These Turkey Enchiladas are an easy and delicious way to use up your Turkey leftovers from a big holiday meal! They are quick and easy to prepare with just a few ingredients.
So, enchiladas may not be the prettiest food on earth… But they are easy to make, and they are so delicious.
If you happen to have a lot of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, these are definitely a great meal to make the list. My family loves turkey enchiladas and don’t complain even once about having to eat leftovers when I make them!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Turkey meat: Dark and white meat mixed is perfectly fine. Just make sure there are not bone shards hiding in your shredded turkey.
- Tortillas: Corn tortillas are sturdier and hold up much, much better than wheat tortillas. I used white corn tortillas because that’s what I had, and I didn’t have time to run out to the store to get yellow corn tortillas. Wheat tortillas tend to get quite soggy and break/get messy in enchiladas, but if you don’t mind… They taste just fine.
- Enchilada sauce: I make my own enchilada sauce, but a 15-oz can works just as well.
- Taco seasoning: If you don’t have this on hand but have some staple spices, you can make your own Taco seasoning in just a few seconds.
- Black beans/black olives/sweet corn: These are all not mandatory to add, and you can skip one or all three if you prefer more plain and pure turkey enchiladas. Just keep in mind that you’ll lose some volume in the filling.
- Cheese: A Mexican blend will work well. Cheddar or Monterey Jack are also nice. I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella for flavor and meltiness.
How to make turkey enchiladas
1. Start by sautéing the chopped onion in a little oil until softened. Stir in the shredded turkey, the Taco seasoning and 2-3 tablespoons water or chicken broth. Keep sautéing until the turkey has soaked up all of the liquid (this helps to liven up the leftovers, which can become pretty dry).
2. Take the skillet off the heat and stir through the remaining ingredients for the filling, along with ½ cup of enchilada sauce.
sauté onion and turkey add remaining filling ingredients
3. Spread another ½ cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 inch casserole dish. Warm your tortillas and have your cheese on hand.
4. Ready to roll! Pile each tortilla with a generous portion of filling and sprinkle with cheese. Fold the left and right side of the tortilla over the filling, then place seam-down in the prepared dish.
(For more thorough step by step photos about making enchiladas, check out my chicken enchiladas, in case you are a beginner).
prepare all ingredients fill tortillas roll up and arrange in prepared dish
5. Spread the remaining enchilada sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese and then bake until bubbly!
top with sauce and cheese bake until bubbly
Let the casserole sit on the counter for 5 minutes before serving, it makes it easier to scoop!
Recipe tips
- I find it really helps to lightly sauté the turkey meat with seasoning and a little water/broth added, to keep it from tasting dry and bland. I highly recommend doing it even if you dislike onion and choose to skip the sautéed onion.
- Making enchiladas is messy (to me at least), so don’t worry if your filling oozes out of the tortillas.
- I like to really pack my enchiladas with filling, otherwise there’s too much tortilla for my taste. If you prefer thin enchiladas, you will need two pans and most likely 20-24 tortillas. You may also want to have more sauce.
- Make sure to fully bake the casserole, it should be steaming hot in the middle and bubbly around the edges.
Serving ideas
If you want to round out your meal, here are some of my family’s favorite side dishes:
More recipes for turkey leftovers
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Leftover Turkey Enchiladas
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 4 cups cooked turkey chopped; dark and white meat mixed is fine
- 1 tablespoon taco seasoning
- 1 (2-oz) can sliced black olives
- 1 cup corn
- 1 (15-oz) can black beans drained
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 (15-oz) can red enchilada sauce
- 12 (8-inch) corn tortillas warmed (see notes on tortilla types and amount needed)
- 3 cups shredded cheese or less to taste
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 360°F.
- Sauté onion and turkey: Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Stir through turkey and taco seasoning, add 2-3 tablespoon water (or chicken broth). Sauté until turkey meat has soaked up all liquid, about 1-2 minutes. Take off the heat.
- Make filling: Stir black olives, corn, black beans and sour cream through turkey mixture. Add ½ cup of enchilada sauce and combine well.
- Assemble: Spread another ½ cup enchilada sauce in bottom of 9×13 inch casserole dish. Divide filling between warmed tortillas. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon cheese each, then fold and arrange seam down in prepared dish.
- Finish and bake: Spread remaining enchilada sauce on top, sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake in hot oven for 25 minutes, or until fully heated through and bubbly around edges. Let sit on counter for 5 minutes, then serve.
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Tortillas:
- Corn tortillas are sturdier and hold up much, much better than wheat tortillas. I used white corn tortillas because that’s what I had, and I didn’t have time to run out to the store to get yellow corn tortillas. Wheat tortillas tend to get quite soggy and break/get messy in enchiladas, but if you don’t mind… They taste just fine.
- I like to really pack my enchiladas with filling, otherwise there’s too much tortilla for my taste. If you prefer thin enchiladas, you will need two pans and most likely 20-24 tortillas. You may also want to use more enchilada sauce.
- Enchilada sauce: I make my own enchilada sauce, but a 15-oz can works just as well.
- Taco seasoning: If you don’t have this on hand but have some staple spices, you can make your own Taco seasoning in just a few seconds.
- Black beans/black olives/sweet corn: These are all not mandatory to add, and you can skip one or all three if you prefer more plain and pure turkey enchiladas. Just keep in mind that you’ll lose some volume in the filling.
- Cheese: A Mexican blend will work well. Cheddar or Monterey Jack are also nice. I used a mix of cheddar and mozzarella for flavor and meltiness.
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