These Green Chili Beef Enchiladas with White Sauce are the perfect hearty weeknight dinner. The sour cream based sauce is loaded with cilantro, lime, green chiles, and lots of cheese. The enchiladas are filled with taco meat and even more cheese.
These green chili beef enchiladas are total Mexican comfort food, like my Walking Taco Casserole or Easy Green Chicken Enchiladas.
In the fall I love to make chili. Learn How To Make Instant Pot Chili (No Beans).
One of my favorite toppings for these white sauce beef enchiladas are my Mexican Pickled Onions. The acidity pairs nicely with the sour cream sauce.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Versatile
- Extra cheesy
- Easy to make & ready in less than 40 minutes
- Cilantro lime sour cream sauce
- Lots of green chiles
- Super hearty
- Great reheated
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Ground Beef: Substitute for 1 pound raw ground turkey or ground chicken. You could also boil and shred 1 pound of raw boneless skinless chicken breasts. Be sure to still season according to the recipe.
- White Onion: Substitute for yellow or red onion. If you do not like crunchy onions, you can cook all of the diced onion with the ground beef. I like to stir half of it into the sauce for some texture.
- Cheddar Cheese: You can use all monterey jack cheese for this recipe, but I like the little bit of a bite that the cheddar adds. For the best flavor, grate the cheese yourself.
- Taco Seasoning: The Simply Organic Mild Taco Seasoning is my absolute favorite. It does not have a bunch of additives and has a ton of good spices. You can find it at Whole Foods. Use good quality taco seasoning.
Complete list of ingredients and amounts is located on the recipe card below.
How To Make Green Chili Beef Enchiladas
Overview
- Sauté the ground beef.
- Make the white sauce.
- Assemble the enchiladas.
- Bake & enjoy!!
Step by Step
Step 1: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and half of the diced onion. Cook until the meat is completely browned. Add the taco seasoning prepared according to the instructions on the packet. Reduce on medium low until most of the water has cooked off. Remove from the heat. Fold in the cheddar cheese. Set aside.
Step 2: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, whisk in the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
TIP – You do not want to leave excess liquid in the beef because the enchiladas will become too soupy.
Step 3: Add the chicken broth, salt, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium high heat until the sauce begins to thicken.
Step 4: Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup of monterey jack cheese until mostly melted. Stir in the sour cream, green chiles, lime juice, and cilantro.
TIP – The sauce will be thick enough to just coat your spoon.
Step 5: Lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Ladle about 1 cup of the sour cream sauce into the bottom. Fill a tortilla with a couple spoonfuls of the beef. Roll tightly. Place the enchilada into the pan seam side down.
Step 6: Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Top with remaining sauce and 1 cup of monterey jack cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling. Broil if desired for color.
TIP – Roll the enchiladas as tight as you can and push them over as you fill the pan to make room.
Expert Tips & Variations
- These enchiladas are not crispy. This is more like an enchilada casserole. The tortillas will be soft.
- Whisk the sauce. This ensures the flour is completely incorporated into the broth and does not become lumpy.
- Add the cheese and sour cream after the sauce is removed from the heat. Since the sauce will continue to heat in the oven, you do not want to overheat it. Sour cream easily curdles and separates with too much direct heat.
- Be sure to add some sauce to the bottom of the dish. This ensures the enchiladas do not stick at all to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Roll the enchiladas tightly and place them seam side down. You want to pack the enchiladas tightly into the dish. This ensures they do not unroll.
- Broil for a golden brown color. The sauce will begin bubbling before the top becomes golden brown. If you want to add a little color, broil them for a couple of minutes. Keep a close eye on them so they do not burn.
- Garnish. Top with fresh cilantro and limes.
Recipe FAQs
Like I mentioned above these sour cream beef enchiladas are soft, not crispy. If you want them to crunchy, you need to use corn tortillas and fry them. Ladle the sauce on right before serving, instead of baking. They will be more like taquitos.
Salsa verde is typically raw, while enchilada sauce is cooked. They can be used interchangeably in most enchilada recipes.
Yes. This is a personal preference. Both should work for most recipes.
Be sure to use corn tortillas. Fry them before assembling.
