Tasted
Glass baking dish of turkey enchiladas topped with melted, browned cheddar

Turkey Enchiladas

By Elizabeth Ciobanu ·

Leftover Thanksgiving turkey never tasted so good!

The best thing about the Thanksgiving turkey is all the yummy dishes that I get to make with the leftovers.

Prep
30 min
Cook
20 min
Total
50 min
Makes
7-10 enchiladas

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 2 cups pre-cooked turkey meat, white or dark meat, chopped in small pieces
  • 1/2 cup diced peppers, bell, Hungarian, or banana pepper
  • 1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 7-10 flour tortillas
  • 3 cups shredded Mexican blend or cheddar cheese
  • Enchilada sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare enchilada sauce if making it homemade.
  2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat. Add diced onion and saute for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Add diced peppers and saute for an additional 2-3 minutes.
  4. Add the chopped turkey meat and cook until heated through. Remove from heat.
  5. Form an assembly line in this order to build the enchiladas: tortillas, enchilada sauce, meat and onion mixture, black beans, and cheese.
  6. On each tortilla, spread about 2 tablespoons of enchilada sauce, add a line of turkey mixture down the middle, add a spoonful of beans on top, and lastly, sprinkle with 1/4 cup of shredded cheese.
  7. Roll up the tortilla and place, edge-side down, in a greased 9 x 13 baking dish.
  8. Repeat until you have used up all of your turkey and onion filling. I usually get 7-8 filled tortillas, but it depends on how full you fill each one.
  9. Spread another 1/3 cup of enchilada sauce on top of the enchiladas in the baking dish and sprinkle with an additional 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
  10. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and the tortillas are starting to look a little bit crisp and golden around the edges.
  11. Serve immediately, garnished with fresh chopped cilantro if desired.

Notes

  • Enchilada sauce: Use this recipe for easy, delicious homemade enchilada sauce. It makes enough for 2 batches of enchiladas, so you can use half and freeze the rest to use next time. Or you can use a can of pre-made enchilada sauce.
  • Meat alternatives: This is actually a variation of my classic chicken enchilada recipe. It's equally delicious with chicken! I've even made it with leftover steak or beef roast sliced thin.
  • Peppers: I prefer to use a thin-walled pepper such as banana peppers so that they tenderize quickly while cooking. For a bit more spice, use something like a Hungarian wax pepper. You can even use a small (4 oz) can of chiles.
  • Beans: You can substitute pre-cooked lentils or brown rice if you want to avoid the black beans. Black-eyed peas are also a good choice. I wouldn't recommend kidney beans or chickpeas, as the larger size would take over texture-wise.
  • Gluten-free adaptations: You can make this a gluten-free option by substituting gluten-free soft corn tortillas (or another gluten-free variety), and using a gluten-free enchilada sauce.