Enchilada casserole packed with lean ground turkey or beef, sweet potato, black beans, enchilada sauce and strips of tortilla baked into the saucy filling. Serve with your favorite toppings – a quick and flavorful casserole dinner!
What makes this recipe great
This recipe combines a few of the best dinner things: The sweet potato/black bean/ground turkey combo, the making in one single pan, and the fact that it’s a casserole which gives a little buffer time to clean up the kitchen before dinner is ready.
We’ll do a few things a certain way so it comes out perfectly every single time:
- Drain your meat: We’re using lean ground turkey or lean ground beef here. When cooking lean ground meat, I found draining is really important to get it to brown better – which leads to a more flavorful casserole.
- Just the right amount of tortilla strips: You don’t want to pack this with tortillas until it’s stuffed – else, the casserole will be dry. Plus, we cut them into a satisfying but easily serveable sized strips.
- Simmer quickly on the stove before baking: Just a few minutes is enough to give the sweet potatoes a head-start. That way, we can keep the baking time a little shorter so the cheese on top stays melty and doesn’t burn.
Ingredients we’re going to use
The ingredients here are simple, but they turn into something very delicious when combined.
- Ground turkey: If you don’t like ground turkey, lean or extra-lean ground beef are great, too. Ground chicken works as well.
- Tortillas: For the tortillas, I prefer to use flour tortillas but you can use corn if you prefer. I use 8-inch, but 6-inch are fine.
- Enchilada sauce: Use your favorite sauce here. We like Old El Paso because it’s quite mild, or make your own enchilada sauce if you prefer.
- Sweet potato: Totally optional but highly recommended!
Let’s see how we make this:
Before you begin, preheat your oven to 400°F. You need a ~3.5 quart oven-safe skillet for this recipe
Step 1
Get the meat browned.
First, we brown our meat and onion. Always heat your skillet before you add the oil – helps to make it more nonstick.
I like to drain the meat as soon as it’s no longer pink, then let it brown for a few minutes to get a good color and flavor.
Step 2
Season things.
Deglaze the pan with a few tablespoons of water if a lot of browned bits are stuck. Dissolve them and stir fully into the meat before adding your garlic and seasoning.
Step 3
Add sauce ingredients.
Next, it’s already time to add all of the sauce ingredients. Just stir everything into the skillet.
Step 4
The tortillas go in.
Add your cut strips of tortilla. I like to add half of them first and get them fully submerged, almost at the bottom of the pan. Then I add the second half on top and press them down.
Simmer this for just a couple of minutes to give the potatoes a head start.
Step 5
Top with cheese.
Freshly shredded cheese melts a lot better, so I highly recommend investing these extra two minutes.
Step 6
Bake and eat.
Bake until bubbly and the cheese is melty. Letting it sit for 5 minutes after baking helps to settle everything.
Time to serve!
We like to add toppings (red onion, avocado, sour cream – plus lime juice and cilantro or Italian parsley for the non-cilantro-eaters), but otherwise there’s not much else needed.
If I have some extra time, I might make a chunky avocado salsa or guacamole for topping.
Tl; dr: All the important stuff a glance
- Quick recipe rundown: Brown the meat and onion. Season, then add the sauce ingredients. Stir in the tortilla strips, simmer for a few minutes, top with cheese and bake.
- Don’t skip draining the meat – helps with browning, which we need for flavor.
- Deglazing helps – if browned bits are stuck to the pan after browning, you want to release them with water and stir them into the meat. Makes the casserole much more flavorful!
- Cut the tortillas to size – helps to get a good distribution without the tortillas falling apart in the oven.
This is one of the best quick and easy meals, it has been on repeat this winter. If you like this one, you might also like some other favorites from the rotation – Chili Cornbread Casserole or Upside Down Pizza Casserole (don’t knock it) are also very easy and very delicious.
One Pan Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound ground turkey (OR lean ground beef)
- 1 medium yellow onion (finely diced (about 1 cup))
- salt & pepper (to taste)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 lime (juice only)
- 1 tablespoon enchilada or taco seasoning
- 1 (4-oz) can mild diced green chiles
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup diced sweet potato (about 1 small, cut into ⅓-inch cubes, optional)
- 1 (15-oz) can petite diced tomatoes (not drained)
- 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- 4 (8-inch) flour tortillas (each halved lengthwise and then cut into 5-6 strips across (Note 1))
- 1 heaping cup shredded cheese (cheddar, Colby Jack or a Mexican cheese blend; shred it yourself for the best melting)
- chopped cilantro, diced red onion, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges (optional to serve)
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. This recipe works best in a ~3.5 to 4 quart oven-safe skillet.
- Brown meat: Heat your skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the oil, then add the ground meat and diced onion. Season with salt and pepper, then cook until the meat is no longer pink.Drain the excess liquid with paper towels, then continue browning until the meat has a nice color on it. (Note 2)1 tablespoon oil, 1 pound ground turkey, 1 medium yellow onion, salt & pepper
- Deglaze:If there are a lot of browned bits stuck on the bottom of your skillet, deglaze the pan with ¼ to ⅓ cup water and stir well before continuing with the next step.
- Season: Reduce the heat to medium. Add the minced garlic, lime juice and seasoning. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the garlic and the seasoning is fragrant.2 cloves garlic, 1 lime, 1 tablespoon enchilada or taco seasoning
- Add remaining ingredients: Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the green chiles, black beans, sweet potato (if using), diced tomatoes, and enchilada sauce to the skillet. Bring to a simmer.1 (4-oz) can mild diced green chiles, 1 (15-oz) can black beans, 1 cup diced sweet potato, 1 (15-oz) can petite diced tomatoes, 1 cup red enchilada sauce
- Add tortillas: Add the tortilla strips to the skillet, stirring gently to place them evenly in the sauce. Remove from the heat.4 (8-inch) flour tortillas
- Finish and bake: Top the casserole with shredded cheese, then place in the hot oven and bake for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbly. (Note 3)1 heaping cup shredded cheese
- Serve: Let the casserole rest on a trivet or wire rack for 5 minutes. Serve with your favorite toppings.chopped cilantro, diced red onion, avocado, sour cream, lime wedges
Notes
- Note 1: If you have 6-inch tortillas, use 5-6 and cut them in half and then in 4-5 strips.
- Note 2: This can take 5-6 minutes; draining the excess liquid from lean ground meat helps with better and faster browning.)
- Note 3: Make sure not to overbake the casserole, else the cheese may turn crispy and the casserole may be drier than desired.
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