Julie Clark
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Creamy Shredded Beef Enchiladas (With Leftover Roast Beef)
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If you’ve got leftover roast beef sitting in the fridge, this recipe is exactly why you made it. These shredded beef enchiladas come together in under an hour using a creamy two-ingredient topping. No red sauce, no complicated steps, no regrets.
This is the recipe I reach for every time I have leftover beef from a Sunday roast. The filling is simple: seasoned shredded beef with a little kick from green chiles. The topping is cream of chicken soup and sour cream, stirred together and spread generously over the top before baking. It melts into something that tastes like it took way longer than it did.
If you love Mexican food that actually works on a weeknight, you’re going to make this one on repeat. They are great with leftover barbacoa beef, too!
If you love Mexican food, you’ll love this creamy enchilada casserole. It’s perfect for pairing with our tres leches cake recipe.
What is the best meat for shredded beef enchiladas?
Chuck roast or pot roast are the best cuts for shredded beef enchiladas because they become tender and easy to pull apart after slow cooking. I cook mine low and slow in a slow cooker for 8–9 hours, which gives you beef that shreds with almost no effort and holds up well inside a flour tortilla. That said, leftover barbacoa, brisket, or even a store-bought rotisserie-style beef works great here too.
The creamy sauce in this recipe pairs especially well with roast beef because the richness balances the mild tang of the sour cream topping. If you’re using leftover beef that’s already cooked, this dish comes together even faster.
Do you use corn or flour tortillas for enchiladas?
Although corn tortillas are traditional for enchiladas, I prefer to use flour tortillas for this shredded beef enchiladas recipe. I think the flour tortillas pair better with the creamy white sauce as well as they do with sheet pan chicken fajitas. Use whichever you’d like.
How do you make shredded beef enchiladas?
This shredded beef enchiladas recipe is designed to work with leftover beef which means the hardest part is already done. I usually cook a 3–4 pound chuck roast the day before (low and slow in the slow cooker for 8–9 hours), then pull it out and shred it. The next day, assembly takes about 20 minutes.
- Take about 5 cups of leftover shredded beef and mix in a small, drained can (about 4 oz) of green chiles. If your kids don’t like green chiles, leave them out. But they do add a great flavor.
- Spray a 9×13 pan cooking spray.
- Once you’ve prepared the pan, roll up a little over half a cup of meat in each flour tortilla and place in the pan, side by side.
- For the creamy topping, mix one cup of sour cream and one can of cream of chicken soup. (If you’d like, make our cream of chicken soup substitute.) Spread just a little bit of this on the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. You’ll do this so the bottoms of the enchiladas stay soft.
- Spread the rest of the creamy topping over it and sprinkle some Mexican blend cheese over the top. I used about 2 cups, but use as much as you’d like. The cheesier, the better, is what I say.
- Bake this at 350º Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes or until warmed through and bubbly.
Can shredded beef enchiladas be made a day ahead of time?
If you want to prep shredded beef enchiladas in advance, I would prepare the roast beef and roll up the enchiladas, placing them in a baking dish. Cover with foil refrigerate. I recommend waiting until right before you bake it to cover with the sauce. That way the enchiladas will not get soggy.
Remove the baking dish from the refrigerator 30 minutes before baking so the dish can warm to room temperature. Spread the top with the cream mixture, sprinkle with cheese and bake.
Freezer Instructions
You can also make this as a freezer meal. Put the casserole together completely, creamy mixture, cheese and all. Wrap the baking pan with plastic wrap, then wrap again in foil.
Freeze the casserole for up to 2 months. Thaw the casserole in the fridge the night before you want to bake it. Then remove it from the fridge 1 hour before baking. Bake as the recipe suggests.
Recipe Variations
- Instead of shredded beef, try shredded chicken or pork for pulled pork enchiladas. Ground beef works great too. Each different meat will change the flavor slightly. Roast beef is definitely our favorite.
- Instead of chiles, add a can of drained Rotel tomatoes to the beef.
- Use low fat sour cream and cream of chicken soup for less calories in the shredded beef enchiladas.
- Instead of cream of chicken soup, try cheddar cheese soup or nacho cheese.
What goes well with enchiladas?
These recipes go well with shredded beef enchiladas
- Corn Casserole
- Pico de Gallo
- Restaurant Style Salsa
- Corn Avocado Salad
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- and our Chocolate Tres Leches Cake recipe for dessert!
Love Mexican? Try baked turkey chimichangas.
Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Leftover Roast Beef
Made with leftover roast beef and a foolproof creamy topping, no red sauce needed. This is the enchilada recipe your family will request every week.
Servings 8
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 8 flour tortillas
- 5 cups shredded roast beef
- 4 ounces green chiles drained
- 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
Instructions
- In a small bowl, combine the cream of chicken soup and the sour cream. Spread ¼ cup of this mixture in the bottom of a 9×13 pan. Set the remainder aside. 10.5 ounces cream of chicken soup, 1 cup sour cream
- Combine the shredded roast beef (or meat of your choice) with the green chiles. Place a little over ½ a cup of meat mixture down the center of a flour tortilla. Roll it up and place it seam down in the 9×13 pan. Repeat with the remaining 7 tortillas. 5 cups shredded roast beef, 4 ounces green chiles, 8 flour tortillas
- Once all of the tortillas are rolled and placed in the pan, spread the remaining soup/sour cream mixture over top the tortillas. Sprinkle the shredded cheddar cheese over the top. 2 cups Mexican blend shredded cheese
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until heated through and bubbly.
- Serve with fresh Pico de Gallo or salsa and a side of guacamole.
Video
Notes
Use your favorite meat…shredded beef, shredded chicken, or ground beef. In order to get our roast beef nice and shredded, I cooked it on low in the slow cooker for 8-9 hours. Feel free to leave out the green chiles…the enchiladas are still great!
The calories shown are based on the recipe making 8 enchiladas, with 1 serving being 1 enchilada. Since different brands of ingredients have different nutritional information, the calories shown are just an estimate. **We are not dietitians and recommend you seek a nutritionist for exact nutritional information. The information in the nutrition box are calculated through a program and there is room for error. If you need an accurate count, I recommend running the ingredients through your favorite nutrition calculator.**
Nutrition
Calories: 304kcal | Carbohydrates: 20g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 54mg | Sodium: 995mg | Potassium: 177mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 430IU | Vitamin C: 9.8mg | Calcium: 302mg | Iron: 2mg
Just made these today but used gluten free cream of mushroom soup, a quarter cup of enchilada sauce & the sour cream. Very easy & tasty!
So easy to make and assemble. Will definitely make this again