Crock Pot Shredded Beef Enchiladas are seriously succulent. Skip the restaurant and make these easy enchiladas at home!
A friend and I were recently reminiscing about how we used to dip everything in ranch dressing in college. Pizza, breadsticks, sandwiches…LASAGNA. Nothing was safe!
In addition to our ranch obsession was a craving for all things south of the border from Carlos O’Kelly’s, a Midwest staple in Mexican chain-dining at the time. Their salsa is the one I modeled my Restaurant-Style Salsa recipe off of, and I consumed so many of their shredded beef enchiladas that you’d think I’d never want to see one again.
WRONG!
Shredded Beef Enchiladas have remained one of my favorite foods ever since, though Crock Pot Shredded Beef Enchiladas have taken over as my new #1!
Crockpot Beef Enchiladas
Seasoned chuck roast is slow-cooked in a crock pot then shredded and rolled in corn tortillas with cheese. The top is smothered with homemade red enchilada sauce, topped with more cheese, then baked until golden brown and bubbly.
Juicy, cheesy, savory – DIVINE!
I top my enchiladas with lots of salsa and fresh avocado (ranch dressing need not apply).
How to Make This Recipe
Start by trimming a 2-3lb chuck roast of any excess fat then cut the roast into 6 big hunks.
Add beef broth, chopped onion, and smashed garlic cloves into the bottom of a 6-quart crock pot then nestle the beef hunks on top.
Sprinkle in chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and pepper then pop a lid on top and slow cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until the beef shreds easily.
Shred the beef with two forks then add enough of the cooking liquid to make it juicy, but not dripping, and then stir in a can of chopped green chiles.
Time to roll. You’ll need 10-12 corn tortillas.
Wrap half the tortillas in a damp paper towel then microwave for 30 seconds to make them pliable. Spread ~1/4 cup of the shredded beef mixture across the center of each tortilla then add shredded Monterey Jack cheese on top and roll.
Spread a little enchilada sauce – here’s my INSANE gluten free enchilada sauce recipe! – in the bottom of a 9×13″ baking dish, or two smaller baking dishes that have been sprayed with nonstick spray, then place the tortilla seam side down in the baking dish. Continue until all the ingredients have been used up.
FYI: don’t be upset if your tortillas crack. Corn tortillas are notorious for cracking or splitting, but they’ll be covered up with sauce and cheese so nobody’ll know the difference!
Once all the tortillas have been filled and rolled, pour more enchilada sauce over the top then sprinkle on more shredded cheese.
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil then bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Remove the foil then continue baking for 5-10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the sauce is bubbly.
Wait 5 minutes (if you can!) before serving with lots of yummy toppings like salsa, chopped avocado, and fresh cilantro, plus Easy Pinto Beans on the side.
More Tex-Mex Inspired Favorites
- Beef Enchiladas
- Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas
- Cheese Enchiladas with Red Sauce
- Crock Pot Ranchero Chicken
- Beef and Veggie Enchilada Skillet
- Chicken Fajitas
- Cheesy Chicken Burrito Skillet
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 – 3 lb chuck roast
- 1 large onion, peeled then roughly chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, peeled then smashed
- 15 oz can gluten free beef broth
- 1 Tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- garlic salt and pepper
- 4 oz can diced green chiles
- 10 – 12 gluten free corn tortillas
- 8 oz shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 1 batch gluten free red enchilada sauce
- Toppings: salsa, avocado, sour cream, cilantro
Directions
- Add the onion, garlic, and beef broth into the bottom of a 6-quart crock pot. Trim away any excess pieces of fat from the roast, cut it into 6-8 big pieces, then nestle them on top of the onion mixture. Sprinkle in the chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, and pepper then place the lid on top and slow cook on low for 6-7 hours, or until the beef shreds easily with 2 forks. Transfer the beef to a cutting board then shred and place inside a large mixing bowl with enough cooking liquid to make it juicy, but not so much that it's dripping. Stir in the green chiles. Discard the remaining cooking liquid.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees then spray a 9×13" baking pan, or two smaller pans, with nonstick spray. Spread 1/2 cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of the pan. Divide the shredded cheese in half, reserving half for topping the enchiladas.
- Wrap half the tortillas in a damp paper towel then microwave for 30 seconds. Spread about 1/4 cup (eyeball it) shredded beef across the center of each tortilla then top with 1 Tablespoon shredded cheese and roll. Place seam side down in the prepared pan then repeat with remaining ingredients. Pour enough enchilada sauce over the top of the tortillas to cover, then top with the remaining cheese.
- Spray a large piece of foil with nonstick spray then place sprayed side down on the pan and crimp shut. Bake for 20 minutes then remove the foil and bake for 5-10 more minutes or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly. Let the enchilada sit for 10 minutes before serving with toppings.
Notes
- To freeze: Wrap the unbaked enchiladas with plastic wrap then foil, and then freeze. Thaw for 24 hours in the fridge then remove the plastic wrap, reapply foil that’s been sprayed with nonstick spray, and then bake as directed above.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
I worked at Carlos O’ Kelly’s in high school and part of college, committed most of the recipes to memory, but the shredded beef.
You’d have thought I’d have asked for the recipe when I was on work travel to Ft. Wayne a couple times and went to COK for dinner.
Thank you!! You’ve made my year.
Ooo, ok I kind of want all your committed-to-memory recipes!! LOL!
I had a 1.5 of round steak that cooked in the crock pot for a 1.5 hours. I used my food processor to grind up the steak. I used half cheddar cheese and half mozzarella. I didn’t have any enchilada sauce… used spaghetti sauce and doctored it up with spices. It turned out great
That sounds delicious, Darla! So glad you were able to make it work with what you had on hand!
This recipe sounds delicious! I’ve only ever made chicken enchiladas, but will be giving this a try for sure!
I Just wanted to say that I find corn tortillas too fragile for enchiladas – they crack and break. So I double up, putting a flour tortilla on the outside, to keep things together. I think you can find these in GF as well. ????
Made these for my uncle who used to live in the southwest. He said they were the best he has ever had, my uncle is nice but not nice enough to lie about food! So good!
HAHA!
Do you know the nutritional values of this recipe?
Hi Kristan, can you tell me if I could use Green Chile Mild Enchilada sauce in this recipe? Thanks.
Can you tell me if I can use Green Chile Mild Enchilada sauce for this recipe? I’ve never used the Green sauce before, but have picked some up and wondered if it would be okay or is it going to change the taste of the recipe. If you could let me know your thoughts
, I’d appreciate it. Thanks.