Turkey Enchiladas Recipe

As an experienced blogger (I’ve been blogging here for four years!), I think more about the timing of topics when posting now.

When I first started, I wrote about what I wanted to, no matter when it was. After all, I can’t be the only one who still makes some Christmas treats a few days after Christmas. Right?

But honestly, although writing after-the-fact recipe posts about seasonal items might help some people, it really helps more people if I post earlier so that it can benefit the maximum number of people.

It was with that thought that I wondered if I should save this post for closer to Christmas or even next Thanksgiving. But these enchiladas were really good. I love enchiladas but absolutely hate the canned enchiladas sauce. If you’ve never had enchiladas with homemade sauce (which is super easy to make!), then you are totally missing out. I swear. Anyway, I hope you don’t mind this leftovers recipe, even though Thanksgiving was a full week ago.

Speaking of which, surprisingly, I ended up without an excess of leftovers this Thanksgiving. At least of the turkey variety. Of what was left, I gave some to my guests, made a Shepherd’s Pie and used the remainder to make this dish: smoky, rich turkey enchiladas with a zing at the end. These aren’t spicy per se, but they do have some heat at the end.

Are they kid friendly? That depends. I think Will would happily eat these with some avocado, but I think Paige would scoff at the heat. Does your child appreciate a touch of heat when it’s tempered with a cooling bite? If so, then they will probably enjoy this. Otherwise, keep it for the adults.

Hey, it’s okay to have an adult-friendly meal sometimes too, right?

If you are out of turkey, don’t worry, you can make these with leftover chicken too.

Do your kids like a little heat? Share in the comments!

Yield: 4 servings

Turkey Enchiladas

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Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Additional Time 10 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 lb leftover turkey meat, , shredded
• 1 tbsp canola oil
• 2 garlic cloves, , minced
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tbsp minced canned chipotle in adobo
• 2 cups fresh turkey stock or chicken broth
• 1/4 cup water
• 8 corn tortilla
• 1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp grated cheddar cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 8-inch square glass baking dish with cooking oil spray. Set aside.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, shaking occasionally. Whisk in the flour, chili powder and chipotle pepper. Cook, continuing to whisk, for one minute. Then, add the stock or broth and water a little at a time, whisking to incorporate. Cook until slightly thickened.
3. In a large bowl, toss together the turkey and 1 cup of the sauce. Add two tablespoons of cheddar and mix well. Set aside.
4. Wrap the stack of corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for one minute to warm.
5. Pour 1/4 cup of the sauce into the bottom of the prepared pan and swirl to evenly distribute. Divide the turkey mixture evenly among the tortillas and wrap into a roll shape. Place in the baking dish, side by side. Pour remaining sauce over and took with the remaining cheddar.
6. Place the baking dish in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes (uncovered) until heated through and the cheese is melted. Let cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.
7. Serve with avocado slices and/or sour cream.