These easy ground beef enchiladas are cooked to perfection in 30-minutes using the Ninja Foodi pressure cooker and taste absolutely finger-licking delicious.
If you're craving Mexican food, then these homemade beef enchiladas are what you need in your life and are so easy to put together using minimal ingredients.
Contents
🌟 Why this recipe works
Ninja Foodi recipes as so easy to make and always taste delicious, just like this ground beef enchiladas recipe. There's no prep work or standing over the stove required when using your Ninja Foodie pressure cooker, simply add your ingredients and let the machine work its magic.
Unlike most enchilada recipes that use corn or flour tortillas to roll up the delicious ground beef mixture, these spicy beef enchiladas skip the torts for a lighter healthier meal that still packs a punch with sumptuous homemade enchilada sauce, herbs, and spices.
The flavors combine wonderfully with the succulent meat mixture pressure cooked for tenderness in a silky smooth sauce of crumbly queso fresco, fresh cilantro, spicy green chilies, and enchilada sauce before being broiled with melty cheddar cheese.
This recipe is perfect for any home cook with a pressure cooker on hand and can easily be prepared on a busy weeknight without any stress when you want a quick, delicious meal for your family to enjoy.
You don't need tons of ingredients to make a delicious homemade meal, and these ground beef enchiladas are made with just 6 ingredients.
🍽 Key Ingredients
Like all low-carb Ninja Foodi recipes, they're no-hassle and taste amazing, just like these easy ground beef enchiladas. With just 6 ingredients, you will have a sublime-tasting meal.
Ground beef - We're using ground beef that's 85% lean for a meatier texture.
Enchilada sauce - You can make your own sauce or buy a quality enchilada sauce from the grocery store.
Green chilies - I use canned green chilies, but you could use fresh if you prefer - just make sure to deseed them.
Cheese - The queso fresco gives the sauce its creamy texture, and on top were adding cheddar cheese for its melting qualities.
Herbs - Fresh cilantro to give the enchiladas a lovely fragrant taste.
Additions
To give your ground beef extra flavor, add in a teaspoon of my authentic taco seasoning while it's browning.
🔪 How to make
Ground beef enchiladas are easy to prepare using the Ninja Foodi, and the recipe turns out perfect every time using my step-by-step cooking instructions and helpful cooking tips.
Preparations
- Chop the canned green chilies into small pieces and set them aside in a bowl.
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
Place ground beef in the Ninja Foodi and sear/saute on high.
Step 2
Break apart the beef as much as possible. It will cook at whatever size you leave it in, so if you leave it in bigger clumps, it will remain in bigger clumps.
Step 3
Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine.
Step 4
Seal the Foodi and cook with high pressure for 5 minutes with quick release pressure (vent immediately).
Step 5
When finished, remove the lid and sprinkle with shredded cheese.
Step 6
Replace the lid and use the Foodi's broil function for 3-5 minutes until the cheddar cheese is melted and bubbly.
Step 7
Serve and garnish with some cilantro leaves, sliced green onions, and a dollop of sour cream!
💭 Cooking tips
Melting cheese
Buy the block of cheddar cheese for best results and grate it yourself. Shredding your own cheese melts faster than pre-shredded cheese coated with stuff that prevents the cheese from melting correctly.
Enchilada sauce
I highly recommend making your own enchilada sauce for a fresher taste and superior flavor. It's quick to make and stores well. Or I recommend rosarita enchilada sauce.
📋 Recipe Variations
Ninja Foodi Mexican recipes are always delicious, but if you don't have one yet, you can still make these ground beef enchiladas as a casserole and with tortillas.
Beef enchilada casserole
To make this delicious recipe as a casserole, brown off the ground beef in a hot skillet first, then mix all the ingredients together and spread the meat mixture in a baking dish and top with the shredded cheese. Bake it in a preheated oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes until the cheese is golden brown and melted.
Ground beef enchiladas with corn tortillas
If you're not bothered about the extra carbs, you could roll the delicious ground beef mixture in corn tortillas.
Once the beef has browned in the Ninja Foodi, add half of the enchilada sauce with the other ingredients, so the mixture isn't too runny, then roll the torts with the mixture and place them in the Foodi with the remaining enchilada sauce covering them.
Beef enchiladas with cream cheese
Give your beef enchiladas a creamy upgrade by adding half a package of cream cheese to the mixture. The creaminess of the cream cheese softens the spice level, so if you still want it spicy, add a few more chilies or a teaspoon of chili powder.
