Shredded Beef Enchiladas: Crock Pot Dinner

Shredded Beef Enchiladas are a family favorite around here. They’re a great option on busy weeknights because you just toss everything into the slow cooker in the morning, head out the door and come home to tender beef waiting to be pulled apart with forks.

By the time you’ve shredded the beef and rolled them into tortillas with cheese and beans, it’s time to get them broiled and dinner’s on the table. Here’s the recipe for Shredded Beef Enchiladas in case you’d like to make them, too.

Why the Timing Works

Chuck roast needs a long, slow cook to make it fall apart at a mere suggestion. Connective tissue needs to breakdown and there’s nothing you can do to rush this.

If you’re looking for an option for quick, high heat cooking, try one of these ground beef recipes instead.

Come home at about five and your house will be fragrant with the aroma of seasoned beef cooking all day. That’s when you’re going to pull them apart and assemble enchiladas.

The red enchilada sauce is what we use to top them before popping them in the oven. It’s also what we cook them in all day.

Win-win.

What to Know Before You Start

• I highly recommend using chuck roast for this recipe. Stew beef works fine, too, but I’ve found that chuck roast has a bit of a higher fat content making them more apt to shred. It’s a bit of a slippery slope to try to get a super-lean cut of beef (think sirloin) to shred after eight hours of cooking. They’ll likely come out a bit on the tough and stringy side. You definitely need fat for moisture.
• You can roll the tortillas ahead of time, cover, and store them in the refrigerator until you’re ready to pop them under the broiler.
• The refried beans may seem odd, but they help the shredded beef to stick together like glue and won’t fall out of the enchiladas when you’re trying to roll them. They also add a creamy, rich element to these Shredded Beef Enchiladas.

Tips for beef enchiladas:

• I know it’s counter-intuitive to add beef in large chunks. I trimmed mine once they were in bags but I’d next time just leave them in bigger pieces. They fall apart beautifully once they’re done.
• My slow-cooker is a 6 qt one which is the perfect size for a 2-3 lb chuck roast. There’s plenty of room to cook without overcrowding, which is best for braising. If you’re making the recipe with 1 pound of stew meat then a smaller slow-cooker will be fine.
• You absolutely MUST soften your tortillas or they’ll crack as you’re rolling them up and your enchilada goodness will be on the counter, floor, dog’s face… everywhere. Simply place them on a plate and cover with a dampened paper towel and microwave for 30 seconds.
• Don’t be greedy with your filling. I know you’ll be tempted to pile it on but you’ll be happier with yourself when you realize that if you add more than about 1/2 a cup then they’ll be hard to keep rolled. You’ll be able to add plenty of filling to each of the six.
• Sour cream is a must-have condiment. Serve a side of rice and you’ll be happy.
• I chose Old El Paso enchilada (red) sauce. It’s a brand I trust. The red enchilada sauce has a good consistency and isn’t spicy, which my kids like. If you have another brand you’re partial to then go with it. The recipe calls for one 19 oz can to braise the beef in and top the enchiladas with before going under the broiler.
• Adding a can of diced green chiles to the enchiladas (optional) adds a nice earthy spice. It’s not overly spicy.

Ingredients for six enchiladas, or more if using chuck roast:

• 1 pound of beef, cut into stewing size chunks, and 2 beef bouillon cubes
• 1/2 of a can of refried beans – 3 cups shredded mexican blend or cheddar cheese, divided
• One can Old El Paso enchilada (red) sauce, divided
• 6 flour tortillas (burrito size)
• sour cream, for topping
• Serve with rice.

How to Make It

Place the stew beef or chuck roast pieces in the bottom of the slow cooker. Add about 3/4 of the enchilada sauce and two beef bouillon cubes, which will melt into the enchilada sauce and add more beefy goodness.

Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours. The beef needs to cook for a long time on LOW to breakdown the collagen in the beef and make it nice and tender.

DO NOT bump the heat up to high. When you go to check on it after the 8 hours, make sure that the beef is nice and fork tender and falls apart easily.

If it’s giving you any resistance when shredding it with two forks, give it another 30-45 min.

Once the beef is fork tender, use two forks to shred the beef in the slow cooker. Remove the shredded beef from the braising liquid and set aside.

Be sure to reserve some of the braising liquid, you may want to add it later. Add the refried beans to the beef and stir well to incorporate.

The beans will help to bind everything together and will drink up any extra beefy goodness. At this point you can stir in the green chiles if using.

Give the beef a quick consistency check. You want it to be moist but not runny or soupy, so drain more braising liquid if needed.

If it looks on the dry side add a small amount of the beefy braising liquid. You’re looking for a nice balance.

Line up about six tortillas on a plate and cover them with a dampened paper towel. Microwave about 30-45 seconds just until they are nice and pliable, which helps to prevent cracking and breaking when you roll them and transfer them into the baking dish.

Place them in a single layer in a greased 9×13 glass baking dish.

Step 5: Fill and roll the enchiladas.

Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish and keep near by. Lay one of the warm tortillas out.

Spoon about 1/2 cup of the beef and bean mixture in the middle of the tortilla. Sprinkle a small handful of cheese on top of the beef.

Roll up tightly. Repeat with remaining 5 tortillas.

Place tortillas seam-side down in the 9×13 pan close together. This way they won’t unroll.

Step 6: Smother and broil.

Pour the remaining enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas and sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Broil on low for about 5 minutes or until cheese is nice and melty and golden, not brown and tough.

