Healthy Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce
These healthy enchiladas with ground beef and green sauce are delicious, cheesy, and good for you with hidden veggies in them!
Enchiladas are a classic comfort food for me, but they don't have to be a calorie-bomb. I often turn to Grandma Kim's Best Ever Healthy Chicken Enchiladas recipe or our Slow Cooker Beef Enchiladas when the craving hits but this recipe is my new favorite! You are going to love this lighter take on the classic!
What makes these Green Beef Enchiladas healthy:
I am always trying to find ways to sneak vegetables into things my family loves. The more nutritious food we can enjoy, the better.
The first thing that makes this dish so awesome? I snuck spinach into the green enchilada sauce. Yep. Like a green smoothie for your enchiladas! I also add some julienned carrots into the seasoned ground beef. Neither vegetable changes the taste of the dish at all, you can barely tell it's there!
Healthy Beef Green Enchiladas Ingredients
- ground beef
- corn tortillas
- baby spinach
- carrots
- green enchilada sauce
- shredded cheese mexican blend
- yellow onion
- minced garlic
- cumin
- chili powder
Seasoning for Beef Enchiladas
- minced garlic
- cumin
- chili powder
How to Make Ground Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce
- Start by pouring your enchilada sauce into a blender. Add two handfuls of baby spinach, and liquify.
- Next, sauté onion and garlic until fragrant, then brown ground beef. Add taco seasoning and water and simmer for 20-ish minutes.
- Cover the bottom of a glass baking dish with enchilada sauce and pour the rest of the sauce into a shallow bowl.
- Dip a corn tortilla into the enchilada sauce and coat both sides. Add it to the glass baking dish, put some ground beef mixture and cheese into the middle of it, then roll it up leaving the seam on the bottom.
5. Repeat this pattern until your baking dish is full. Top the enchiladas with remaining sauce and sprinkle grated cheese over the whole thing.
6. Cover dish with foil.
7. Bake enchiladas at 350 F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
8. Top with sour cream, cilantro, jalapeños, salsa, and/or avocado!
Ground Beef Enchiladas recipe tips:
- Wrap corn tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave for 1 minute to soften them so they won't break while you're filling them.
- You can make enchiladas and freeze them for later.
How to Freeze Enchiladas
After you assemble the enchiladas, cover tightly with cling wrap, then foil, and freeze. They will keep in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Cook Frozen Enchiladas
Remove plastic wrap, cover again with foil and bake at 350 F for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and center is hot.
Beef Enchiladas with Green Sauce FAQs
Before assembling the enchiladas, ensure that any meat, vegetables, or other fillings are cooked and drained well to remove excess moisture.
While it's important to generously coat the enchiladas with sauce for flavor, avoid drowning them in sauce. Too much sauce can make the enchiladas soggy.
Which type of tortilla to use is a personal preference. I prefer corn tortillas.
Corn tortillas are traditional in Mexican cuisine and offer a distinct flavor and texture. They have a slightly earthy taste and tend to hold up well to the saucy filling without becoming too soggy.
Flour tortillas have a more neutral flavor, and they are softer and more pliable than corn tortillas. They are easier to roll without cracking, however, they can get mushy if they absorb too much sauce.
Covering enchiladas while baking is generally recommended, especially during the initial stages of baking. It prevents the enchiladas from drying out, allows for even cooking, and preserves moisture.
However, to achieve a golden brown crust on the top of the enchiladas, remove the foil or lid during the last few minutes of baking and continue baking uncovered until desired doneness is reached.
You should also check out Grandma Kim's Best Ever Healthy Chicken Enchiladas recipe, and our Buffalo Chicken Bowls - both amazing and healthy dinners. Or try this Slow Cooker Chili, it's my #1 comfort food!
If you like this recipe we would love if you took the time to leave a comment and positive review!
Beef Green Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 lbs ground beef
- 12 small corn tortillas
- 2 cups baby spinach
- ½ cup shredded carrots
- 2 cans green enchilada sauce
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheese mexican blend
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
Prep
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a large skillet, brown ground beef with chopped onion and shredded carrots. When it's browned, drain any grease. Return to heat and add chili powder, minced garlic and cumin. Cook for 3-4 more minutes, then remove from heat.
- Blend green enchilada sauce with two cups baby spinach. Pour into a shallow bowl.
- Wrap tortillas in a damp paper towel and pop in the microwave for 30 seconds.
Assemble
- Pour ¼ cup of green sauce into the bottom of a glass baking dish.
- Dip each tortilla in the green sauce mixture to coat it on both sides. Then fill with ground beef and about ⅛ cup of cheese. Roll and place into the baking dish.
- Pour the rest of the green sauce over the enchiladas. Sprinkle 1 cup of cheese over the top.
- Cover dish with foil.
- Bake enchiladas at 350 F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 more minutes or until cheese is bubbly.
- Serve with light sour cream, fresh tomatoes, jalapeños, avocado, and whatever else you love with enchiladas!
Notes
Nutrition
Enjoy!
This post was originally published on October 19, 2017 and has been updated.
We love these! I love beef and my husband loves healthy, so it's a perfect fit for us. It's even one kid's chosen birthday recipe; I let them choose the menu on their birthday. I double the cumin and chili powder, and we top with sour cream, avocado, tomatoes and fresh jalapenos. Thank you for sharing!
Oh my gosh you just made my night! Thank you so much, so glad you love them.
This looks absolutely amazing! With a family dinner coming up, I can't wait to impress everyone with it!
Yay! Thanks so much Lola, we hope everyone loves it!
ok, made several adjustments to make it a 3+star
EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY LOVED THIS DINNER AND IT WILL DEFINITELY BECOME A WEEKLY DINNER AT OUR HOUSE.