These delicious leftover Turkey Enchiladas are a great way to use up that leftover turkey from Thanksgiving! It’s the perfect healthy meal for those days when you just want an easy and cozy main course after the holidays.
Using up leftover turkey after Thanksgiving shouldn’t be a chore! There are so many leftover turkey recipes that use up Thanksgiving leftovers in creative ways that taste delicious, from easy creamy soups to loaded bbq sandwiches! These Turkey Enchiladas are one of those turkey recipes. With only a handful of ingredients, you can whip up these tasty enchiladas in no time!
What Are Leftover Turkey Enchiladas?
Leftover turkey enchiladas verdes are a mouthwatering and delicious way to use up that leftover Thanksgiving turkey you might have from a holiday feast. In this dish, pieces of leftover turkey are combined with simple ingredients and wrapped in tortillas. Then, they’re topped with cheese and baked until the cheese is bubbling and the tortillas have a delightful golden edge. The star of the show is the flavorful tomatillo salsa that’s made with charred poblanos, tomatillos, shishito peppers, cilantro, and more. We make ours from scratch, but a store-bought enchilada sauce works great.
If you’re looking for a delicious way to transform your holiday leftovers into a whole new and exciting dish, you have to try these Turkey Enchiladas!
Easy Turkey Enchiladas Ingredients
For the turkey enchiladas:
- Oil
- Onion
- Garlic cloves
- Leftover turkey
- Your favorite Mexican spice blend
- Cream cheese
- Tomatillo salsa
- Salt and pepper
- Tortillas (flour tortillas hold up better than corn for enchiladas, but we make our own keto tortillas)
- Colby or Pepper jack cheese
Garnish
- Cilantro
- Sliced peppers
- Red onion
- Jalapenos
- Pico de gallo
- Crema
- Cotija cheese
How to Make Turkey Enchiladas Verdes
If making homemade tomatillo salsa, make it before the enchiladas to use in the recipe.
For the Turkey Enchiladas Verdes:
- Start by preheating your oven to 375°F. While that’s heating up, grab a large cast iron skillet.
- Place the skillet over medium heat, add the oil, and give it a little swirl to coat the pan.
- Toss in the chopped onion and sauté until it turns translucent, which should take about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add your minced garlic and let it mingle for another 30 seconds.
- Now, add the chopped turkey and your Mexican spice blend, and give everything a good mix.
- Take the skillet off the heat and transfer the hot, savory turkey mixture to a bowl.
- Add cream cheese and stir it in until it melts and blends perfectly with the turkey mixture.
- Add the tomatillo salsa and give it a quick mix.
For the Enchiladas:
- Take about a quarter of your tomatillo salsa (the one in your now cool cast iron skillet), and swirl it at the bottom of the skillet to coat it.
- Dip your tortillas into the salsa verde, and line them up for easy filling.
- Spoon equal portions of the creamy turkey mixture into the tortillas and roll them up, placing the seam side down.
- When all the tortillas are filled and snuggly arranged, spread a quarter cup of salsa over the top of the enchiladas, but don’t soak them.
- Sprinkle a generous amount of your Colby or Pepper Jack Cheese over the enchiladas.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese melts to gooey perfection and the edges of the tortillas turn a glorious golden brown. That should take about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove your skillet from the oven, and let these mouthwatering Turkey Enchiladas cool for 5 minutes. Serve them up with your favorite toppings and enjoy the flavor explosion!
Girl Carnivore Expert Recipe Tips
- If making homemade tomatillo salsa, prep it ahead of time!
- Play around with various toppings such as fresh cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese, etc.
What to Serve With Turkey Enchiladas Verdes
Serve these delicious enchiladas up with some Poblano Crema drizzled over top and a side dish of Rajas Con Crema for a little extra kick! If you want to bulk this meal up a bit, make this Easy Grilled Corn Salad or serve alongside some black beans!
Leftovers & Reheating
Store leftover enchiladas in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze for up to 3 months for an easy freezer meal or meal prep.
To reheat:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
- Place leftover enchiladas in a baking dish or oven-safe dish.
- Drizzle on any extra sauce and sprinkle extra cheese on top.
- Wrap in aluminum foil.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until hot.
You could also microwave in 30-second intervals until warm if you’re short on time.
MORE LEFTOVER RECIPES
These turkey enchiladas verdes are the perfect choice for breathing new life into your post-holiday meals. They’re not only a delicious treat for you but also an opportunity to share with the whole family.
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Turkey Enchiladas Verdes
Ingredients
For the turkey enchiladas
- 1 tbsp Oil
- ½ Onion chopped
- 3 Garlic cloves minced
- 2 cups leftover turkey chopped
- 2 tbsp your favorite Mexican spice blend
- 8 oz Cream cheese at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cup Tomatillo salsa or Enchiladas verdes sauce
- Salt and pepper
- 16 Tortillas flour tortillas hold up better than corn for enchiladas but we make our own keto tortillas
- ½ cup Colby or Pepper jack cheese
Garnish
- Cilantro
- Sliced peppers
- Red onion
- Jalapeños
- Pico de gallo
- Crema
- Cotija
Instructions
Make the Filling
- Preheat oven to 375
- Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the 1 tbsp Oil and swirl to coat the pan.
- Add the chopped ½ Onion and saute until translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the minced 3 Garlic cloves and cook 30 seconds longer.
- Add in the chopped 2 cups leftover turkey and 2 tbsp your favorite Mexican spice blend, mixing to combine.
- Remove from heat and immediately transfer the hot turkey mixture to a bowl.
- Add the 8 oz Cream cheese and stir to melt the cream cheese and combine.
- Add in the 1/4 cup of the 1 1/2 cup Tomatillo salsa and mix just to combine.
- Season with Salt and pepper to taste.
Bake the Enchiladas Verdes:
- Take 1/4 of the 1 1/2 cup Tomatillo salsa in the now cool cast iron skillet, swirl it on the bottom to coat.
- Dip the 16 Tortillas into the salsa verde and fold them in a row to make filling them easy. Add more salsa if needed.
- Spoon equal portions of the turkey mixture into the tortillas and roll them, placing the seam on the bottom.
- When all the tortillas are filled, spread ¼ cup 1 1/2 cup Tomatillo salsa over the top of the enchiladas, but don’t soak them.
- Sprinkle with the ½ cup Colby or Pepper jack cheese.
- Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until the cheese is melted and the edges of the tortillas are golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Carefully remove from the oven and let the turkey enchiladas cool for 5 minutes before serving with your favorite toppings.
Notes
Nutrition
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Save Recipe BookmarkRecipe FAQs
Enchiladas are usually made with a red chili sauce, which can be a bit spicy and has a deep, rich taste. On the other hand, enchiladas verdes use a green enchilada sauce made from tomatillos, which gives them a tangy and fresh flavor. Enchiladas Verdes are often filled with things like shredded chicken or turkey, making them a bit lighter compared to regular enchiladas.
Yes! Feel free to use leftover chicken for this recipe.
You can cut it into cubes or make shredded turkey.
I have Yet to make a recipe from you that doesn’t work!!
I shall be making this on Black Friday while my wife is shopping -lucky Me!! I love to see tomatillos in a recipe!!
Thanks, Chef!!