This Easy Enchilada Skillet is a one‑pot meal that delivers fresh, from‑scratch flavors without using canned enchilada sauce. Loaded with seasoned ground meat, beans, and crisp corn tortilla strips, it simmers in a spiced tomato sauce, is topped with plenty of melted cheese, and finishes under the broiler before being garnished with tangy quick‑pickled onions, radishes, cilantro, and avocado.
I eat a lot of Mexican‑inspired dishes, especially when a holiday like Cinco de Mayo shows up on the calendar. This Easy Enchilada Skillet is the kind of recipe that gives you all the flavors you love from enchiladas but without the work of rolling, multiple pans, or complicated sauces. It’s a weeknight winner—fast, comforting, and crowd‑pleasing.
The skillet comes together with pantry staples and a few fresh ingredients: ground meat (or a substitute), corn tortillas torn into strips, red onion, a poblano pepper, canned tomato sauce, and a handful of spices. And yes—there’s plenty of cheese, because melted cheese makes everything better.
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EASY ENCHILADA SKILLET
What I love about this skillet is how it captures enchilada flavor in a fraction of the time. Instead of making a separate enchilada sauce, everything cooks together in one pan so the sauce reduces and thickens while the meat and peppers brown. The result is layered, bold flavor with minimal cleanup—perfect for busy evenings.
This recipe is flexible: it’s built to handle substitutions and adjustments so you can adapt it to what’s in your fridge. The method is simple—brown the meat with aromatics, stir in spices and tomato sauce with a bit of liquid to create the sauce, fold in tortilla strips and beans, top with cheese, then broil until bubbly and golden. Finish with the pickled onions and radishes for a bright contrast.
HOMEMADE ENCHILADA SAUCE
There’s no canned enchilada sauce in this skillet because the sauce is made directly in the pan from tomato sauce, spices, and a splash of liquid. The spice blend—chili powder, cumin, smoked paprika, garlic powder, and oregano—creates depth and smoky warmth. If you prefer, you can use store‑bought enchilada sauce, but cooking the sauce with the other ingredients gives you better control over flavor and texture.
CAN YOU SUBSTITUTE STORE‑BOUGHT ENCHILADA SAUCE?
Yes—substituting canned sauce is fine if you need to save time. However, letting the sauce form and reduce in the skillet enhances the dish and only takes a few extra minutes.
TO BEEF OR NOT TO BEEF?
If you’d rather skip beef, swap in ground turkey, ground chicken, or crumbled pressed tofu. You can also make this vegetarian by increasing the beans and vegetables—sweet potatoes, zucchini, or mushrooms work well. The spices and sauce carry the dish, so protein swaps are straightforward.
There are many variations you can try based on what you like—add more heat with chipotle in adobo, swap tortillas for tortilla chips for extra crunch, or serve with sour cream or crema on top.
MORE ONE POT RECIPES TO LOVE:
- One Pot Lemony Pasta with Sausage, Broccoli Rabe, and Burrata
- One Pot Cajun Chicken and Rice
- Skillet Cheddar‑Cornbread BBQ Chicken Pot Pie
- Southwestern Chicken and Sweet Potato Skillet
EASY ENCHILADA SKILLET VIDEO
Easy Enchilada Skillet
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
4.8 from 5 reviews
- Author: Morgan
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, halved (one half chopped, the other thinly sliced)
- 3 radishes, thinly sliced
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 poblano pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 2 pounds lean ground beef, ground chicken, or ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 15 ounces canned tomato sauce
- 1½ cups beer, broth, or water
- 15 ounces canned pinto or black beans, drained and rinsed (optional)
- 10 small corn tortillas, cut into small strips, divided
- 2 cups (about 8 ounces) shredded queso quesadilla cheese, divided
- Fresh cilantro, chopped, to top (optional)
- Avocado, sliced, to top (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the quick‑pickled onions and radishes: in a medium bowl combine the thinly sliced red onion (reserve the chopped onion for cooking), radishes, apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt. Toss and set aside, stirring occasionally while you cook.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium‑high. Add the chopped onion, poblano, and ground meat. Cook, breaking the meat apart, until fully browned. Drain excess grease if needed and return skillet to heat.
- Add cornstarch, chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper, dried oregano, and the remaining teaspoon of salt. Pour in tomato sauce and beer (or broth or water) and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens and the meat is cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Preheat the broiler to high. Stir in the beans (if using), half the tortilla strips, and half the cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and place the skillet under the broiler until the cheese is melted and starting to brown in spots, about 2 minutes—watch closely so it doesn’t burn.
- Top the finished skillet with the quick‑pickled onions and radishes, chopped cilantro, and sliced avocado. Serve warm.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
