Easy 4-Ingredient Beef Enchiladas

I know I don't even have to mention how much 2020 sucked and how much we missed.  I try hard to keep my posts here at The DD positive because I know folks love to visit cooking blogs for recipes and fun stories.  Not to be reminded of the negativity of everything that has been going on in the world.  So I tell you this because my story of something negative grew into something very positive and has a happy ending.  For the bad news first we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving with our families like we usually do.  The Devilish Nephew and his sweet wife were stuck in Houston.  Not only because of Covid but their sweet golden retriever had to have surgery.  We opted not to have the big traditional turkey day meal with our parents.  My brother has a birthday at the end of November so in lieu of the holiday meal we had a very small get together as a birthday celebration.  I'm not a big fan of the traditional Thanksgiving meal and neither is my brother so here's where the story starts the upturn.  I decided to make Mexican food, because that's always a hit with my family.  I knew there would be no complaints!  I made a big batch of Gluten-Free Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas because Mr. DD loves those.  But not everyone on my side of the family is a fan of chicken in Mexican food.  I decided we needed a beef option and I was almost embarrassed I made such a simple recipe for a birthday meal.  I also made a big pot of Cowboy Beans and a batch of Restaurant Style Mexican Relish.  I also made a batch of our newest favorite salsa.  We found Simple Salsa Mix at the boat show in Little Rock last year.  (Remember we went crazy and bought a boat!) It is THE BEST salsa.  It's a dry mix you simply mix a scoop with a can of diced or crushed tomatoes.  Perfect for camping and RVs.  Also perfect for people in quarantine who did nothing but go fishing and eat chips and salsa.  We love this mix in the cute little can so much we gave everyone a can for Christmas!  The salsa was a hit at the meal, it was hard to keep it a secret that everyone at the table had some under the Christmas tree.  And if you thought the salsa was a huge hit, the Easy Beef Enchiladas were the absolute star of the evening.  No one touched the chicken enchiladas. And they are excellent! The beef enchiladas casserole dish was wiped out.  I lost count of how many helpings my brother ate.  He thanked me a million times and even texted me later in the evening after he got home.  The next day he called and thanked me again and told me for the millionth time how much he loved the beef enchiladas and asked for the recipe.  He called Mom and told her a million times how much he loved the enchiladas.  At Christmas a month later he was still talking about the enchiladas.  They are so embarrassingly easy, but a definite crowd pleaser.  Amid all the chaos and negativity I'm happy to report our family has a new standby recipe that requires almost no effort. Here's hoping we can all enjoy meals like this with our families soon! 

I hope you enjoy these as much as 
my brother did.  

Brown your ground beef in a skillet.
Drain away the grease and add 
enchilada sauce and cheese. 
By the way, if you don't have one,
get one of these ChopStir tools. They 
are the best for breaking up ground beef,
bulk sausage, etc...

Put part of the enchilada sauce in the bottom
of the casserole dish before you add the enchiladas.

Continue making enchiladas using up all of your
ground beef mixture.

Top with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese.

Bake until hot and bubbly.
Try to remember to snap a picture before the
bowl is scraped clean.

Here's our holiday/birthday table.
I was so proud of my whimsical 
chip & dip set up, just like a real Mexican restaurant.
I have tons of these leftover from some of 
Mr. DD's cooking classes.

If you're missing dining out at your favorite 
Mexican restaurant, whip up a batch of 
Mexican Restaurant Relish and order some 
Simple Salsa Mix to go along with 
your Easy 4-Ingredient Beef Enchiladas.

EASY 4-INGREDIENT BEEF ENCHILADAS

1 pound ground beef
1 (28 ounce can) enchilada sauce (Hot or mild your choice)
2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or Mexican blend)
1 package (soft taco size) flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Spray a 9x13-inch casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and pour 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce into the bottom of the dish and set aside.  In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and drain away any grease.  Pour another 1/4 of the can of enchilada sauce into the cooked ground beef and stir in 1 cup of the cheese.  Soften the flour tortillas by microwaving in a tortilla warmer or wrapped in damp paper towels for a couple of minutes to make them pliable.  Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the ground beef mixture down the center of each tortilla and roll up tightly.  Place seam side down in the prepared casserole dish and continue until you've used up all of your ground beef mixture.  Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese.  Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for approximately 20 minutes until the cheese is hot, bubbly and melted.  Remove and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.