Sweet Potato and Ground Beef Enchiladas

These hearty sweet potato and ground beef enchiladas are ready to serve in less than an hour! A few key shortcuts make these easy enchiladas doable on a weeknight or make them up to a day ahead to bake for dinner later. Topped with lots of cheese and enchilada sauce this a hearty and comforting dinner.

These ground beef enchiladas are one of my favorite easy dinner recipes. They cure a Mexican food craving, they’re super easy to make, and the combination of beef and sweet potatoes in the filling is great.

But what I love best about this recipe is how easy it is. There are shortcuts galore with this dinner making it doable on a weeknight but (!) you can also assemble the enchiladas ahead of time to bake later.

And it ranks high on the comfort-food gauge. Cheese, savory fillings, saucy red enchilada sauce, and more cheese go a long way to take the edge off a long day.

So, with a quick 15-minute potato and ground beef filling and even quicker wrap and roll assembly operation, this dish is ready to serve in under an hour. Most of that time, by the way, is oven time, otherwise known as hands-off time.

Ground Beef Filling

It starts with the beef and sweet potato enchilada filling:

• Ground beef
• Chili seasoning
• Frozen diced sweet potatoes
• Salt, pepper, and dried oregano
• Fresh cilantro and lime juice

I used frozen diced sweet potatoes because it’s just too easy. They cook a lot faster than fresh and you get to skip the whole wash, peel, and dice part which saves time.

Chili seasoning is a mix of different spices, which also makes this easy. No need to tear apart your spice cabinet looking for ten different spices. Use your favorite brand, or you can also use your favorite taco seasoning.

• It starts with the beef in a skillet and, once it’s about half-way cooked, you can add the chili seasoning, sweet potatoes and other spices.
• Cook it all together until the sweet potatoes are tender. Add the cilantro and lime juice right at the end and the filling is done.

How to Assemble Enchiladas

To assemble the enchiladas you’ll need the filling, corn tortillas (or flour tortillas), store-bought or homemade enchilada sauce, and shredded cheese (I use a combo of cheddar and Monterey jack cheese).

You definitely want to warm up your tortillas beforehand so they don’t crack and break while you’re rolling them. I just spread them out in a (mostly) even layer on a baking sheet and warm them up in the oven for a few minutes. Or, you can nuke them in the microwave, too.

• Spread some enchilada sauce in the bottom of your baking dish. Just enough to coat the bottom is enough.
• Scoop some of the beef mixture onto a warmed tortilla, roll, and place it seam-side down in the baking dish. This recipe makes enough for 12 enchiladas.
• Top the enchiladas with the rest of the sauce and all of the shredded cheese.

That’s it – they’re ready to go in the oven.

Layer it instead: Or, feel free to skip the rolling and make layers of the filling with the tortillas like lasagna. Start with sauce on the bottom, followed by tortillas, and then filling. Repeat with all the rest.

Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and pop them in the oven. I like to bake them for about 15 minutes at 350°F while they’re covered and then uncover them and bake them for 10 minutes more.

Rest the enchiladas for a couple of minutes before you serve them. I like to squeeze fresh lime juice and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro over the top for garnish.

Tips for Making Beef Enchiladas Ahead

You can make these enchiladas up to a day in advance:

• Make the filling and assemble the enchiladas.
• Tightly cover them with plastic wrap and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to bake them.
• When you’re ready to bake them remove the plastic wrap and cover them with foil.
• You can take them out of the fridge about 30 minutes ahead to take the chill off them and bake them for the recommended time. Or, you can bake them straight from the refrigerator but you will need to add 10 minutes or so to the bake time.

Toppings and Sides

You can, of course, top your ground beef enchiladas with your favorite toppings like lettuce, tomato, green onions, and sour cream.

Add some chips, salsa, and guacamole for the very best experience.

Maybe make a batch of citrus margaritas or margarita wine spritzers, too?

Pro tip: The answer is always “yes”.

Happy cooking!

More Delicious Enchilada Recipes

Love enchiladas? Here are three more of my favorite recipes if you’re looking for more ideas ❤

• Creamy Poblano Chicken Enchiladas | Chicken enchiladas topped with a creamy sauce flavored with fresh poblano peppers and cilantro.
• Black Bean Enchilada Pie | Instead of rolling up the filling the tortillas are stacked in a dish with the black bean filling layered in between.
• Chicken Enchiladas with Slow Cooker Salsa Verde | The homemade salsa verde and chicken cook together in the slow cooker so all you have to do at dinner time is assemble the enchiladas and bake them.
• These Skillet Enchiladas I found on Leite’s Culinaria look delicious, too!

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Post, photos, and recipe updated from the archives. First published in August 2014.