This beef enchilada bake with chili beans, bell pepper, and cheese is easy to assemble and bakes quickly enough to make a great family-friendly weeknight dinner.
Preparation Details
Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 35 mins
Total Time: 55 mins
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large bell pepper, any color, diced
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 (15 ounce) can chili beans
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 (15 ounce) can red enchilada sauce, divided
- 12 corn tortillas
- 12 ounces M exican blend shredded cheese
- cilantro, for garnish (optional)
- sour cream, for garnish (optional)
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add olive oil, then add onions. Sauté until onions just start to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Add bell pepper; sauté 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add ground beef; cook, breaking up beef with a spatula, until browned and crumbly, about 10 minutes. Drain any grease. Stir in chili beans. Season with salt, black pepper, and cumin. Stir in 1 cup enchilada sauce, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, spread remaining enchilada sauce evenly in the bottom of a 10×8-inch baking dish.
- Using a sharp knife, carefully cut a straight edge off one side of the tortillas. Place 4 tortillas with the cut edge facing the sides of the dish.
- Spread half of the beef mixture over tortillas and top with 3 ounces cheese. Add another layer of tortillas, then beef mixture and 3 ounces cheese to create the second layer. Repeat layers ending with remaining cheese. Cover with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove foil; bake until cheese is lightly browned, 5 to 10 minutes more. Remove from the oven; allow to rest for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with sour cream and chopped cilantro if desired.
