I love ooey, gooey enchiladas, but I dislike how messy they are to make. All that soaking tortillas in sauce, filling them and rolling them up – I don’t want to dirty up my clean kitchen!

Here’s a recipe I adapted from Epicurious for the easiest way EVER to make enchiladas. It’s all the same basic ingredients, but without the hassle of dipping and rolling tortillas.

This recipe is really adaptable. Use a leftover rotisserie chicken or ground pork instead of beef. Sub the black beans for pinto. Use what you have in the pantry.

It’s so quick to put together and get to the table, this may become part of our regular dinner rotation!

Skillet Beef Enchiladas – the easiest way to make enchiladas

Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef (sub ground pork or shredded cooked chicken)
• 1/2 an onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup frozen corn, thawed
• about 2 cups red enchilada sauce
• 6 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
• 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
• Sprinkle of shredded smoked gouda (optional)
• 1/4 cup black olives, chopped (optional)
• Pickled jalapeño slices (optional)
• Sour cream and chopped cilantro, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 500F. Heat a 10-inch cast iron or ovenproof skillet over medium-high flame. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain excess fat if necessary, but leave a little in the pan for the onions.

Add the onions and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until onions soften, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about one minute.

Add the beans and corn. Pour the enchilada sauce over the contents of the pan and mix together. Add the tortilla pieces and gently stir to incorporate them into the mix, folding the mix over the tortillas now and then.

Evenly distribute the contents of the pan and top with shredded cheese. Turn off heat when contents is heated through and starts to bubble. Dot with olives and jalapeño slices if desired.

Bake 5-10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Let cool about 10 minutes before serving. Serve with dollops of sour cream and sprinkle with cilantro.