Let the slow cooker do the work for you with these lazy cook enchiladas. Simply layer beans, meat, tortillas, cheese, and sauce, for the simplest delicious Crockpot Enchilada.
Enchiladas are a crowd-pleaser at our house. I have found a bajillion combinations of enchilada that my family fight over.
I can guarantee that unless I make a triple batch, we will have zero leftovers. Sometimes it’s worth making a triple batch so you can have leftover enchiladas with a fried egg in the morning. So good!
The process of frying tortillas and rolling them around filling is not difficult, but it does take some time. So on occasion, I go the lazy route. That would be this one.
Bean and Meat Crockpot Enchilada
Yes, you can make enchiladas in the crockpot! It’s super simple and perfect for potlucks or those days when you can’t be messing around the stove.
I have the cute casserole Crock-pot, but a regular slow cooker will work as well. Just layer in all the yummy ingredients you’d include in regular enchiladas. Turn on the slow cooker, and walk away. Just walk away.
Keep in mind that this is not a let-it-cook-all-day kind of slow cooker recipe. Depending on what setting you choose, your enchilada casserole will be ready in 2 to 4 hours. This makes it great for potluck events. Assemble before you go, plug it in when you get there. Depending on how long church or your whatever meeting is, your crockpot enchilada will be cooked!
How to make this good and cheap:
Here are some of the strategies you can use to make this recipe more economical:
- Stock up on ingredients when they are on sale. When I find regular kitchen staples on sale, I buy a lot. I’m currently using a price book to track prices and that’s saving me money. For this recipe, keeping an eye on the price of meat and cheese is key. Since you don’t need a lot of either, it makes it fairly economical from the get-go.
- Make your own enchilada sauce. It takes very few ingredients to make your own and it tastes amazing. Plus, it’s pretty cheap, too. Do this in advance, like make a bulk batch and freeze it in 2-cup-ish portions. This dish comes together quickly if you have this step already taken care of.
Tools I use to make it EASY:
- plastic cutting boards – I have blue boards for veggies and white boards for meat.
- Ergo Chef chef’s knife – I’ve had my set for several years and they work well.
- rubber spatula – I have two of these; I love them so much.
- box grater or food processor for cheese
- casserole slow cooker or a traditional one
Bean and Meat Crockpot Enchilada
Ingredients
- 18 oz red enchilada sauce
- 8 to 12 corn tortillas
- 16 oz cheddar cheese (shredded) (4 cups)
- 1 lb ground beef or ground turkey, seasoned, browned and drained
- 1 15.5-ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 4-ounce can sliced black olives
- toppings for enchiladas : salsa, sour cream, sliced green onions, chopped fresh cilantro, avocado
Instructions
- Spray the inside of the crock with nonstick cooking spray. Pour one-quarter cup enchilada sauce in bottom of crock and spread to cover.
- Layer tortillas in the bottom of the crock, depending on the size of your crockpot. Layer with one-fourth cup each of cheese, ground beef, and black beans. Drizzle one-quarter cup enchilada sauce over top.
- Repeat layers until ingredients are used up, topping last tortilla with sauce and then cheese. Sprinkle black olives over top.
- Cook in slow cooker for 2 hours on high or 4 hours on low.
- Serve with toppings on the side.
Notes
Nutrition
Adrienne
Perfect to pop in the crockpot before leaving for evening service and it’s ready for when we got home. I used some leftover sloppy Joe’s meat and it added to the flavor nicely!
Lauren
Yum! I made a double batch, one with corn tortillas and one with flour tortillas! I ended up baking them in the oven and they turned out so good! Everyone loved them! Definitely making again!
I always use your recipe for enchilada sauce, it’s my favorite! So easy and delicious! I love having it in the freezer for last minute bean burritos for lunch!
Jessica Fisher
So glad to hear it. Thanks for the feedback!
Nikki
Made this last week. I threw it in crockpot and called it a day. Even my picky kids loved it. Leftovers were delish too.
Jessica Fisher
Yay! I love it. So glad the picky eaters were pleased!
Laurie Decker
I made this yesterday in my casserole crockpot. It really turned out great! I didn’t make my own enchilada sauce but used canned Las Palmas enchilada sauce. Your recipe makes a bunch so I packaged up the rest for a couple of freezer meals.. I think I’ll try a chicken version with Chili Verdi sauce next time. As always, thanks you so much for posting another one of your fabulous recipes.
Jessica Fisher
So glad you enjoyed it! Would you have a minute to come back and click the number of stars you think it rates? Thank you!
Laurel
Do you have a recipe for the Enchilada Sauce? or is it canned?
Jessica Fisher
We love Las Palmas canned. Can’t make homemade as good as that. 😉
Debbie
I also am looking for an enchilada sauce recipe. We live out-of-country and cannot buy convenience foods, or they are very expensive. There are a few on allrecipes.com but I haven’t tried any.
Jessica Fisher
That is on my list of things to do this year. That comment was from 2010. LOL. I’ve changed my mind from reading the ingredients’ lists on some of the canned varieties, even my favorites.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks!
Jessica Fisher
Here’s an enchilada sauce recipe of mine: https://goodcheapeats.com/2014/12/enchilada-sauce-for-the-freezer/
Niki
This turned out great!! Everyone in my house loved it. It was a very easy alternative to a different chicken enchilada recipe we love but that takes a lot of effort. I made this while sick and it took like 5 minutes. Already wrote it in my recipe book. Thanks!
supermommy
Yummy! I’m putting this on my list.