More Mexican Recipes
Green Chili Beef Enchiladas with White Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
Beef Filling
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef*
- 1/2 white onion diced, divided*
- 4 ounces (1 cup) cheddar cheese, shredded*
- 1 packet taco seasoning prepare according to instructions on packet*
Sour Cream Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
- 4 ounces (1 cup) monterey jack cheese, shredded
- 8 ounces sour cream
- 2 4 ounce cans green chiles
- 1 lime juiced
- 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
- 10 6 inch flour tortillas
- 4 ounces (1 cup) monterey jack cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Review all recipe notes and instructions before beginning.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and half of the diced onion. Cook until the meat is completely browned. Add the taco seasoning prepared according to the instructions on the packet. Reduce on medium low until most of the water has cooked off. Remove from the heat. Fold in the cheddar cheese. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Once the butter begins to bubble, whisk in the flour. Cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, remaining onion, salt, and garlic. Bring to a boil. Simmer on medium high heat until the sauce begins to thicken.
- Remove from the heat. Stir in 1 cup of monterey jack cheese until mostly melted. Stir in the sour cream, green chiles, lime juice, and cilantro.
- Lightly spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray. Ladle about 1 cup of the sour cream sauce into the bottom. Fill a tortilla with a couple spoonfuls of the beef. Roll tightly. Place the enchilada into the pan seam side down.
- Repeat with the remaining tortillas. Top with remaining sauce and 1 cup of monterey jack cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until bubbling. Broil if desired for color.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made this. Didn’t use taco seasoning, i made my own seasoning with what I like, including red pepper flakes. The tortillas really should be fried first, then, they won’t be soggy. Use your imagination. Yum! Wish I could post a picture.
Forgot to add, I added larged chopped carrots,
onions, celery and sautéed with spices and then made ground beef with 2 potatos chopped, lots of fresh largely chopped garlic, about 5 cloves. then added the veggies into the cooked beef mixture. The potatoes made the enchiladas very creamy and rich.
Awesome!
This dish was really really good! My 4 year old ate it with no issues and he is picky!
Awesome!!
These beef enchiladas were absolutely fantastic!! I made them exactly as recipe stated, although somehow (oops, silly me, lol) I used twice the cheese. I cook for some patients that either have very few, or no teeth at all. Because that’s challenging for them, I REALLY want the food I cook to taste good to them!! You got me thinking, so as soon as I got beef enchiladas above in oven, I immediately whipped up another batch of your sauce. I had some delicious leftover baked chicken breast in the fridge.
I diced up cold leftover chicken and put in small saucepan to heat, added about a cup of your sauce, and 1/2 cup of medium salsa verde and another 1/2 cup of monterey jack cheese. Followed your directions above, as far as adding sauce to bottom of baking dish. Rolled these chicken enchies in CORN tortillas, then pouring your sauce over top and topping with ONLY monterey jack cheese. Girl, my family and extended family LITERALLY pigged out!! There are ZERO leftovers!! YOU ROCK!!!!! Love, Love, love this recipe!! All 5 of my sisters are getting this recipe!! Yay!!!
Awesome! I am so glad.
<3 Bri
In the notes for the recipe it states you can use green enchilada sauce instead of red. “ Can I use green enchiladas sauce instead of red?
Yes. This is a personal preference. Both should work for most recipes.”
I don’t see where to add either one?
Sorry for the confusion! There is no enchilada sauce in this recipe. The only sauce is the sour cream sauce.
This was soo delicious!! I’m curious about the nutrition facts, is this for 2 enchiladas as the serving size? Thank you!
Awesome thank you! It is for one.
These are delicious! They remind me of the enchiladas we ate when I was a child. So good!
*The only sub I make is using a can of Rotel instead of the two cans of green chiles. 🙂
YAY! So glad it was a hit. I will have to try it with rotel. Sounds delish!
This sauce is seriously the bomb!! I could eat the sauce alone! I tried the regular recipe and loved it! I did try this with carnitas instead and it was also a huge hit!
Awesome! Carnitas sound incredible!!
Super easy recipe and so delicious!! I didnt see where to add the other half if the onion. I just added it to the sauce.
My mistake! I just updated the recipe, but you guessed right! It goes in the sauce. Hope you enjoyed!! 🙂
Is it ok to make and have the sauce on the side and add sauce and cook the next day?
Made for my friends that just had a baby and wanted to give them a buildable recipe the next day
Thank you
Yes definitely!
I made this for the second time tonight and it’s a family favorite!
Yay! So happy you loved it!