.
If you just started a diet for the new year, don’t fear! I know enchiladas SOUND like a heavy, carb-loaded, comforting meal, but with some tweaks, one enchilada is just 223 calories! (ps. All 223 calories are entirely comforting).
Whenever we go out to a Mexican restaurant I almost always get the enchiladas, mostly because I could never make them the same at home. I just love how they’re filled like a taco, but then baked with melty cheese all over the top, enchilada sauce that makes the whole dish come together, and then topped off with fresh ingredients like avocado, cilantro, and sour cream. I think it’s the best of both worlds! I’ve tried so many recipes for enchiladas before and they either end up being dry, too complicated, too unhealthy, or just overwhelming.
ENCHILADA COOKING TIPS
The start of this recipe came from the Skinny Taste blog, but instead, I replaced the chicken with lean ground beef. Over time, I've made this recipe so many times that I've tweaked it from where it originally started.
Things I've learned from making this so many times:
- 1. Have all your ingredients prepped and measured before starting because this recipe moves fast.
- 2. You'll be cooking both the beef filling and the enchilada sauce at the same time
- 3. There are many similar ingredients used in both. I listed the matching ingredients in the same order to make it as clear as possible, but read carefully.
- 4. You can adjust the amount of sauce you'd like. The recipe uses 3 ½ cups of sauce and makes it saucy, which I personally think makes it turn out the best! But you can use less if you don't like it as saucy. Note though, that the tortillas absorb some of the sauce.
- Lean ground beef - This would be ground beef that's 90% or higher. These lower fat ground beefs have less calories, since they have less fat, plus contain less saturated fat.
- Tortillas - I recommend using either Mission Brand Carb Balance Tortillas or La Tortilla Factory to keep the nutrition information the same as the recipe.
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AS ALWAYS, IF YOU MAKE THIS – PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT BELOW!
Skinny Beef Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce:
- Drizzle vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3 ½ cups tomato sauce smooth
- ¾ cup reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 2 tsp cumin
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp minced cilantro
Beef Filling:
- 1 tsp vegetable oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup diced onion
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin
- Sea salt & pepper to taste
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp minced cilantro
To make the enchiladas:
- 8 large flour tortillas La Tortilla Factory brand or Mission Carb Balance
- 2 cups shredded low fat Mexican cheese
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. TIP: Have all ingredients prepped before starting since this recipe has a couple moving parts.
Beef Filling
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Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Drizzle the 1 tsp vegetable oil and add in the 2 minced garlic cloves and diced onion. Saute until fragrant, then add in the beef.
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Combine all together and break apart the beef while it cooks. Let the meat brown 3-5 minutes.
Enchilada Sauce:
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While meat is browning, heat a saucepan on medium heat and add a drizzle of oil and the 2 minced garlic cloves. Let saute until garlic is fragrant, about one minute.
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Add in the tomato sauce and the ¾ cup chicken broth.
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Season the enchilada sauce with 2 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp cumin, salt & pepper to taste, and 1 tbsp minced cilantro. Stir it all together, bring to a boil, and then reduce to a simmer.
Beef Filling:
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Season the beef filling with 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and ½ tsp oregano. Stir to combine.
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Take two ladles full from the tomato sauce and pour it into the beef skillet. Then add ⅓ cup of chicken broth and 1 tbsp cilantro. Stir together and let the mixture simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat.
Assemble Enchiladas:
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In a 13 by 9 inch baking dish, pour one ladle full of sauce all over he bottom of the pan.
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To make the enchiladas, take one tortilla and add in about 2 tbsp of the beef, roll it and place it seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat to the other 7 tortillas, using all of the beef mixture.
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Top enchiladas with the rest of the sauce, covering entirely. Top with 2 cups cheese. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 20 minutes.
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Top with whatever toppings you want! Some ideas are sour cream, avocado, scallion, red onion, etc.
Recipe Notes
This recipe was inspired by the Skinny Enchiladas on the Skinny Taste Blog
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These tasted amazing and came out so well!
I’m so glad they turned out well for you!! I love this recipe!
OH Wow. You mean I can still have my Mexican food without allllllllll the calories. Going to try this recipe out now. My husband will be happy to see the enchiladas back on the table.