Remake your Thanksgiving dinner with this leftover turkey enchiladas casserole! This recipe is a bit of an indulgence, but it completely transforms your turkey and tastes amazing. It’s mild enough for kids but still flavorful, and is also gluten-free. Transform your turkey into a new dinner your family will love!
The holidays are delicious and leftovers can be so good – my family loves leftovers of our Traeger smoked turkey – but after a while you want something new. That’s where this recipe comes in!
It takes your holiday turkey and transforms it into an entirely new dish. It’s what I like to call a Round 2 recipe, where you use one dish and turn it into something else. I live for Round 2 recipes, but I know these types of dishes are most highly sought after Thanksgiving, where leftovers abound.
If you’re into using up what you can and stretching out your dollar, you also need to check out these mashed potato pancakes and some gluten free cranberry orange muffins. But for now, let’s focus on leftover turkey recipes.
Why these are the best leftover turkey enchiladas
This leftover turkey recipe is top notch and I’m going to tell you why.
- It uses up any leftover turkey that otherwise might not get eaten, giving you more bang for your buck.
- The flavor profile of the turkey completely changes so you don’t actually feel like you’re eating leftovers.
- You don’t have to dip the tortillas in oil as in traditional recipes. This is definitely an American take on enchiladas and is more of a casserole as everything kind of melds together – but in a really great, delicious way!
- You can easily customize it to your needs. Make it spiecer, change up some of the filling – it’s all pretty easy to do. See later in the post for my suggested substitutions. Want it spicier? Add some hot chiles instead of mild ones to the filling. Don’t want too much cheese? Reduce the amount by 2 cups. Don’t like black beans? Use pinto beans instead, or even just omit them entirely.
What you’ll need for this recipe
(Note: the full ingredients list, including measurements, is provided in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.)
- Leftover turkey – the whole point of this recipe is to use up what you have.
- Corn tortillas – get ones that are 7.5 to 8 inches wide, not the street taco-sized ones.
- Mild green chiles – we use the ones in the can, but you can certainly use fresh if you like.
- Black beans – make sure to rinse and drain them before adding them to the recipe.
- Shredded cheese – I used a blend of cheddar and pepper jack but you can use a pre-made Mexican blend or just cheddar if that’s what you prefer.
- Enchilada sauce – a mild red enchilada sauce works well in this recipe, but use your favorite.
- Sour cream – use a full fat one for richness or a low fat one to cut some of the calories.
- Garlic & onion – I like to chop mine up fine so it’s more evenly distributed.
- Spices – ground cumin and smoked paprika give a great smokiness to this casserole. Make sure your spices are fresh as older spices lose their pungency over time.
- Olives – these add just a bit of salt and brininess to the enchiladas.
- Oil – you just need a little bit to saute the garlic and onion, and then to grease the casserole dish. I use a mild oil like avocado oil.
How to make a turkey enchilada casserole using leftovers
(Note: please see the recipe card at the end of this post for the complete written instructions.)
- Start by sauteeing the onion with some oil in a pan on the stove. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, then add in the garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika and cook one more minute. Take the pan off the burner and set it aside for a moment.
- Next, make the filling. Get out a large bowl and dump in the cooked turkey, green chiles, sour cream, black beans, 2 ounces of the cheese, ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce, and the cooked garlic and onion mixture. Mix it all up with a wooden spoon.
- Prep the casserole dish. Take out your casserole dish and add a little oil to it, then use your hands to rub the oil all over the inside of the dish. Pour in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce and use the back of a spoon to spread it around the bottom of the baking dish. Also start preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.
- Warm up your tortillas. Wet a paper towel and wrap 4 of the tortillas in it. Microwave them for about 30 seconds to make them more pliable.
- Prep the filling. Use a wooden spoon to divide the turkey mixture in the bowl into eight equal sections, roughly about ⅓ cup each.
- Fill the tortillas. Take one tortilla and scoop out one section of the filling into it, wrapping the tortilla around the filling then place it with the seam side down into the casserole dish. Repeat with the other 3 tortillas, then warm the remaining 4 tortillas and repeat until all the filling is gone.
- Finish making the casserole. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the prepped enchiladas and spread with the back of a spoon to cover each wrapped tortilla. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and cover with a piece of aluminum foil, making sure it doesn’t touch the cheese.
- Bake the casserole. Cook the dish in the oven for 15 minutes.Take the dish out of the oven and remove the foil. Spread the olives on top and return to the oven, cooking for 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is melted and browning. Remove the enchiladas from the oven and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then sprinkle with cilantro (if that’s your thing), serve, and enjoy!