Take out when sauce starts to bubble and cheese is melty. Serve with sour cream and rice.

ENJOY!

Helpful Tips

I like to fold the edges in before I roll the enchiladas, kind of like making a burrito, so the bean and beef mixture doesn’t fall out. Make sure to pour the remaining enchilada sauce all over the tortillas.

Some parts will probably not get covered with cheese when you sprinkle it on…but those areas will be uncovered after broiling and will be really dry and kind of ugly looking. Cover all of it.

Also, make sure to place the rolled up enchiladas tightly against each other so they stay rolled.

Tips for slow-cooked shredded beef:

• Busy day? Place the beef in your slow-cooker on low in the evening and cook it overnight. In the morning, remove and refrigerate the beef. In the evening, shred, make enchiladas and broil.
• Although this recipe appears lengthy, active cooking time is much shorter than making a call to have pizza delivered.
• It is easiest to shred the beef as soon as you turn off the slow-cooker while it is still nice and hot. Once it cools, shredding is more challenging. Leave a few tablespoons of braising liquid in the bottom of your slow-cooker while shredding the beef to help it stay moist. Spoon out additional braising liquid as necessary and keep it in a small bowl while shredding to use as needed.
• Cooked, shredded beef can be made and stored in refrigerator up to 3 days before assembling enchiladas and broiling.
• Enchiladas can be assembled, spooned over with sauce, sprinkled with cheese, covered, stored in refrigerator up to 24 hours before broiling. Allow a couple of additional minutes when broiling.
• A 2-3 lb roast cooks well. Cut recipe items in half or double/triple as needed to serve more people by using a larger baking dish or two pans of 6 enchiladas each. The filling is fabulous in tacos, spooned over rice or added to nachos. Have shredded beef enchiladas Monday night and shredded beef tacos Wednesday night.

Refrigerator / Freezer:

• Leftover shredded beef enchiladas will keep up to 4 days in the refrigerator tightly covered with aluminum foil or stored in an airtight container.
• To reheat shredded beef enchiladas from refrigerator: Individual enchilada(s) will take about 1-2 minutes in the microwave. Multiple enchiladas reheat nicely in the oven, tightly covered with aluminum foil, about 15 minutes at 350°F without getting dry.
• Cooked, shredded beef will keep up to 3 months in the freezer tightly covered with aluminum foil or stored in an airtight container. To use, transfer shredded beef to refrigerator overnight before use. To reheat from refrigerator: Add to skillet over medium-high heat until warmed through or place individual servings into microwave-safe containers and heat in microwave until warmed through. Use in enchiladas, sprinkle on nachos, mix into rice, spoon over eggs, and the possibilities are endless.
• Use shredded beef to prepare Burrito Bowls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I freeze these?

I don’t recommend freezing enchiladas after they’re assembled. Once covered with enchilada sauce, enchiladas don’t freeze and thaw very well.

They can be a little on the mushy side.

The filling does freeze very well though, which can come in super handy on hectic weeknights.

Can I use chicken instead of beef?

I recommend boneless skinless chicken thighs, which are ideal for slow-cooking, even more so than breast, and are as easy to shred as the beef. Just cook the thighs with the enchilada sauce and bouillon cubes for 6-8 hours on low, though they will be quicker than chuck roast, so check them after 6, shred, and combine with refried beans as described.

Do I have to use refried beans?

The refried beans help the shredded beef to cohere so that you have something creamy and cohesive to spoon onto tortillas that won’t spill everywhere as you roll them up into enchiladas.

You could substitute drained and somewhat mashed black beans, which would be good. Or you could omit beans altogether and use a bit more beef.

Those enchiladas would be yummy, just a tad harder to roll up neatly.

Can I cook the beef on high instead of low?

You can, it’ll take around 4-5 hours. It won’t be quite as tender though.

The beauty of cooking beef low and slow is that given enough time, all of the collagen breaks down and the meat is totally pull-apart tender. But if you’re in a bind, go for it.

But when possible, plan ahead and cook on low.

What’s the best cheese for these enchiladas?

My first choice would be shredded Mexican blend cheese straight out of the bag. It has a really good flavor, melts beautifully and saves you some time and trouble.

Monterey Jack or Cheddar will be fine on their own too, though Monterey Jack melts better. Pre-shredded mozzarella melts well but isn’t very flavorful so I wouldn’t recommend it.

If you’re feeling fancy, freshly grated Oaxaca cheese or a mixture of freshly grated Monterey Jack and Cheddar is great.

Can I make these without broiling — just bake them instead?

If you’d rather not broil them, go ahead and just bake them as directed. They will be good.

Bake them covered with foil for 20 minutes at 375 F then uncover for another 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melty and the sauce is bubbly.

What should I serve with these?

I love to serve these enchiladas with some Spanish rice and a dollop of sour cream. Some days I’m in the mood for cilantro-lime rice, which adds a refreshing element to enchiladas, but I’ll always opt for Spanish rice more often than not.

Add some green salad and you’ve got yourself one heck of a Mexican-inspired dinner. Serve with a squeeze of lime and lotsa sour cream.

Add more toppings as needed. We love jalapeños, cilantro and more lime at the table.

Related Recipes

• Crockpot Enchilada Soup

Slow Cooker Pulled Pork Enchiladas, made with pork and a tasty poblano cream sauce.

Beef Burrito Casserole, this recipe uses the same filling, but eliminates the rolling.