Stacked Beef Enchiladas (AKA Mexican Lasagna)
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With layers of corn tortillas, spicy ground beef, salsa and cheese, this stacked beef enchilada casserole is a family-pleaser.
You know when you make a dish for the first time and your whole family loves it, and you’re elated because you’ve found a new recipe to add to your repertoire forever? That’s how I felt the first time I cooked these hearty stacked beef enchiladas.
With layers of corn tortillas, spicy ground beef, roasted tomato salsa, and cheese, it’s a cross between traditional rolled enchiladas and lasagna — yet easier to make than both. It’s a great make-ahead dish for a potluck or big family dinner. And if you prepare the sauce in advance, it’s doable on a weeknight, too.
What you’ll need to make stacked beef enchiladas
how to make stacked beef enchiladas
To begin, combine the ground beef and the baking soda in a large bowl. The baking soda raises the pH of the meat, helping to lock in moisture and make the beef melt-in-your-mouth tender.
Mix with your hands until evenly combined.
Let sit on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, make the sauce.
Toss the tomatoes, onions, and garlic with the vegetable oil directly on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil until softened and charred, 12 to15 minutes (if the vegetables are browning too quickly, give them a quick stir with a rubber spatula).
Transfer the vegetables and juices to a food processor fitted with the metal blade.
Add the salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper and pulse until just slightly chunky — then toss in the cilantro leaves.
Pulse until the cilantro is chopped. Set the sauce aside.
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring frequently and breaking into pieces, until just slightly pink, about 2 minutes.
Add the chili powder, cumin, and salt.
Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes more, or until cooked through.
To assemble the casserole: Preheat oven to 350°F and move the oven rack to the center position. Lightly oil a 9×13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Set aside 1 cup of the sauce for the top of the casserole. (You want to ensure that you have enough to cover the top layer of tortillas, otherwise they won’t cook through.) Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with a layer of tortillas, overlapping them slightly.
Spoon half of the beef (and any juices) over the tortillas, followed by half of the sauce.
Sprinkle 1/3 of the cheese over the sauce.
Repeat with another layer of tortillas, the remaining beef, remaining sauce, and 1/3 of the cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas.
Spread the reserved sauce over the tortillas and cover completely.
Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over top.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through and the cheese is completely melted.
Enjoy!
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Stacked Beef Enchiladas (AKA Mexican Lasagna)
With layers of corn tortillas, spicy ground beef, salsa and cheese, this stacked beef enchilada casserole is a family-pleaser.
Ingredients
For the Beef
- 1½ pounds 90% lean ground beef
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1½ teaspoons chipotle chili powder (see note)
- 2½ teaspoons ground cumin
- ¾ teaspoon salt
For the Sauce
- 4 large vine-ripened tomatoes (about 1.3 lb), quartered
- 2 medium yellow onions, cut into ½-inch wedges
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro leaves
For Assembling
- 10 (8-in) yellow corn tortillas, cut into quarters (I use Mission brand)
- 4 cups (12 oz) shredded Mexican blend cheese
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the ground beef and the baking soda. Mix with your hands until evenly combined. Let sit on the counter for 20 to 30 minutes.
- While the beef sits, prepare the sauce. Set an oven rack about 5 inches beneath the heating element and preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Toss the tomatoes, onions, and garlic with the vegetable oil directly on the prepared baking sheet. Broil until softened and charred, 12 to15 minutes (if the vegetables are browning too quickly, give them a quick stir with a rubber spatula). Transfer the vegetables and juices to a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Add the salt, cumin, and cayenne pepper and pulse until just slightly chunky. Add the cilantro and pulse until the cilantro is chopped. Set the sauce aside.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring frequently and breaking into pieces, until just slightly pink, about 2 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes more, or until cooked through.
- To assemble: Preheat oven to 350°F and move the oven rack to the center position. Lightly oil a 9x13-in glass or ceramic baking dish.
- Set aside 1 cup of the sauce for the top of the casserole. (You want to ensure that you have enough to cover the top layer of tortillas, otherwise they won't cook through.)
- Line the bottom of the prepared baking dish with a layer of tortillas, overlapping them slightly. Spoon half of the beef (and any juices) over the tortillas. Top with half of the sauce and ⅓ of the cheese. Repeat with another layer of tortillas, the remaining beef, remaining sauce, and ⅓ of the cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas. Spread the reserved sauce over the tortillas and cover completely. Sprinkle the remaining cheese evenly over top. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the casserole is heated through and the cheese is completely melted.
