In the mood for Mexican food? Make Crockpot Beef Enchiladas For Two filled with shredded beef, corn, and black beans then topped with cheese and a homemade enchilada sauce.
Yesterday I shared my Homemade Enchilada Sauce.
Today I’m sharing what I made with that sauce – Crockpot Beef Enchiladas.
When I’m not making steak fajitas or chicken fajita salad, I’m making enchiladas. I’ve been making enchiladas for the past 10+ years with my fajita seasoning.
My mom loves them, so she usually requests them for dinner. Usually it’s chicken enchiladas, but this time it’s slow cooker enchiladas with shredded beef.
So there isn’t any confusion, Crockpot Beef Enchiladas refers to cooking the beef chuck roast on low and slow. You still need to assemble and bake them in the oven, but at least cooking the meat is hands off.
Although I usually make a big 13×9 pan for family, 95 percent of the time I cook for myself, so I’m bringing you my scaled down easy beef enchiladas for two.
I recently saw a beef enchilada for two recipe. Except it literally made two enchiladas.
As much as I’m a huge fan about smaller portions, sometimes it’s simply not realistic. I can eat 2-3 beef enchiladas myself, let alone sharing with another person.
Even with homemade Spanish rice as a side, I’d still be hungry.
That’s why mine makes 6 small enchiladas, which is ideally 3 per person. I like to call my recipes realistic dinners for two.
You can make this shredded beef enchilada recipe for cinco de mayo along with my mango margaritas.
Or make slow cooker beef enchiladas the next time you crave Mexican food but don’t want to go out for dinner.
What are enchiladas?
Enchiladas are a Mexican dish of corn tortillas rolled with a filling then covered with sauce and cheese.
What do you put inside enchiladas?
Enchilada filling can range from beef and chicken to beans and vegetables.
For these slow cooker beef enchiladas, I used shredded beef from a chuck roast, jalapeno, black beans, and corn.
Which beef should I buy for shredded beef enchiladas?
Because I’m cooking the meat low and slow in the crock pot, I used chuck roast for my shredded beef enchilada recipe.
Chuck roast is cut from the cow’s shoulder region. Because the cow uses its shoulder a lot, it’s full of muscle. Full of muscle means the cut is full of marbling fat and connective tissue.
Marbling fat is full of flavor. However, this also means it’s a tough piece of meat and takes awhile to cook and break down into moist, tender beef. Hence the slow cooker.
How much beef should I buy to make enchiladas for two?
The hardest part about making easy beef enchiladas for two is you only need about 1/2 pound of beef. However, you’re usually forced into buying several pounds at once.
Ask the meat counter to cut you a smaller piece. If you can’t, buy the smallest roast, divide them into 1/2 pound portions, and freeze what you don’t use.
You can then use the beef to make Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Sandwiches.
What kind of tortillas should I use for enchiladas?
I learned from watching Top Chef authentic enchiladas are made with corn tortillas, not flour.
I’m personally not the biggest fan of corn tortillas but wanted to stay true to the recipe. If you prefer flour over corn for your slow cooker beef enchiladas, you can substitute small flour tortillas.
How do you keep enchiladas from getting soggy?
The key to not having soggy tortillas for your crockpot beef enchiladas is cooking them ahead of time before filling, which I learned from Bon Appetit.
You want them lightly brown but still pliable. Otherwise, you’ll have tortilla chips.
Then as counterintuitive as it sounds, you dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce before filling and rolling.
This is to help evenly distribute the sauce (and replaces spreading sauce into the bottom of the casserole dish).
It’s a little extra work and your hands will get messy, but it really is the difference between fine and great crockpot beef enchiladas.
How To Make Crockpot Beef Enchiladas
To make slow cooker beef enchiladas, rub your chuck roast with fajita seasoning then add it to a 6-quart slow cooker. Top your meat with the onion, garlic, and broth.
Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours or until cooked and easily falls apart. Once cool enough to handle, shred with 2 forks.
I use this 6 quart slow cooker (affiliate link) if you don’t own one yet.
Once you shred the beef, add the jalapeno, black beans, and corn.
Next, prepare your corn tortillas. Lightly fry one side until it starts to brown, about 30 seconds. Flip and repeat, being careful not to overfry or it’ll be too crisp to roll.
Dip your fried tortillas into enchilada sauce and coat both sides.
Add some of the shredded beef into the center. Fold one side over the filling then roll to fold over the other side. Place in the casserole dish seam side down.
Once done, cover with the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake at 350F for 15-20 minutes until bubbling and cheese has melted. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, and jalapeno slices.
Do enchiladas need to be covered or uncovered?
I bake my shredded beef enchiladas uncovered so they crisp up and brown. Covering would steam them and make them soggy.
Can you make slow cooker enchiladas ahead of time?
Because slow cooker enchiladas can take awhile to cook and assemble, yes you can certainly make them ahead of time.
First, you can cook the chuck roast until shredded. Once it’s cooled to room temperature, refrigerate for up to 2 days. Assemble and cook when ready.
Second, you can refrigerate fully assembled enchiladas. Once assembled, cover tightly with aluminum foil then refrigerate up to 24 hours before baking.
What To Serve With Beef Enchiladas
In addition to Spanish rice, serve your slow cooker enchiladas with chips and one of these dips:
Crockpot Beef Enchiladas
In the mood for Mexican food? Make Crockpot Beef Enchiladas For Two filled with shredded beef, corn, and black beans.
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Beef
- 1/2 pound (8 ounces) beef chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon fajita seasoning (get the recipe here)
- 1/4 cup chopped white or yellow onion
- 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons beef broth or stock
- 1 medium jalapeno, chopped
- 1/4 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed
- 1/4 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
Enchiladas
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 6 corn tortillas
- 1 recipe Homemade Enchilada Sauce (get recipe here)
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Cilantro, green onion, and jalapeno slices, for garnish
Instructions
- For the slow cooker beef: Rub the beef with the fajita seasoning. Add to a 6-quart slow cooker. Top with onion, garlic, and broth.
- Cover and cook on high for 4-6 hours or on low for 8-10 hours or until cooked and easily falls apart. Once cool enough to handle, shred with 2 forks.
- Stir in the jalapeno, black beans, and corn. At this point, you can use the beef right away or refrigerate until ready to use.
- For the enchiladas: Preheat oven to 350F. Have a small casserole dish ready (mine was 9x6, but you can use any size fitting 6 enchiladas).
- In a large skillet, heat the oil until hot. Working with one tortilla at a time, lightly fry one side until it starts to brown, about 30 seconds. Flip and repeat, being careful not to overfry or it'll be too crisp to roll. Transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- In a shallow bowl, add half of the enchilada sauce. Dip 1 fried tortilla into the sauce to coat both sides.
- Add some of the beef mixture into the center. Fold one side over the filling then roll to fold over the other side. Place in the casserole dish seam side down. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling.
- Spread the remaining sauce on top and cover with cheese. Bake 15-20 minutes until bubbling and cheese has melted. Garnish with cilantro, green onion, and jalapeno slices before serving.
Notes
- Serve your enchiladas with Homemade Spanish Rice and Mango Margaritas.
- Enjoyed this recipe? Check out my Salsa Chicken Enchiladas.
- Got leftover chuck roast? Make my Slow Cooker Shredded Beef Sandwiches.
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2pots2cook says
Always in the mood for Mexican food ! Thank you !
Carla says
Can’t go wrong!