Beefy Veggie Enchilada Casserole {Low Calorie Recipe}

Anytime I go to a new Mexican restaurant, I immediately gravitate towards that decadent, will-stop-you-up-for-days section of the menu…

Enchiladas.

Oh. Em. Gee. I love them in all varieties. Chicken, fajita, beef, veggie…anything so long as it’s covered in cheese. How bad could it be?

Well. Add in some salty margaritas, flour tortillas, rice and refried beans and you have yourself a calorie fiesta. Oh and how can I forget the chips and salsa. Calorie OVERLOAD.

No bueno.

And making enchiladas at home isn’t that fun. I hate rolling them up, and the tortilla always breaks, so this is how my enchilada casserole was born. Think of it more like a enchilada lasagna: layers of corn tortillas, zesty beef, spicy enchilada sauce and gooey cheese. For only 330 calories a serving.

This casserole is from stove to oven to table in around 30 minutes and serves 8. It reheats well for lunch the next day, so now you can have a Mexican fiesta any day of the week with super simple, inexpensive ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground beef (get 90% lean or higher)

1 cup of sharp shredded cheese

1 can of enchilada sauce

1 pack of 20-ct corn tortillas

1 steamable bag of mixed vegetables

Salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne powder to taste

Step 1: Turn on oven to 350, pop your steamable veggies in the microwave as directed, and brown your meat. While your meat is browning, spray a 9x13 dish with non-stick spray and layer 6 tortillas on the bottom.  I browned my meat and added spices/salt/pepper like I would for taco meat. Do whatever you and your taste buds like.

Step 2: Add about 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce to your bottom layer of tortillas. Check on your veggies. Once they’re done in the microwave, toss them with your browned meat.

Step 3: Spread 1/2 of your beef & veggies mixture on top of the tortillas and sprinkle with 1/3 cup of cheese.

Step 4: Layer on another 6 tortillas, 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce and top with remaining beef & veggies. DO NOT ADD the rest of the cheese…yet. First top with another 6 tortillas and then sprinkle the remaining 2/3 cup of cheese + remaining enchilada sauce.

Step 5: Pop into the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Once it’s done, let sit for about 3-4 minutes and cut into 8 slices using a pizza cutter.

Step 6: Enjoy! I topped mine with a 1 tbsp of light sour cream and some jalapenos. It is ah-may-zing. It’s creamy, spicy and comforting.

I know it may seem weird to add in a whole bag of mixed vegetables (and this is coming from someone who HATES mixed vegetables), but I swear you cannot even taste them. Promise. The portion size is decent for lunch- maybe I’d add a salad with some tortilla strips or avocado ranch for that tex-mex feel. For dinner, we usually serve this up with some rice and beans. Either way, you can’t beat enchiladas for about 330 calories. To put it in perspective, I’d only have to workout 35 minutes to burn off this dish.

Hope you enjoyed this quick, easy, low calorie recipe. There are many ways you can change this up by adding toppings or avocado. Mmm avocado. Let me know if you try this out! I’ll be back soon with more recipes and ideas for low calorie meals that are easy and cheap to make.