Ground Turkey Enchiladas
Ground Turkey Enchiladas cooked with a delicious chipotle sauce, and topped with melted cheese. Using turkey for enchiladas is a healthy protein option, and also lets the spicy sauce shine. A delicious recipe, gets even better with Mexican wine! Note: sauce adapted from a Vegetarian Planet recipe.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 50
- Total Time: 1 hr 5 mins
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: stove top + baking
- Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients
Scale
For the sauce:
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tsp chili powder
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 3 cups diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup dry red wine
- 1 tsp vinegar
- 1 1/3 cup water
- 1 pinch cinnamon
- 1 chipotle chile pepper (from a can with adobo sauce)
- 1/4 cup toasted pumpkin seeds
- 1/4 tsp salt
For the filling
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 14.5 oz can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1/2 cup diced tomatoes (optional)
- 4 large flour tortillas
- 1/2 cup of shredded cheese such as Monterey Jack
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Make the sauce: In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium.Add the garlic, chili powder and cumin seeds. Stir frequently for about 1 minute, until the seeds begin to pop. Add the tomatoes, followed by the wine, vinegar and water. Simmer for 4 minutes. Add the cinnamon and chipotle, simmer for another 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove pan from heat and set aside to cool.
- Finish the sauce: Add the pumpkin seeds to a food processor. Pulse to chop the seeds. Then add half of the sauce from the pan, and puree with the pumpkin seeds. Pour that portion into a bowl, then pour the remaining sauce from the pan into the food processor. Puree, then pour that sauce into the bowl, where it is ready for making the enchiladas.
- Start making the filling: Heat a tbsp olive oil in large cast iron skillet or other frying pan. Add the onion. Cook until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.
- Cook the turkey: Add the turkey to the skillet along with the garlic, stirring occasionally. When the turkey has turned mostly white on the outside, after about 5 minutes, stir in the beans, cumin and tomato if using. Cook for another 7 to 10 minutes until the turkey has cooked through. Remove skillet from heat.
- Assemble enchiladas: Lay a tortilla shell on a work surface. Add 1/4 of the filling to the center of the enchiladas, spreading the filling into a rectangular shape, leaving plenty of room around the edges. Fold the tortilla, first at the top, then the bottom. Then fold the tortilla the longer way, bringing the left, then the right edges over to close it up. Place the enchilada fold side down in a large baking dish. Repeat the process for the remaining 3 enchiladas.
- Add the sauce & cheese: Pour enough sauce over the enchiladas to completely cover them, and have the sauce about halfway up the sides of the enchiladas. You may have a bit of sauce left over. Sprinkle the cheese evenly over the enchiladas.
- Bake the enchiladas: Cover the baking dish, and bake for 20 minutes, covered. Remove the enchiladas from the oven. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Using a 28 oz can of diced tomatoes for the sauce– which calls for 3 cups — leaves you with about 1/2 cup of extra tomatoes. You can add that to the turkey if you like, but it isn’t an essential ingredient.