- Note: Chipotle chili powder is smoky and hot and makes this dish a little spicy. For a milder dish, replace the chipotle chili powder with ancho chili powder, which isn't as hot.
- MAKE-AHEAD/FREEZER-FRIENDLY INSTRUCTIONS: The casserole can be prepared ahead of time, tightly covered with foil, and refrigerated for up to two days or frozen for up to 3 months before baking (if frozen, defrost in the refrigerator before cooking). It can also be fully baked, tightly covered with foil, and refrigerated for up to two days or frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat: defrost if necessary and heat the covered casserole in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes, or until hot. If you'd rather reheat individual servings, small portions can be zapped in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (8 servings)
- Calories: 491
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 21 g
- Sugar: 4 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 30 g
- Sodium: 608 mg
- Cholesterol: 96 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Comments
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Can I substitute with impossible meat?
If so do I still mix it with baking soda?
Hi Brenda, I’ve never tried this with a meat alternative so I can’t say for sure, but I suspect it should work (and you will not need to mix it with the baking soda). I’d love to hear how the dish turns out if you make it!
Hi Jenn!
Some of my family members, unfortunately, do not like cilantro. What would you suggest I use as a substitute? BTW I love all your recipes!
Hi Julie, you can just omit the cilantro. And so glad you like the recipes! 🙂
Another winner! I added some peppers to the sauce for a bit of heat and used a mixture of anchor and Chipotle chili powder
I was concerned thar there wasn’t enough sauce to properly cover everything but it was perfect. My wife commented that it tasted “authentic” but mostly that it was great!
Thanks for this Jenn. Will be added to our tex/mex rotation
I am making this for the second time today, with plans to freeze the second. With the second version, I used black beans instead of beef and used a third of the spice. Turned out great. I should have read the note the first time around about the spice, since I have one out of four in my family who does not like spicy foods. Will definitely be adding this meal to the rotation. Quick and easy meal.
Hello Jenn,
I have a family picnic going to next Saturday and I think my family would find this delicious. How would you alter this recipe for making it in a Crock-pot/Slow cooker?
Thanks for your advice!
Hi Judy, Unfortunately, I don’t this recipe is a great one to adapt to a slow cooker — sorry!
Our family doesn’t eat beef so I substituted ground Bison and it was so good and very flavorful! The Chipotle chili definitely gave it a kick if you like spicy. We will definitely make again! This would taste really nice with a side of pico de gallo I think.
Question – can you suggest any vegetarian alternatives to beef?
Hi Shelly, You could try vegetarian ground “beef.” You could also give it a try with beans. (Please keep in mind that I haven’t tried it with either of these.) I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try an alternative!
I have 93/7 ground turkey, if I use this instead of ground beef, do you have any recommendations or not recommend it for this recipe? Thanks in advance!
Hi Shelly, you can make this with ground turkey (and can skip the baking soda step). Please LMK how it turns out!
I forgot that I wrote this comment and ended up using ground bison, and I did not use the baking soda. It turned out delicious! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Hi, Jenn! Are you making your own cheese blend for this or using a purchased and pre-grated blend?
Hi Terri, That’s a pre-grated blend that I purchased. 🙂
Do you not have to cook the tortillas first? I haven’t made it yet.
No — the sauce helps the tortillas to cook. Hope you enjoy if you make this!
Hello Jen, Should the broiler be on high or low. My oven has both settings. Thank you.
High 🙂
I have made this many times and it always gets rave reviews. This time I used lamb mince instead of beef, some friends don’t eat beef, it was equally as flavorful. ?
Amazing recipe. I run a feeding kitchen, We cook for about 3500 people a month.
I made this for a service of 50 to 60 people, and they just went crazy over this. Thank you so much!
Glad it was a hit. So nice that you do that – I’m sure it’s really rewarding!
Loved it!! My wife and I will be making this one again !
Great comfort food. Feeding a family of five, Mom, Dad (and new baby) and supporting grandparents, this was a big hit! I used canned chipotle peppers as that was all I had on hand and a layer of fresh cooked corn niblets and a delicious meal was born. I think I will try chicken or turkey next time for a variation on the theme. As always, Jen never disappoints.
