Turkey Enchiladas are a cheesy, filling, and comforting meal that is quick and easy to make. Made with a handful of ingredients including leftover turkey, enchilada sauce, flour tortillas, and melty cheese, this oven-baked meal is a lot easier to make than you think!
Whether you’re trying to use up holiday leftovers or whip up a satisfying dinner in a limited amount of time, these baked enchiladas are the perfect choice. Plus, picky eaters love them too so it's the perfect meal to make for the whole family.
Why You'll Love the Turkey Enchiladas
- A great way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. If you’re hosting this year, you may get saddled with a lot of leftover roasted turkey. These enchiladas with leftover turkey help you repurpose those leftovers into a creative and tasty new way. See all our leftover turkey recipes.
- Ready in less than an hour. You can have a full meal in just 40 minutes with these leftover turkey enchiladas, and most of that time is passive baking time! You can quickly whip up sides and clean up while they’re baking for a fast and efficient meal. Just mix up the filling, assemble, bake, and enjoy.
- They’re healthier than fried enchiladas. Because the turkey enchiladas get baked, they don’t require the same amount of oil that typical pan-fried enchiladas do, making them lower in fat and calories than the fried versions.
Ingredient Notes
To make these delicious leftover Turkey Enchiladas, you will need the following ingredients (full measurements in recipe card below):
- red enchilada sauce - if you prefer green enchilada sauce, you can use it in place of the red sauce at a 1:1 ratio. If you like to make yours from scratch, you can do that as well! We made a batch of our homemade red enchilada sauce in just minutes.
- cooked turkey breast - you can also use thigh meat if you have a ton left over, but the texture will be slightly different.
- black beans - black beans are classic in many enchilada recipes, but pinto beans would also be an acceptable substitute.
- marble cheddar - sub for Monterey Jack , mozzarella, or your favorite shredded cheese, if desired. Any cheese that melts well will work.
- cilantro - if you don’t like cilantro, feel free to omit it or use your favorite soft herbs in its place.
- flour tortillas - flour tortillas will be the most flexible and easy to work with, but you can use corn tortillas instead. Warming them up before filling them will help prevent them from crumbling and breaking.
- toppings - we added sour cream, cilantro, and lime juice, but toppings are completely optional. Many people like to use greek yogurt as a high-protein alternative to sour cream. You could also add avocado, green onions, or guacamole.
You will also need measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowl, and a 9x13 casserole pan.
How to Make the Best Turkey Enchiladas
- Make turkey filling. In a large mixing bowl, add shredded turkey, beans, 1 cup of cheese, cilantro, and ¼ cup enchilada sauce. Mix well until evenly combined.
- Roll up the enchiladas. Add approximately ⅓ cup of the turkey mixture across the centre of each tortilla, and carefully roll them up.
- Assemble:
- Spread ¼ cup enchilada sauce into a 9x13-inch casserole pan.
- Arrange the rolled enchiladas in the baking pan with the seam side down.
- Spread the remaining enchilada sauce evenly on top and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Bake. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake in a 350F preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 8-10 minutes until the melted cheese turns golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve. Serve warm with sour cream, chopped cilantro, and lime juice, if desired.
How to Serve
Turkey Enchiladas are delicious served on its own, or with beans and rice or on a bed of greens. We like to pair it with some of my favorite Mexican-inspired sides including:
- Mexican Caesar Salad
- Guacamole
- Cilantro Lime Rice
- Chicken Tortilla Soup
- Vegetarian Chili
- Pico de Gallo Salsa
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Add them to your freezer stash. These make a great freezer meal. If you don’t want to eat them right way, prep them as directed in a freezer-safe casserole pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. And instead of baking in the oven, put it in the freezer. Once you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven as normal and increase the baking time to get perfectly-cooked enchiladas.
- Top with your favorite garnishes. Sliced avocado, green onions, fresh pico de gallo, sour cream, cilantro, and a finishing squeeze of lime juice take these already-tasty turkey enchiladas to the next level.
Storage and Freezing Instructions
How to Store
Once the enchiladas have cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
How to Freeze
Place leftover turkey enchiladas in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the enchiladas to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
How to Reheat
You can reheat enchiladas in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
- Reheat in the microwave: Cover the top, but allow the air to escape in they are in a container. Reheat in 20-second increments until hot.
- Reheat in the oven or air fryer: Reheat turkey enchiladas in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes, or in the air fryer for 5-10 minutes until hot.
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
- 15 Leftover Turkey Recipes
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Creamy Turkey Gnocchi Soup
- Leftover Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Leftover Turkey Fried Rice
- Coconut Turkey Curry
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Recipe
Turkey Enchiladas
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 8 enchiladas
Description
Turkey Enchiladas are a cheesy, filling, and comforting meal that is quick and easy to make. Made with a handful of ingredients including leftover turkey, enchilada sauce, flour tortillas, and melty cheese, this oven-baked meal is a lot easier to make than you think!
Ingredients
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce, divided
- 1 pound cooked turkey breast, shredded
- 1 (15 ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 2 ½ cups marble cheddar cheese, shredded, divided
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
- 8 medium flour tortillas, about 8-inches in diameter
For serving:
- sour cream
- fresh cilantro, chopped
- lime juice, freshly squeezed
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- In a large mixing bowl, add shredded turkey, beans, 1 cup of cheese, cilantro, and ¼ cup enchilada sauce . Mix well until evenly combined.
- Spread ¼ cup enchilada sauce into a 9x13-inch casserole pan.
- Add approximately ⅓ cup of the turkey mixture across the centre of each tortilla, carefully roll them up and arrange them seam side down into the pan. Repeat with the remaining filling and tortillas.
- Spread the remaining enchilada sauce evenly on top and sprinkle with the remaining shredded cheese.
- Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 8-10 minutes until the melted cheese turns golden brown. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Serve warm with sour cream, chopped cilantro, and lime juice, if desired.
Notes
How to store: Once the enchiladas have cooled completely, transfer them to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
How to freeze: Place leftover turkey enchiladas in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow the enchiladas to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
How to reheat: You can reheat enchiladas in the microwave, oven, or air fryer.
- Reheat in the microwave: Cover the top, but allow the air to escape in they are in a container. Reheat in 20-second increments until hot.
- Reheat in the oven or air fryer: Reheat turkey enchiladas in the oven at 350F for 15 minutes, or in the air fryer for 5-10 minutes until hot.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Turkey
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: Mexican
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Steve says
Just made a batch of these for meal prep. Made 10 total: four in an 8x8 pan and five in an 11x7 pan, which were stuck in the freezer, and one on a plate that I doused in my remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. I microwaved that one for a minute and it was amazing. I can't wait to pull one of these out next month and have at them. Excellent, easy recipe. Thanks!
Jenn says
Love this recipe! Such a good way to use up our leftover turkey!