🥗 Side dishes
These easy ground beef enchiladas are perfect as a light meal, making them ideal for serving with other flavorful recipes like these tasty side dishes.
Rice
At every Mexican dinner table, there is always a rice dish, and usually, it's Mexican rice with peppers, tomatoes, corn, and spices. But if you want to try something different that is low-carb and fragrant, cilantro cauliflower rice is pungent, easy to make, and healthy.
Greens
Nothing beats a plate of tasty greens accompanied with a serving of ground beef enchiladas.
Eating greens is a great way to fill your body with essential vitamins, fibers, and minerals that support a healthy diet, and these two tasty side dishes of green beans and ham and bacon-wrapped asparagus are so easy to make in minutes.
🙋 Frequently Asked Questions
Is Ninja Foodi pressure cooker worth the money?
Yes, if you cook regularly, a Ninja Foodi is a good investment because it's an all-in-one appliance that reduces cooking time, and they're easy to use. Plus, Ninja Foodi low-carb recipes taste delicious every time.
What's the difference between red and green enchilada sauce?
The difference is in the type of chili used to make the enchilada sauce. The red enchilada sauce uses red chilies, and the green one uses green chilies, with each sauce varying in hotness.
What is a Ninja Foodi?
Cookware developed by Ninja and part of the Foodi family product line. For this recipe I used the Ninja Foodi Pressure Cooker, which is available in various sizes and models. Of course you could just as easily make this recipe in an Instant Pot.
🧊 Storing and ♨️ Reheating
Making ground beef enchiladas in the Ninja Foodi is very tasty, and the leftovers taste even better reheated the following day. Once cooled, these enchiladas can be stored for days and even months froze.
Fridge - Transfer any leftover beef enchiladas to an airtight container and place them in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer - The best way to freeze any leftovers is to transfer them to freezer bags or a freezer container. They will freeze for up to 5 months.
Reheating - To reheat the leftover beef enchiladas, you could preheat an oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and cook them until the contents are piping hot ( 8 to 10 minutes), or you could use the Ninja Foodi using the air fry option for 4 to 5 minutes.
Alternatively, you could use the microwave on high power at 1-minute intervals.
🍳 Related Mexican Recipes
Try one of these fantastic Mexican recipes for your next lunch, dinner, or taco Tuesday.
Serving Size
These easy ground beef enchiladas will give you and your family approximately 5 servings, or you could double the recipe to cater to more guests.
Low-carb Ninja Foodi recipes are so good and reduce cooking time by half, which is ideal when you're a busy parent and want someone to serve you a delicious meal, and that's why these machines are a worthy investment. They do all the hard work for you, and the results are amazing!
📋 Recipe
Ground Beef Enchiladas Ninja Style
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground beef - I used 85% lean
- 1½ cups of enchilada sauce - store bought or from scratch
- 1 cup finely crumbled queso fresco
- 1 4 oz. can of green chiles (chopped)
- ½ cup minced fresh cilantro
- 1-½ cups shredded cheddar cheese
- Lime wedges - optional
- Sour cream - optional
Instructions
- Place ground beef in the Ninja Foodi and sear/saute on high
- Break apart the beef as much as possible. It will cook at whatever size you leave it in, so if you leave it in bigger clumps, it will remain in bigger clumps.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the pot and stir to combine.
- Seal the Foodi and cook with high pressure for 5 minutes with quick release presure (vent immediately).
- When finished remove the lid and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.
- Replace lid and use the Foodi's broil function for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve and enjoy!
Liz Perez
What if u don't have a cooker? Can u just bake it in a regular oven?
Kim
Hi Liz, you can use the instructions here: https://www.730sagestreet.com/chicken-enchilada-casserole/ but brown the beef first and drain some of the grease.
deborah
how many serving does this make or how much is one serving
Deborah,Texas
Kim
4 or 5 servings
Kathy Sawyer
It sounds yummy & just what I've been craving! Would this work in an instant pot? Or would you need to sauté beef first? Cooking time?
730 Sage Street
While it would work, the instructions would change to accommodate your instant pot. I have not tried this but I agree, you should saute the beef first. This also gives you the chance to drain off any excess fat (depending on your meat). If you give this a try please let me know how it turns out at hello@730sagestreet.com (thanks !!)
Deb
Do you have a recipe for enchilada sauce?