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Shredded Beef Enchiladas with the BEST Homemade Enchilada Sauce
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Shredded Beef Enchiladas with Homemade Red Enchilada Sauce

The beef for these enchiladas is cooked in a slow cooker for about 6 hours on high. The slow cooking makes the beef fall-apart tender and full of flavor. Cooking juices from the roast are used in making the easy enchilada sauce, so be sure to save those gorgeous juices!
Prep Time40 mins
Cook Time6 hrs 42 mins
Total Time7 hrs 22 mins
Servings: 16 enchiladas, about 8 servings
Author: Terri @ that's some good cookin'

Ingredients

For the Beef

  • 2 pounds chuck roast
  • salt, to taste
  • 2 tablespoons oil of choice
  • 1 1/2 cups beef stock
  • 2 medium onions large dice
  • 4 large cloves fresh garlic rough chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

For the Red Enchilada Sauce:

  • 2-3 cups reserved beef stock from cooking the roast
  • reserved cooked onions and garlic pieces from cooking the roast
  • 1 can (28 ounce) tomato puree
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion
  • 1 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
  • 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For assembling the enchiladas

  • 16 6- inch corn or flour tortillas
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (7 ounces) whole green chiles drained and diced
  • 12 ounces (weight) grated sharp cheese

Suggested Toppings

  • Avocados cut as desired
  • Sour cream
  • Chopped cilantro
  • Guacamole
  • Fresh tomatoes, diced

Instructions

For the Beef

  • Salt the roast on both sides, amount per personal preference. Set aside.
  • In a large pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Brown the roast well on all sides. Lower heat if necessary to keep the roast from burning or the oil from smoking.
  • Place the well browned roast in the slow cooker. Add the beef stock.
  • Sprinkle the roast with chipotle chile powder and cumin. Scatter the onions and garlic over the roast and around the inside of the slow cooker.
  • Cover slow cooker with lid. Cook on high for 6 hours or on low for up to 10 hours until the beef is fork tender. Remove roast from slow cooker and set aside to cool. RESERVE the cooking liquid, onions, and garlic.

For the Enchilada Sauce

  • With an immersion blender or in a standard blender, blend the reserved beef stock, cooked onions and garlic until smooth.
  • Add the pureed tomatoes and the remaining enchilada sauce ingredients. Stir or blend well to combine.
  • Transfer to a 3 quart pot and heat over medium heat until bubbly. Continue to cook the sauce at a low boil, adjusting heat as necessary, for 20 minutes, stirring as needed, until sauce has reduced slightly. It should be somewhat thickened, but still loose.

For Assembling the Enchiladas

  • While the sauce is cooking, shred the beef. The beef will be very tender and falling apart, so shredding is very easy. Simply pull the beef apart with two forks.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the shredded beef, black beans, and green chiles. Stir in approximately 1/2 cup of the prepared enchilada sauce.
  • Warm the tortillas. A microwave works well for this.
    I warm the tortillas in the open package for 1 minute on 50% power. Then, divide the stack in half, flip the stack so that the outer-most tortillas are face to face and in the middle of the stack, and heat for another 1 minute on 50% power.
  • Working with one tortilla at a time, spread a thin coating of the enchilada sauce, about 2 tablespoonsful, on one side of the tortilla.
  • Place some of the shredded beef mixture down the center of each tortilla (about a scant 1/4 cup). Sprinkle some cheese over the beef mixture. Spoon 1-1 1/2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce on top of the cheese.
  • Wrap one edge of the tortilla snugly around the beef mixture and roll up. Place seem side down in a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.
  • Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the prepared enchiladas. If you feel that there is too much sauce, then reserve some of it separately for those who prefer more sauce or place the remainder in an air-tight container and freeze for further use.
  • Sprinkle the remaining grated cheese over the top of the enchiladas.
  • Bake at 350-degrees F until cheese is melted and the enchiladas are heated through, about 20-30 minutes.

Notes

Suggested sides or toppings: Refried Beans, Simple Mexican-style Rice, guacamole or sliced avocados, diced tomatoes, shredded lettuce, sour cream, or other toppings of preference.