I don’t really look forward to eating turkey on Thanksgiving, but bird bestovers I can get behind. Case in point: I prepared these leftover turkey enchiladas on Saturday, and have been enjoying them for dinner ever since. They’re cheesy, saucy and undoubtedly delicious.
If you don’t have leftover turkey on hand, sub in cooked shredded chicken or ground beef. Feeding vegetarians? Replace the meat with Sriracha roasted cauliflower or canned black beans. The recipe is forgiving, so feel free to experiment with the ingredients. And, since leftover turkey enchiladas freeze well, consider making a double batch – one for now and one for later.
Recipes adapted from Cookie and Kate and Real Simple.
Leftover Turkey Enchiladas
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients
Enchilada sauce:
- 3 tablespoons whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt, plus more, to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Enchiladas:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 medium onions, halved and thinly sliced, divided
- 1 fresh jalapeño, finely diced (remove seeds for milder enchiladas)
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 2 cups cooked, shredded turkey, white or dark meat
- 2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 8 6" corn tortillas
- roasted pumpkin seeds (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
Prepare the enchilada sauce:
- In a small bowl, combine the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and cinnamon.
- In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the spice mixture and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until it begins to darken, about 1 minute.
- Slowly add chicken broth, stir and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 5-7 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add apple cider vinegar and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare and bake the enchiladas:
- In a large fry pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Set aside ¼ cup onion for garnish. Add remaining onion, jalapeño and cumin to pan and cook until slightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and add turkey, 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, cilantro, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Spread about ¾ cup enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased 9"x13" baking dish, or a greased 9" square baking dish and a small cast iron skillet or ramekin.
- Warm tortillas until pliable - about 20 seconds in the microwave should do. Place ½ cup turkey mixture in the center of a tortilla. Roll up tortilla and arrange, seam side down, in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining turkey mixture and tortillas.
- Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle on remaining cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve hot with reserved onion, additional cilantro and pumpkin seeds, if using.
