Beef & Pineapple Enchiladas

Say what?!

Yes, beef and pineapple. A little savory, a little sweet, and a little spicy. Those three things are all you need to make something seriously WOW-worthy.

These super simple enchiladas are stuffed full of beef, black beans, pineapple, and jalapeños, which makes for a completely mouth watering flavor combination. Even though the filling was already like “POW”, I topped them off with my famous homemade enchilada sauce just for kicks. The filling is SO good, in fact, that I can imagine just spooning it over a bed of rice (a great gluten option), or stuffing it into some flour tortillas to make burritos. Basically, I want to eat this beef and pineapple filling every day, whether it’s in enchilada form or not. It’s that good.

Beef & Pineapple Enchiladas

Print Recipe 4.75 from 16 votes Beef & Pineapple Enchiladas These Beef & Pineapple Enchiladas are a little sweet, a little savory, and a little spicy. Super filling and incredibly easy. Author: Beth - Budget Bytes Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 50 mins Total Time: 1 hr Servings: 4 (3 enchiladas each) Ingredients FOR THE ENCHILADAS 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.05)

2 cloves garlic ($0.16)

1 jalapeño (optional) ($0.10)

1/2 lb. lean ground beef ($2.38)

1 15oz. can black beans ($1.19)

1/2 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.08)

1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)

1/2 15oz. can pineapple chunks ($0.55)

2 green onions ($0.20)

1/4 bunch fresh cilantro (optional) ($0.20)

12 6-inch corn tortillas ($0.72) FOR THE SAUCE 2 Tbsp vegetable oil ($0.10)

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.02)

2 Tbsp chili powder* ($0.30)

2 cups water ( $0.00)

1/2 6 oz. can tomato paste ($0.27)

1/2 tsp cumin ($0.05)

1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)

1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper ($0.02)

2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, optional ($0.03)

1 tsp salt ($0.05) Instructions Slice the jalapeño lengthwise and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Cut off the stem and dice the remaining parts of the pepper. Mince the garlic. Sauté the jalapeño and garlic with cooking oil in a large skillet over medium heat for one to two minutes, or until the garlic is soft.

Add the ground beef to the skillet and continue to sauté until it is fully browned. Drain and rinse the black beans, then add them to the skillet along with the chili powder and salt. Stir to combine and heat through.

Drain the pineapple chunks, then roughly chop them into smaller pieces (save the remaining half of the can for another use). Slice the green onions. Pull the cilantro leaves from the stems and give them a rough chop. Turn the heat under the skillet off, then stir in the pineapple, green onions, and cilantro.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. To make the enchilada sauce, combine the vegetable oil, flour, and chili powder in a medium pot. Turn the heat on to medium and whisk the ingredients together. Once the mixture begins to bubble, continue to whisk and cook for one minute. Add the water, tomato paste, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne, cocoa, and salt. Whisk to combine and allow the mixture to come up to a simmer, at which point it will thicken. Turn the heat off.

To make the enchiladas, warm the tortillas in the microwave, 4-6 at a time, covered with a damp paper towel. Fill each tortilla with about 3 tablespoons of the beef mixture, then roll it up. Place the filled and rolled enchiladas in a casserole dish, seam side down. Repeat until all of the filling is used (makes about 12 6-inch enchiladas, or 8 8-inch enchiladas).

Pour the sauce over top and bake in the preheated 375 degree oven for 30 minutes, or until the edges of the tortillas are crispy and the sauce is bubbling. Notes Chili powder is a blend of mild red chile peppers and other spices. It is very different from cayenne pepper or red chile powder, which are very spicy. See how we calculate recipe costs here. Tried this recipe? Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram! Nutrition Serving: 1 Serving ・ Calories: 525.43 kcal ・ Carbohydrates: 70.33 g ・ Protein: 27.28 g ・ Fat: 17.65 g ・ Sodium: 1330.43 mg ・ Fiber: 18.18 g Nutritional values are estimates only. See our full nutrition disclosure here. The equipment section above contains affiliate links to products we use and love. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Step by Step Photos

Start by removing the seeds from one jalapeño and then dicing it. Mince two cloves of garlic. Sauté both with 1 Tbsp of vegetable oil over medium heat for about one or two minutes (until the garlic has softened).

Next, add 1/2 lb. of lean ground beef and continue to sauté until it is fully browned (if you are using a higher fat beef, you’ll want to drain it after it is brown).

Rinse and drain one 15-ounce can of black beans, then add them to the skillet along with 1/2 Tbsp chili powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir to combine and heat through.

Take note: “chili” powder”is different than red “chile” powder, which is usually very spicy. Chili powder is a mild blend of spices usually used to season chili.

Drain one 15-ounce can of pineapple chunks, then roughly chop about half of them. Add the chopped pineapple chunks to the skillet along with two sliced green onions and about 1/4 bunch of fresh cilantro (roughly chopped). What can you do with the leftover pineapple? Eat it as a snack or add it to some smoothies… OR if you want really pineapple-licious enchiladas, use the whole can.

Stir it all together and now you have the most magical, delicious enchilada (or burrito) filling! I seriously stood there and just ate it out of the skillet. Adding this over a bowl of rice would be the really easy way to go, but I kept on with my enchilada mission.

To make the enchilada sauce, add 2 Tbsp vegetable oil, 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, and 2 Tbsp chili powder to a sauce pot. Whisk it together, then turn the heat on to medium, and let it start bubbling. Once it begins to bubble, keep whisking and cooking for about one minute more. (If you’re good at multi-tasking, you can do this while you cook the filling and save some time.)

Then whisk in 2 cups of water, 1/2 of a 6-ounce can of tomato paste, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne (depending on how spicy you want it), 2 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder, and 1 tsp salt. Whisk it all together, then let it come up to a simmer over medium heat, at which point it will begin to thicken. Once it has thickened, turn the heat off.

Preheat the oven to 375. Add a little sauce to the bottom of a casserole dish or coat it with non-stick spray. Warm the tortillas in the microwave to make them more pliable (stack 4-6 at a time, cover with a damp paper towel, and microwave for 30 seconds). Fill each tortilla with about 3 Tbsp of the beef mixture, then roll it on up.

Place the filled and rolled tortillas in a casserole dish, seam side down. I probably should have used a 9×13 dish as I could barely fit all 12 into this 9×9 dish! Pour some of the sauce on top (you might not use it all, add it to your liking) and bake for 30 minutes.

And then you have THIS! YUMMM.

They’re so good, I can’t even…

Ohhh yeahhhh.