Great! I was not sure if it would taste like a regular beef enchilada but I found this one a little bit more spicy, which I like. Thank you!
Another winner! I made this pretty much as per your recipe and the whole family loved it. The only difference is that I used a flour/corn mixed tortilla (Mission brand). Delicious!!! Quite easy to put together. Made the sauce & beef and layered the lasagna & covered it overnight & cooked the next day. Yummy!!!
Delicious! Made this tonight and it was as perfect. I was a little worried having read some reviews saying the salsa wasn’t flavorful but that wasn’t the case for me. I actually snacked on salsa with chips while preparing the rest of the dish. I used fresh local tomatoes (could be where the extra flavor was). And followed the recipe to a tee. I thought there was too much liquid and there was no way the tortillas could absorb the juice from the tomatoes and the meat. But it did. Oh, the only substitution I made was using one pound of ground beef and a can of black beans to make up for the second pound. It was delicious!! Served it with sour cream and Tabasco. Jen’s recipes are always a home run!
Made this tonight when my sister came with her kids, I used 1 kilo of beef and the whole thing was almost gone. Very good filling meal for people who normally like lasagne. We couldn’t find chipotle chile and instead used the other suggested.
I could have used a bit more liquid in it, next time I will use more tomatoes.
How many cups of sauce/liquid would you say you used total? I find I have the same thing with these types of dishes. Looking forward to trying this, maybe with a milder version of the sauce.
What would be some good dessert options to serve after this meal?
If you to stick with the Tex-Mex theme, some options are the Mexican Wedding Cookies, Flan, or Tres Leches Cake. Or you could go with something summery with one of these.
Hello Jenn,
Have tried many of your recipes and they have all been spot on, thank you.
I live in Malaysia and chipotle chili is not easy to come by. Will smoked paprika work?
Hi Johara, so glad you like the recipes! If you have ancho chili powder, I’d use that. If not, smoked paprika will work. Enjoy! 🙂
I kept looking at this recipe and finally made it last night. WOW!!! The sauce was amazing, better than i anticipated and I had high hopes. My family and I enjoyed the little bit of heat and with the sauce etc. we will be having this regularly. I particularly loved that the sauce is homemade and nothing was from a can:)
I made this last evening and followed the recipe exactly. My family loves it. My children complimented me multiple times and I consider myself a pretty good cook! Thanks for another winner, Jenn!
Jenn, my favorite neighborhood market only had the small white corn tortillas. Bad weather and lots of snow stopped me from going elsewhere. What kind of a difference can I expect and will it change the taste ?
Hi Carol, the tortillas you got should be fine. Because they’re smaller, you’ll need to use more to make the layers. And regarding taste, yellow tortillas have a slightly stronger flavor but this should still be delicious with the white. Please LMK how it comes out (and stay warm)! 🙂
Made on Saturday to serve on Sunday, wound up in the hospital instead. It did not get baked until Tuesday. My daughter and her friend loved it, but I was not feeling well enough to join in. The sauce was delicious (tasted that on Saturday when first made).
Oh my gosh, I hope you’re feeling better Carol!! 💓
Would it be ok if I used flour tortillas?
Hi Amanda, I think corn tortillas hold up better in this, but some readers have commented that they have used flour tortillas successfully. Hope you enjoy!
Hey Jenn
Just tried this recipe. I like the flavors, but the ‘salsa’ was still a bit crunchy even after cooking. Should I have broiled the veggies longer? Or is there something else that can make the sauce smoother? Thanks!
Hi Pem, Yes I would broil the veggies a bit longer or purée them a bit more.
Can this be made with no meat?
Hi Tamara, I haven’t tried it, but a few members have commented that they’ve made this successfully using a meat alternative (like Gardein or Impossible brands). Please report back if you try it!
Made this for my vegetarian daughter tonight. Subbed roasted cauliflower for the beef and made everything else the same. She loved it!!
I made this recipe vegetarian by using plant based ground beef (from Gardein) and subbed in a mix of leftover red enchilada sauce with your sauce recipe. Also I used mostly queso fresco and just a little but of the Mexican blended cheese because that’s what I had in the fridge. It turned out really delicious! I might add in some veggies next time to make it a truly one tray dinner. I like that this is a great base recipe that has lots of room for variation based on personal taste.
