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Healthy beef enchiladas in a baking dish topped with cheese and cilantro.
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5 from 17 votes

Healthy Beef Enchiladas

These Healthy Beef Enchiladas are baked and topped with a homemade red enchilada sauce that's simple and delicious. This recipe is lower in sodium and does not contain any additives you might get with canned enchilada sauce. These are also easily dairy free.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Mexican, Tex Mex
Diet: Diabetic, Gluten Free, Low Lactose, Low Salt
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 401kcal
Author: Alicia

Ingredients

Red Enchilada Sauce

  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour or cornstarch
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • 2 cups vegetable broth
  • kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Enchiladas

  • 1 pound ground beef
  • 1 olive oil spray
  • 1 large shallot, chopped (about ⅓ cup)
  • 10-12 oz fresh spinach or arugula
  • 6 or more corn or flour tortillas I used Central Market's fresh flour tortillas. Tortillaland has good ones as well. Look in the refrigerated sections of grocery stores
  • Optional toppings: cilantro, ¼ cup goat cheese or cream cheese

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Begin by making the sauce - whisk together the flour and oil in a small pot over medium heat. It will become very light golden brown as it bubbles. Then whisk in spices till smooth. Continue whisking for a little less than a minute till fragrant, then pour in the broth little by little till the sauce becomes smooth. Turn the heat to medium high and begin to simmer for about 5-7 minutes till thickened enough to coat a spoon. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
  • Add ground beef to a large pan over medium high heat and cook till no pink remains - about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add shallots and sauté about 1 more minute. Then add spinach or arugula and wilt slightly, about 2 minutes.
  • Spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with olive oil. Pour ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom, tilting the dish to make sure it covers the whole bottom. Spoon the beef mixture into the tortillas. You may need more than 6 depending on the size of them. Roll them tightly and place seam side down in the pan. Once all have been placed in the pan, pour the remaining sauce over the top, avoiding the edges of the tortillas.
  • Bake uncovered on the middle rack for 20 minutes. If the top is not brown enough to your liking, you can bake on the top rack another 3-5 minutes. 
  • Remove the enchiladas from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes, adding cheese and cilantro as desired.

Notes

  • Recipe calculated using lean ground beef and large flour tortillas. 7-8 WW points. 
  • The enchilada sauce can be made ahead and will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
  • These healthy enchiladas will work with chicken, turkey, or beef.
  • Old tortillas or ones that have been stored in the fridge have a tendency to crack, especially corn ones! To avoid this, try to buy them fresh and use them within a day of purchasing. If this isn't possible, I wrap them in a wet paper towel and microwave in 15 second intervals till warm and pliable. This should help with the rolling process. At the end of the day, don't worry if they crack - they'll still be delicious and the sauce hides a lot of it!

Nutrition

Serving: 2enchiladas | Calories: 401kcal | Carbohydrates: 26g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 418mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 846IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 71mg | Iron: 5mg