Easy Beef Enchiladas

So continuing the freezer meals.... we made beef enchiladas too. I again used the easy Ortega recipe which is the same recipe listed on the back of the El Paso can (except for some of the measurements.)

 

Ingredients:

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 can (19-oz.) ORTEGA Enchilada Sauce, divided
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 6 (10-in.) flour tortillas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

In a large skillet, brown ground beef over medium-high heat until thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in 3/4 cup enchilada sauce and 1 cup cheddar cheese.

Spoon meat mixture into tortillas. Roll up, burrito-style, and place seam-side down in a 9-inch baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until hot. Serve warm.

 

Again - great for one! And Beef Enchiladas really are easy to make. I used to make them all the time in college and Richmond! A huge time savor is to keep cooked ground beef on hand. That saves around 20 minutes of prep time if you want to throw them together after work.

 

IN BULK

I had approximately:

7-8 pounds of ground beef

4 pounds of cheese. We had some leftover shredded cheddar and bought a large bag of Mexican Shredded blend.

Bunch of Cilantro

6 29-ounce cans of Enchilada Sauce (I used Old El Paso)

3 Packets of Enchilada Seasoning

50-60 8-inch white flour tortillas

 

We cooked the ground beef with the enchilada seasoning to flavor it. Drain it, let it cool.

On a scale - measure:

1 lb cooked ground beef

8 ounces of cheese
 

Add:

1-2 Tbsp of chopped cilantro

1.5 cups of enchilada sauce (about half a 29-ounce can)

 

Mix together well.

Pour a little enchilada sauce into the bottom of a 8x8 or 9x13 pan.

Using a 1/2 measuring cup, scoop mixture into tortillas. Roll, place in pan.

We were able to fit 6 enchiladas in the 8x8 and 10 fit in a 9x13.

Top with remaining enchilada sauce and shredded cheese.

 

We made a total of 56 enchiladas. 6 8x8 pans, 1 9x13, and enough mixture & (10) shells to make another 9x13 at a later date.

 

I estimate the total cost of these to be almost $84. Because of the leftover cheese, and fact that I used two very large packages of ground beef from Sam's Club to make both sloppy joes and enchiladas, it's a slight estimate.

 

Estimated Cost:

$84 total

56 enchiladas = $1.50 each

9 casseroles with 6 each (even though I have 2 "tens"), is $9 each casserole, plus $2 container = $11 for a 2 person meal. (Because 3 enchiladas is a nice serving.) This is a little more expensive than my Tater Tot Casserole or Chicken Enchiladas, but it's still better than eating out.