These are the beef enchiladas that the entire Bon Appétit Test Kitchen fought each other for. Let’s just say there won’t be leftovers with this recipe.
If you prefer pork, try Rick's Pork Enchiladas Rojas smothered in a red sauce made with guajillo, ancho, and morita chiles. And poultry fans can try this easy enchiladas recipe with chicken, which uses a rotisserie bird for convenience and a homemade salsa verde of tomatillo, cilantro, and poblano and serrano chiles for maximum flavor.
Recipe information
Yield
4 Servings
Ingredients
Enchiladas
½
2
1
1
1
1
3
1½
½
½
5
8
1
Pico de Gallo
2
¼
2
1
⅓
3
Preparation
Enchiladas
Step 1
Toast flour in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until golden brown and smells like toasted nuts, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate; wipe out skillet.
Step 2
Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in same skillet over medium-high. Add ground beef and cook, stirring to break up clumps, until browned, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove beef and reserve drippings in skillet.
Step 3
Cook onion, jalapeño, poblano chile, and garlic in same skillet, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add tomatoes, season with salt, and continue cooking until most of the liquid has evaporated and tomatoes begin to stick to the skillet, about 8 minutes. Add chili powder and cumin and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add reserved beef and toasted flour and toss until coated.
Step 4
Whisking constantly, add broth, bring to a boil, and continue to whisk until no lumps remain. Reduce heat to medium and cook until chili gravy has thickened and beef is tender, 30–35 minutes; season with salt. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl; set beef and gravy aside separately.
Step 5
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 425°. Heat remaining 1 cup oil in a medium skillet over medium-high until oil bubbles immediately when edge of tortilla touches the surface. Working one at a time, fry tortilla, turning once, until just starting to brown and crisp, about 10 seconds per side. Transfer tortilla to paper towels to drain. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
Step 6
Dip both sides of each tortilla in chili gravy just to coat, then transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Spread 1 cup gravy lengthwise down the center of a 13x9" baking dish. Working one at a time, spread ¼ cup beef mixture down the center of tortilla and fold one side over filling, then continue to roll enchilada onto itself. Place seam side down in prepared baking dish as you go (enchiladas should be nestled right up against each other). Top with cheese and remaining gravy. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese is beginning to brown, 20–25 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.
Pico de Gallo
Step 7
Gently toss tomatoes, onion, jalapeños, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice in a small bowl; season with salt. Let sit, uncovered, to let flavors meld, about 10 minutes.
Step 8
Serve enchiladas with pico de gallo.
Leave a Review
Reviews (152)
Back to TopNot sure where all the hate is coming from. I find this to be a great recipe and a personal favorite - particularly the gravy you get to make. As others have said, don't skip the pico. The coolness and acidity really complement the flavors. This dish is a banger
Jack
Lansing, MI
3/2/2022
Followed the recipe to at T, and the sauce came out so so so bitter :( First time I thought I burned the cumin seeds. Second time I didn't even add cumin seeds and it still was tongue-numbingly bitter. I think it might have had been the chillies that I had.
Auguste
Lithuania
5/30/2021
This recipe requires you to put in the time for none of the pay off. Whoever transcribed it has also clearly made some mistakes. A cup of chili powder is just a terrible idea, but even using half of that portion the flavor of anything else in the dish is smothered. The ratio of filling to tortilla, were you to follow the recipe, is undoable. The dish is just frankly awful. I hate to sound like a jerk, but I hope this dissuades some folks from diving into an hours long cooking process only to end up with essentially Spicy but flavorless lasagna.
James Duffield
Reston, Virginia
11/26/2020
I followed this recipe and did everything exactly as written. I could have done better by opening a can of chili without beans and watering it down with a little tomato juice and pouring it over cooked ground beef. Just terrible and a waste of time and money. Never again. I think giving it a one star is way too high of a rating. This recipe would be laughable if I hadn't spent so much time and money on the recipe.
Anonymous
Used to be El Paso, TX but now in KY
9/4/2020
I've never made enchiladas, so this recipe felt like a big undertaking the first time around. Gets easier every time. I use just over 1/4 c chilli powder -- sensitive palates in my house. My favorite of Rick's enchilada recipes. Don't skip the pico de gallo.
Anonymous
48176
8/29/2020
I wonder if this could be made ahead of time or if the tortillas would get soggy?
Katiehwalsh
Austin
4/29/2020
beautiful! I used stale flour tortillas ( bc that’s what i had) and fried them to get a nice lil texture. I used a red pepper instead of poblano (bc that’s what i had, everything’s closed, make do baby!!) I had a perfect amount- stirring the gravy mixture was intense, red wine in one hand, silicone spatula in the other, determined to keep it from burning over (medium heat?? what?) for 35kin until it gave me some big fat juicy bubbles that splattered enchilada sauce all over my kitchen and me. i only had 6 tortillas bc i misread the recipe (i messed up! we all mess up, it’s great) and i had about a pint jar of gravy and beef leftover- I stuck it in the freezer and only day that baby is going over nachos. everything is a gift!! thanks everyone!!!
spooky.pdf
lil rhody, baby.
4/25/2020