Easy Beef and Bean Enchilada Cups

Easy Beef and Bean Enchilada Cups using a muffin pan are a fun and delicious way to change things up at dinner time. Simply make the enchilada mixture, fill the tortillas baked in a muffin tin, top with some cheese, and you are good to go. Perfect as a main meal with a side of salad, or for adding something different to your little one's lunchbox. They are super portable to boot, which makes them perfect for your next picnic or potluck. Make the mixture ahead of time and simply bring everything together when needed for easy weeknight meal planning.

We love using tortillas as shells like this for our enchilada cups. For something something equally as fun, why not try fried wonton wrapper taco shells for your next batch of tacos.

Easy Beef and Bean Enchilada Cups

Jump to:

• Easy Beef and Bean Enchilada Cups
• How To Make Beef Enchiladas Using A Muffin Tin
• Tips, Tricks, and Substitutions
• How To Serve Mini Enchilada Cups
• Need More Easy Weeknight Meals?
• Recipe

These little beef and bean enchilada cups are a cinch to make.

You are going to need:

• flour tortillas (sub in corn if you prefer, but they may not hold together as well or be as easy to shape into the muffin pan)
• ground beef
• enchilada sauce: homemade or store bought
• black beans (tip: make a big batch of your own slow cooker black beans to have control over the salt content and to save some money)
• fresh jalapenos (sub out for some chopped bell peppers if you are serving little ones that don't like spice)
• salsa (sub in chopped tomatoes if that's what you have)
• grated cheese
• cilantro/coriander for garnishing

You might also want some sour cream, avocado, lime wedges, chopped red onion, and extra chili flakes or jalapeños to serve.

How To Make Beef Enchiladas Using A Muffin Tin

As you can see by the step-by-step photos above these mini enchilada cups aren't hard to put together at all.

In fact, wash their hands and roll up their sleeves, as these enchilada cups are so easy to make, the kids can fill their own!

The hardest part is probably going to be shaping the tortillas into the muffin tins.

Making Your Tortilla Cup (Or Boat)

Using a large muffin tin, place a tortilla shell inside each cup by pleating the edges.

Start by bringing the edges of the tortilla together, bending it enough to allow the center of the tortilla to be placed in the bottom of the muffin tin.

Then work the excess by pleating the edges around, creating your boat.

Once it is fitted, we are going to bake it and then fill it with the beef and bean mixture, top with cheese, bake again and serve.

If your tortilla is proving to be hard to pleat, give it a quick blast in the microwave for about 20 seconds to make it more pliable.

Too easy.

Tips, Tricks, and Substitutions

These should be a no-stress meal and should come together with no dramas at all.

Tortillas

Flour tortillas are a lot more malleable and tend to be easier to shape, so I would use these in preference for this meal.

Don't worry if the tortilla cracks a little when you are shaping it into the muffin tin, as I have a little trick:

If you have a piece that cracks just add some grated cheese to that bit before baking and before adding the other ingredients. Once baked, the cheese will hold the tear together, preventing spillages when you load up the tortilla cup with the rest of the ingredients.

If you do prefer to use a corn tortilla, try and find a brand that is super fresh, or one that you have worked with before that you know does not tear easily.

Enchilada Sauce

Be sure to check the ingredients on any store-bought enchilada sauce, as sometimes there can be some iffy ingredients (like corn syrup) added, that you just don't want if you can avoid it.

If you would prefer to avoid store-bought Enchilada sauce you can very easily make your own at home.

There are lots of recipes available online like this one from Ambitious Kitchen.

Salsa/Tomatoes

For this recipe I tend to use a fresh salsa from the cold section of the store.

You can also used a jar of salsa if that is what you have, or you can sub out the salsa for some fresh chopped tomatoes.

You may need to add a little more salt to the overall mixture though if using chopped tomatoes.

Black Beans

Be sure to properly drain and rinse the black beans.

Failure to do this will mean the enchilada mixture will be too wet, and you will end up with soggy tortillas.

How To Serve Mini Enchilada Cups

Now they are ready, it is time to serve up.

These cheesy beef enchilada cups can be served as is straight from the oven.

Or you can fancy it up and serve with all the toppings:

• sour cream
• cilantro/coriander
• lime wedges
• finely chopped red onion
• fresh jalapeño slices
• finely chopped tomatoes
• chili flakes
• queso

Enchilada boats should last for about 3 days in the fridge if kept in an airtight container.

They pack well and would be great as an addition to a lunchbox, a picnic or a potluck.

If you make a big batch they can always be reheated.

To Reheat Your Mini Enchilada Cups:

These can easily be reheated by popping back into an oven heated to 350F (175C) for about 10-15 mins

Alternatively, you can reheat them in an air fryer at 375F (180C) for about 6 mins

Need More Easy Weeknight Meals?

Life is busy, so it is always handy to have some quick, easy and delicious meals on hand in your recipe rotation.

Check these out next:

• Healthy and Quick Beef Chow Fun Recipe
• Insanely Easy Chicken Fajita Casserole Bake
• Easy 4 Ingredient Chicken Teriyaki Skewers
• BBQ Chickpeas and Veggie Bowl

Happy Eating.

xx

Recipe

The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.