These turkey enchiladas have a creamy white sauce. This makes for a wonderful change and a great way to use leftover turkey.

After a Thanksgiving dinner, it’s a great idea to use up any leftover turkey in creamy turkey enchiladas that are full of bold flavor. It’s a welcome change that won’t feel like leftovers at all. Enchiladas are easy to put together; they require no more than tortillas, meat, sauce, and cheese.

This turkey enchilada recipe is made with leftover cooked turkey,cream cheese, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup. A little bit of spice comes from ground cumin and pickled jalapenos. Plus, pecans add a great texture. They are finished off with cheese, cilantro or parsley, tomato, and green bell pepper.

These leftover turkey enchiladas do not use corn tortillas. There’s something about turkey that seems to lend itself better to flour tortillas.

How do you keep tortillas from falling apart in enchiladas?

In Mexico, corn tortillas are fried quickly until they just begin to crisp up and take on a touch of color. Quick frying creates a barrier on the tortilla’s surface that allows the tortilla to absorb some sauce without disintegrating. After frying the tortillas, both sides are dipped in sauce to cover the entire surface. Then they are stuffed and rolled.

Traditional enchiladas use less sauce, but it’s more evenly distributed because the tortillas are coated in it. With less sauce, your tortillas are less likely to get soggy and disintegrate.

Do you have to fry corn tortillas before making enchiladas?

The answer is not necessarily; you can use your microwave. Place a single layer of flour or corn tortillas on a large microwave-safe plate and heat them on full power. Flip them every 30 seconds until they are lightly browned and crisp (about 1 to 1‑1/2 minutes total).

How to Use Leftover Turkey

After you’ve finished off your second day of turkey sandwiches, you might be ready for some fresh ideas to use up your remaining leftover turkey. One way is to transform your turkey leftovers into a totally different kind of meal that tastes nothing like Thanksgiving dinner – like creamy turkey enchiladas topped with gooey, melted cheese. If you’ve got your turkey leftover recipes all planned out, these enchiladas will be number one on your list. Click here for some more leftover turkey recipes.

As for the type of meat, both white and dark will work; use whatever you happen to have — just make sure it’s shredded or chopped into bite-sized pieces first.

·       You could easily substitute chicken for the turkey in this recipe. 

Could I make this recipe using ground turkey?

You could definitely use ground turkey. Before adding it to the enchiladas, make sure it’s cooked all the way through. Also, it’s a good idea to drain the ground turkey after cooking to get rid of excess grease and fat.

How to Store Enchiladas

Enchiladas will keep up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Tightly cover the dish with foil before storing. To freeze enchiladas, wrap the entire pan tightly with foil and crimp around the edges to seal and prevent freezer burn. Or, if you want to freeze small portions, place the enchiladas in individual freezer-safe containers with lids. Enchiladas will be good in your freezer for up to 3 months. 

Reheat the enchiladas directly from the refrigerator or freezer in the dish they were baked in. Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Keep the foil on and reheat for 45 minutes (frozen) or 20-30 minutes (refrigerated) until the enchiladas are warmed through.

You can also reheat individual servings in small microwave-safe containers. Zap them for 2-3 minutes. They can also be reheated in a toaster oven for 10-15 minutes.

What to Serve With Turkey Enchiladas

A good go-to is a green salad. You could also serve up your leftover turkey enchiladas with some rice and beans. 

Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

• Cooked turkey
• Onion
• Cream cheese
• Water
• Ground cumin
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Chopped pecans
• Flour tortillas
• Condensed cream of chicken soup
• Sour cream
• Milk
• Pickled jalapenos
• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Fresh cilantro or parsley
• Tomato
• Green bell pepper

You can prepare these enchiladas with chicken. Just substitute the turkey with boneless, skinless chicken breasts and cook them or use leftover cooked or rotisserie chicken.

How to Make Turkey Enchiladas

1. Cut turkey into diced, small pieces.
2. In a small skillet cook onion, covered, in a small amount of water until tender. Drain.
3. Spray a 13x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick coating.
4. In a small mixing bowl, stir together cream cheese, water, cumin, and salt to taste.
5. Stir in cooked onion, turkey, and pecans.
   
6. Spoon turkey mixture onto tortillas and roll them up.
7. Place rolled tortillas in the baking dish, seam side down.
8. Combine soup, sour cream, milk, and jalapeno peppers in a bowl.
9. Pour sauce mixture over the enchiladas.
10. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until heated through.
11. Uncover enchiladas and sprinkle cheddar cheese on top.
    
12. Bake for 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.
13. Top with cilantro, tomatoes, and bell pepper.

Want more turkey recipes? Try these favorites!

• Baked Turkey Legs
• Deep Fried Turkey
• Turkey Devonshire Sandwich

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Check out more of my simple chicken recipes and the best Mexican food recipes here on CopyKat!