These were amazing! Loved the sauce and so did those who joined us. I would double the sauce – partly because it is so good. Easy to make.
Can you freeze this?
Sure – see the bottom of the recipe for freezer-friendly instructions. Enjoy!
Can I use a blender to make the salsa) sauce instead of a food processor?
Sure – enjoy!
This recipe deserves 10 stars! My 93 year old dad kept saying it was delicious! He was thrilled with the great taste without any ‘spicy-heat’……thanks to the ancho chili powder. This is a keeper, and I will be making it for company! Can’t wait to try more of your recipes!
Hi Barbara…please note this recipe calls for Chipotle Chili Powder not Ancho which is sweeter than the smoky, sweet, spicy flavour. Cheers 👍
Hi Gail,
in Jenn’s notes, she advises if you want a milder flavor to use the ANCHO chili powder instead if you’re not wanting too much heat.
Lisa
New favourite Mexican Meal at our house! Thanks for another winning dish Jenn
This was really fun to make. I made it the day before our party and put it, unbaked, in the refrigerator. Everyone had seconds. It’s just delicious!
Made this tonight. Delicious! I did add about 1/2 cup of sour cream to the sauce and it was great.
This was really really good. I substituted ground turkey and did a mix of ancho and chipotle powder. Otherwise follow the recipe as written. The sauce is so good and all the flavors came together really well. I’ve made this before with ground beef and think I might prefer it with the ground turkey as it’s already a pretty heavy dish. Will definitely be making again!
Husband keeps saying “that is so good!”. He also said “this is a keeper, honey”.
I enjoyed it too.
Fantastic! Served with sliced avocados and black beans. Super easy, and the sauce is divine.
If I swap ground turkey for the ground beef, should I still prep the meat with the baking soda?
No, you can skip the baking soda step. Hope you enjoy!
Delicious! My office mate, Jane, made this over the weekend and brought a serving to me. I LOVED it! So I made this last night for us and visiting family and it was devoured! The only thing I did differently was I used Siete’s almond tortillas as that was what Jane had used and I liked it so much. Definitely will be made in our home on a regular basis! Thanks for a great meal!
Delicious and so easy! I made this the other day and we all loved it! We Texans can be picky when it comes to Mexican food, but we all agreed to add this to the rotation. I followed the recipe except I didn’t realize my corn tortillas were the smaller 5″ or 6″ size. It still worked, but next time I will make sure to use the larger one.
Made this today. Couldn’t believe the great taste of the sauce and how easy it was to make. We loved it! Every recipe I’ve used on your site has been a keeper (key lime pie, baked ziti, crab cakes) Thanks for such great recipes.
So glad you’re enjoying the recipes! 🙂
I just made it. Delicious!!!
I served it with black beans. I followed the recipe except I used an extra 2 tomatoes (because I wouldn’t have used them otherwise). Plenty of sauce. Very flavorful and delicious.
Soooooooo tasty. My 11yo LOVED it
Hi Jen,
So far, all the recipes I tried from your site has been a huge hit in my house. This recipe will also be going into my recipe box. The only regret I have is not doubling the sauce!
Same!!!!! Definitely needed more sauce.
Made this 2 days ahead for an easy weeknight meal.
I only had a pound of ground beef, and used the same measurements of spices, and to bulk it up I added a can of rinsed black beans and a cup of frozen corn.
It was fantastic! Nice flavor, served with a dollop of sour cream and fresh avocado
Great flavor! My entire family loved this dish. Tip: I made the salsa the night before. I put it in a jar in the fridge overnight. The next day I assemble the rest of the dish and popped it in the oven for a super simple weeknight meal.
These are the BOMB!!!!! So easy and so good! Didn’t change a thing.
Hello Jenn
Have you ever made your stacked beef enchiladas recipe with flour tortillas? Asking because dear spouse did the food shopping and came home with package of 10 flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas that I’d asked him to pick up. Don’t really want him to go out again especially having to be so careful.
Thank you
Hi Joycelyn, Glad you enjoyed this! I do think corn tortillas hold up better here, but some readers have commented that they have used flour tortillas with success. Hope you enjoy!
These were fantastic! Everyone loved them and paired with Chicken Nachos.