Beef Enchiladas

Nothing better than beef enchiladas! So easy, flavorful, and the beef is cooked up quickly and fall-apart tender. Add savory shredded beef to flour tortillas, smother in enchilada sauce and cheese, and bake for a simple beef enchilada recipe from scratch! 

Try these sauces that beautifully compliment this dish! Sour Cream Recipe, Easy Guacamole Recipe, and Best Easy Enchilada Sauce Recipe.

For more delicious, quick Instant Pot recipes, check out my popular recipes for French Dip Sandwiches, Chicken and Gravy, or Parmesan Chicken and Rice with Mushrooms. 

I love my Instant Pot as much as the next person. Truly. But, I do admit sometimes these pressure cooker creations need a little finishing off. Cooking a beef chuck roast in the Instant Pot though drastically speeds up the cooking time on this cut of meat, making an easy beef enchiladas recipe like this one come together much, much faster. 

While you could do all sorts of things with Instant Pot shredded beef (like Beef Empanadas for example,) I am starting with the best beef and cheese enchiladas because not only are they great to eat at home, but they also are a perfect make-ahead meal for someone you think could use a little help from a friendly, familiar face (like yours!). 

Why This Recipe Works

Quick cooking – From cooking the Mexican shredded beef in the Instant Pot to making the delicious enchiladas AND baking it all together is only a little over an hour. That’s fast, baby.

Easy to customize – Use chicken instead of beef, green enchilada sauce instead of red, corn tortillas instead of flour, you name it, you can switch it up with these beef and cheese enchiladas.

Make ahead – These easy beef enchiladas are easy to make ahead and bake the morning of or up to a day before, or you can freeze them for up to 3 months and make again down the road when you’re pinched for time.

Simple ingredients – Nothing fancy in these beef enchiladas. Just cook beef in an Instant Pot, shred, add with other pantry ingredients, roll up in tortillas, top with sauce and cheese, and bake.

Here’s How You Make It

Ready to rock some these amazingly simple beef enchiladas? Let’s do this! 

1. Place the chuck roast pieces in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons of oil, and sprinkle generously with salt. Then, in a smaller bowl, stir together cumin, chili powder, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sprinkle this spice mixture all over the beef and toss to coat.
2. Turn your Instant Pot (or pressure cooker) to Sauté and add in 2 tablespoons of oil. Lay the beef pieces into the pot using tongs. Let each side of the roast sear for 2-3 minutes. Take these out of the pot and put them on a plate nearby. 
3. Add the beef broth (or water) to the pot, then return the meat, cover, seal, and set to Manual or Pressure Cook for 35-45 minutes. While that’s cooking, turn your oven on to 375 degrees and then grease a 9×13 baking pan or casserole dish. Add 1 cup of enchilada sauce to your baking dish and spread it around evenly. 
4. Once the timer is finished on your Instant Pot, do nothing so that the steam and pressure can naturally release for 15 minutes (a timer will count down for you). At the 15-minute mark, open the vent and allow it to depressurize completely until the float valve drops.
5. Take the lid off and shred the beef using two forks. Grab your tortillas and fill each one with some beef and some of the 2 cups of the shredded cheese. Roll them and place side-by-side in your prepared baking dish. 
6. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, then top with the remaining cup of shredded cheese. Make a tent out of foil and bake the enchiladas for 15 minutes or until cheeses are melted, then remove the foil tent and bake for another 5 minutes. 
7. Add your favorite toppings and serve!

What Can You Serve with Beef Enchiladas?

Looking for the best sides to serve with Beef Enchiladas? You’ve come to the right place! 

• Super Easy Mexican/Spanish Rice is the perfect partner for any favorite Mexican dish. You can easily whip up this yummy rice on your stovetop while the enchiladas are baking in the oven!
• Make this Avocado Corn Salad (minus the chicken) for a refreshing, light, slightly sweet, totally yummy side dish. 
• Creamy Avocado Pasta is a great Southwestern side dish that pairs well with tacos, fajitas, and yes, even enchiladas.  
• Consider making a side salad with this Cilantro Avocado Ranch Dressing. Sooooo good! 
• All you’ll need to make is this Chopped Fiesta Quinoa Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing when serving up your Beef Enchiladas! 

How to Keep Enchiladas from Getting Soggy

If you’ve ever made a stellar batch of enchilada filling, whipping up a fabulous sauce, hand-shredded the cheese, and gathered all of your favorite toppings only to end up with disappointing, soggy enchiladas – don’t fret! I’ll teach you my favorite ways to prevent this in the future.

• It really all comes down to the tortillas. Flour tortillas hold up better to enchilada sauce than corn tortillas. Starting off with a good, thick flour tortilla will do wonders from preventing sogginess.
• The next thing you can do if you want to go the extra mile, is to toast your tortilla in a skillet on the stove over medium heat for 1-2 minutes, flipping half-way through. Give the pan a little spritz of nonstick cooking spray too if you want. This will only help those tortillas create a nice barrier from the liquid in your casserole pan.
• Now, if you just really can’t live without corn tortillas – no fear. You’ve just gotta take it a step further and fry them in some oil on both sides before you use them. They should still be pliable when you are finished, so that you can easily roll the filling inside and that crispy outside will keep the enchiladas from falling apart so much. Ta-da!

Expert Tips 

• No Instant Pot? No problem! You can make these beef enchiladas just as easily in the slow cooker. Follow the instructions as stated, except you’ll need to sear the beef in a skillet on the stovetop first before adding to the slow cooker. Then add the remaining ingredients and cover, cooking on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2 hours. Shred, fill tortillas, and bake as instructed.
• This roast can be cooked through and ready in 35 minutes in the pressure cooker (plus the pressurizing and depressurizing time) if you are tight on time. If you have more time, it will be even juicier and more tender if you can cook it for up to 45 minutes and add 1/2 cup broth to the pot. 
• For a real spicy kick, stir in 1 tablespoons adobe sauce from a can of chipotle peppers packed in adobo sauce (found in the Latino section of any common grocery store). 
• You can transfer the beef to a separate bowl to shred. I like to do it in the pressure cooker so it absorbs the liquid from the pot as it is being shredded for more flavor and moisture. 

More Amazing Mexican Recipes

• Easy Beef Empanadas (little hand-held pockets of joy!)
• Creamy White Chicken Enchiladas (that sauce will have you licking. the. pan.)
• Fiesta Lime Chicken and Rice Foil Packs (a Chili’s copycat recipe!)
• Stuffed Poblano Peppers (10x better than bell peppers, trust me.)
• Instant Pot Pot Roast

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