Healthy Carne Asada Enchiladas

Our recipe for Healthy Carne Asada Enchiladas uses corn tortillas, tender carne asada, and homemade red enchilada sauce. This easy Mexican recipe uses simple ingredients to create a lot of flavor, while still keeping it healthy.

Carne asada technically means “grilled meat”. Typically it’s made with flank or skirt steak, but it can be made with any steak as long as it’s sliced thin. We use a homemade marinade that adds the best flavor to this healthy beef enchiladas recipe!

My family loves when I make these healthy enchiladas because they can choose their favorite toppings to customize it just the way they want.

Where’s the recipe?

Here at My Crazy Good Life we like to write our recipes simply enough so that any level cook can recreate them. Whether you are new to the kitchen or are a seasoned chef, we want you to feel confident when you are cooking our recipes.

In this article you will find information about the ingredients that are used, as well as detailed cooking instructions. Then a little farther down you will see recipe tips and healthy eating plan calculations. If you want to skip past all that, simply scroll to the bottom of the page where you will find our printable recipe card for these homemade beef enchiladas.

Ingredients to make simple beef enchiladas

• Corn tortillas: I prefer to use corn, but you can flour tortillas if you’d like.
• Skirt steak: my family loves to make steak enchiladas using skirt or flank steak, but this recipe is so versatile you can use a variety of meats like ground beef, shredded beef, or chicken breast.
• Cheese: I like to use a Mexican blend cheese for this enchilada recipe, but you can use any type of melty cheese you prefer. Spicy pepper jack cheese would give it a little bit of a kick, or queso fresco would help to create a creamy sauce.
• Enchilada sauce: I like making my own homemade red sauce, but store bought red or green enchilada sauce would work too. Just be sure to adjust the calculations if you follow a healthy eating plan.

Ingredients to make the carne asada marinade

• White vinegar
• Coconut aminos: you can also use low sodium soy sauce or Tamari if that’s what you have.
• Lime juice: fresh lime juice really helps make this carne asada taste authentic.
• Olive oil: avocado oil would work well too.
• Orange: fresh orange juice is highly acidic, which is great for tenderizing the steak
• Garlic powder
• Chili powder
• Oregano
• Cumin
• Onion Powder

Ingredients to make healthy red enchilada sauce

Our healthy blender enchilada sauce is super easy to make and the flavor is so much more complex than the store bought variety. 

• Dried red chili pods: you can find dried chili peppers in the Mexican aisle at your grocery store or on Amazon.
• Water
• White vinegar
• Oregano
• All spice
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder

How to make the carne asada recipe

You can find more details on how I make the carne asada here.

1. First thinly slice the steak.
2. Next combine all the marinade ingredients in a large zippered bag or container with lid.
3. Then add the diced steak to the container and mix to ensure it is completely covered by the marinade.
4. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
5. Coat a large skillet with olive oil or avocado oil and heat on medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, scoop the meat into the skillet and dispose of the marinade.
6. Cook the meat until the desired doneness (a minimum internal temperature of at least 145°F. (approx. 5-8 minutes)
7. Remove the carne asada from the heat and set aside until you’re ready to assemble your enchiladas.

How to make the enchilada sauce

For more information on how to make the enchilada sauce you can read this post.

1. Add all of the enchilada sauce ingredients into a large sauce pan.
2. Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat. Then reduce the temperature to medium heat and allow the chili pods to simmer for 15-20 minutes until the pods are soft.
3. Allow the chili pods to cool then dump all the contents of the sauce pan into a blender. Blend until the sauce is smooth.
4. Use the sauce immediately or store in the refrigerator/freezer until ready to use. The sauce will last for 5-7 day in the fridge and up to a month in the freezer.

How to make healthy carne asada enchiladas

1. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
2. Lightly grease the bottom of a casserole dish or baking dish.
3. Cover the bottom of the pan with 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce.
4. Next, roll the enchiladas–placing some cheese and your carne asada meat in the center of a corn tortilla. I used 3/4 cup carne asada for every two enchiladas, and 1/3 cup cheese for four enchiladas (it’s 1 tablespoon of cheese for each enchilada). 
5. Fold the side over and place the enchilada seam side down in the pan. Continue until your pan is full.
6. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas, and then top with the remaining cheese.
7. Bake the enchiladas for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted and kind of crispy. Garnish with cilantro and serve.

Recipe tips

• This recipe is a great meal prep freezer meal.
• Meal prep enchilada sauce: I love making the red sauce ahead of time and freezing it in 1/4 or 1/2 cup portions for quicker thawing.
• Meal prep marinade: I like to make this marinade and freeze it, for future use, with sliced or diced steak. That way when it’s thawing it’s also marinading. The marinated steak is also delicious in carne asada tacos or burritos.
• Meal prep carne enchilada: I do prefer the enchiladas fresh but they can definitely be frozen! I’d recommend defrosting on the counter for a bit and then reheating at 350º for 30 minutes, and checking for them to be done often after that. 
• Leftover sauce is perfect to top tacos, mix with shredded meat to make red chili, or it can be used to make other southwest dishes.
• Some of our favorite toppings are fresh cilantro, sour cream, green onions, pico de gallo, sliced jalapeno peppers, and guacamole.

Healthy Eating Plans

21 Day Fix: 

To make the enchiladas the proper fix portions, use the red and blue container to measure out the meat and cheese before filling the enchiladas. Use 1 red container of meat to make 2 enchiladas, and 1 blue container to stuff 4 enchiladas.

2 enchiladas counts as 1 yellow container, 1 red container, and 1 blue container. If you choose to count the homemade sauce, add another 1/2 yellow container. If you need extra 21 Day Fix containers, you can find them here.

Note about the enchilada sauce: I’d personally count a 1/2 yellow container per 1/2 cup serving for the sauce, but peppers are technically free. The carbs are high with these though, so I feel better counting it. It’s completely up to you. 

Weight Watchers:

My recipes fit well within healthy eating plans like this because they’re full of unprocessed foods and don’t contain extra fats and oils. 

My Weight Watchers Enchilada post details the ingredient changes I made, along with the smartpoint values. 

Note about the sauce: Technically it’s a zero point food because peppers aren’t usually counted–but like I mentioned for the 21 Day Fix, this recipe has carbs because there are so many peppers. Count it as you see fit.

More healthy Mexican recipes

• Vegetarian Mexican Casserole
• Spicy Mexican Meatloaf
• Slow Cooker Carnitas
• Healthy Chicken Enchiladas Verdes
• Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash Taco Bowls