Description
Slow-Cooker Shredded Beef Enchiladas offer a hands-off, flavorful weeknight dinner featuring tender slow-cooked beef infused with Mexican spices, wrapped in tortillas, and smothered with rich enchilada sauce and melted cheese. Perfectly comforting and family-friendly, this recipe makes dinner effortless and delicious.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Seasoning
- 3 to 4 pounds beef chuck roast
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- Salt and pepper to taste
Sauce Base
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups enchilada sauce (red sauce, store-bought or homemade)
- Optional: 1-2 jalapeños, diced (for heat)
Assembly
- 10–12 flour or corn tortillas (your choice)
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the Beef: Season the beef chuck roast generously with salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, and oregano. In a hot pan, sear the beef on all sides until browned to lock in flavor, then transfer it to the slow cooker.
- Build the Sauce Base: Using the same pan, sauté diced onions and minced garlic until translucent and fragrant. Add the enchilada sauce and optional diced jalapeños, stirring to combine. Pour this mixture over the beef in the slow cooker to infuse the meat as it cooks.
- Slow Cook to Perfection: Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 4 to 5 hours, until the beef is tender enough to shred easily with a fork, allowing maximum flavor absorption and tenderness.
- Shred the Beef: Remove the beef from the slow cooker and shred it thoroughly using two forks. Return the shredded beef to the sauce in the slow cooker and stir well so every bite remains juicy and flavorful.
- Assemble the Enchiladas: Lightly warm tortillas to prevent cracking. Spoon a generous amount of shredded beef onto each tortilla, sprinkle with cheese, roll tightly, and place seam side down in a baking dish. Top the assembled enchiladas with additional enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake and Serve: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Bake enchiladas for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and golden brown on top. Let rest 5-10 minutes before serving to set.
Notes
- Sear the Meat: Browning beef before slow cooking deepens flavor greatly.
- Warm Tortillas: Heating tortillas makes rolling easier and prevents cracking.
- Don’t Overload: Use moderate beef amounts per tortilla for neat enchiladas.
- Use Quality Cheese: Fresh shredded cheese melts best versus pre-shredded.
- Let it Rest: Rest enchiladas after baking for best texture and serving.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 hours (low) or 4-5 hours (high)
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooker, Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 enchilada
- Calories: 350
- Sugar: 4g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 8g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 25g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 70mg
Keywords: slow cooker, shredded beef, enchiladas, Mexican, easy dinner, weeknight meal, comfort food, make ahead