Recipe Substitutions
As I mentioned above, there are lots of different ways to customize this dish. Here are just a few.
- Make it spicier by adding in hot chiles instead of mild ones, adding a combo of chipotle powder and cayenne instead of smoked paprika in with the onions, or using a spicy enchilada sauce.
- This dish can be made slightly healthier by omitting 2 ounces of cheese. Keep the same amount in the filling, but just sprinkle less on top.
- Use a different type of bean! If black beans aren’t your thing, use pinto or red beans instead. Or you can just omit them entirely too.
I have not made this dish with anything other than corn tortillas, so I can’t speak to whether you could swap them out for a paleo tortilla (or a flour tortilla if you’re not gluten free). If you try this, leave a comment below and let me know how it went!
How long do turkey enchiladas last in the fridge?
How long these enchiladas last will depend on when you cooked your turkey. If you’re making these enchiladas the next day, they should last about 2 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container. If your turkey is 2 days old, they’ll last maybe one more day. The USDA recommends keeping cooked turkey in the fridge for only 3 to 4 days, so that will impact how long the enchiladas last.
More recipes made with leftover turkey
Should you find yourself with leftovers (and really, isn’t that the best part of making a turkey), then try one of these recipes to make your turkey into something new. And don’t forget to use the carcass to make turkey broth!
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If you make end up making this leftover turkey enchilada casserole, then don’t forget to leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Leftover Turkey Enchiladas Casserole
Equipment
- A medium pan
- A 9×13 inch baking dish
Ingredients
- ½ tbsp oil plus more for spreading on the baking dish
- 1 c chopped onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 ounces mild diced green chiles
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ c sour cream
- 3 cups shredded turkey
- 8 corn tortillas about 8 inches wide
- 1 c black beans rinsed and drained
- 8 ounces shredded cheese or 6 if want less
- 16 ounces mild red enchilada sauce
- ½ cup sliced olives
- cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Start with the filling. Place a medium pan over medium heat and add 1 tbsp oil. Let warm for 1 to 2 minutes, then pour the chopped onion into pan and cook until translucent, between 5 and 7 minutes. Add in the garlic, cumin, and smoked paprika and cook for about 1 minute more, until the spices are fragrant. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside momentarily.
- In a large bowl, pour in the turkey, diced green chiles, sour cream, black beans, 2 oz of the cheese, ¼ cup enchilada sauce, and cooked onion and garlic mixture and stir with a spatula or wooden spoon to combine.
- Take out a 9×13 baking dish and add 1 tsp of oil. Grease the inside by using your hands to rub the oil all over the inside of the dish. Pour in ¼ cup of the enchilada sauce and use a spoon or brush to spread it into a thin layer in the baking dish. At this point, turn on the oven to preheat at 350F.
- Wrap half of the tortillas in a wet paper towel and set them on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave them until warm, about 20-30 seconds. Use a wooden spoon to divide the turkey mixture into half in the bowl, then divide each half into two, and each of those sections into two until you have eight small sections of filling that are roughly ⅓ cup each. Take one of the tortillas and add one section of the turkey mixture. Fold one side of the tortilla in, then the other until it’s rolled up, then place it on one end of the 9×13 dish with the seam side facing down.
- Continue with the next 3 tortillas. Then repeat the process with the other 4 tortillas, warming them up in the microwave with a damp paper towel to start, until all of the turkey mixture is used up. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over the tortillas and use the back of a spoon to coat the tops of all the tortillas. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over all of the tortillas and place a large piece of aluminum foil over the 9×13 dish but tent it a bit so that it doesn’t touch the cheese. Place it in the pre-heated oven and cook for 15 minutes.
- Remove the aluminum foil and sprinkle the sliced olives on top. Place the baking dish back in the oven and cook for another 15 -20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and starting to brown. Remove from the oven and let the enchiladas cool for 5-10 minutes before serving, topping with chopped cilantro if desired.
Notes
- Make this casserole spicier by adding in hot chiles instead of mild ones, adding a combo of chipotle powder and cayenne instead of smoked paprika in with the onions, or using a spicy enchilada sauce.
- This dish can be made slightly healthier by omitting 2 ounces of cheese. Keep the same amount in the filling, but just sprinkle less on top.
- Use a different type of bean! If black beans aren’t your thing, use pinto or red beans instead. Or you can just omit them entirely too.
Dahn
This is such a great way to use leftover turkey. Leftovers always taste better in my opinion 🙂
Taryn Solie
I agree – leftovers do taste better! Thanks Dahn.