Usually when our family makes enchiladas we use corn tortillas. But there’s something about turkey that I think just lends itself to a flour tortilla enchilada. Maybe it’s just years of eating leftover turkey, reheated in its own gravy and served with bread. In any case, if you are looking for what to make with your turkey leftovers, consider these enchiladas.

You make your own chili sauce and dress it up a bit with cinnamon, cloves, and cumin for more depth than a standard enchilada sauce. The filling uses plenty of leftover turkey, along with onions, jalapeños, garlic, black beans, cheese, lime juice, and cilantro. Flour tortillas are dipped in the sauce, rolled up around the filling, aligned in a casserole pan, slathered with more sauce, sprinkled liberally with melty cheese, and baked until the cheese is melted.

Essential to properly enjoying enchiladas is of course the garnishes—avocado, onions, and cilantro for starters. I also highly recommend sour cream to counteract the heat of the chiles, and thinly sliced iceberg lettuce dressed only with salt and vinegar, to provide a cooling, tangy lift. Several turkey enchiladas recipes I found include sour cream in the sauce itself, which would make the sauce more creamy. This is certainly an option; I could go either way.

Do you have a favorite turkey enchiladas recipe using leftover turkey? If so, please let us know about it in the comments.

Turkey Black Bean Enchiladas Recipe

  • Prep time: 10 minutes
  • Cook time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients

Enchilada sauce:

  • 7 Tbsp chili powder (note that chili powders vary in strength, you may want to start with less and add more to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon crushed oregano
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 2 teaspoons salt (less if using salted stock)
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
  • 2 cups of turkey or chicken stock

Enchilada filling:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 to 2 jalapeño chili peppers (1 for mild, 2 or more for spicy), seeded, minced
  • 3 cups cooked turkey meat, chopped
  • 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, grated (makes 2 cups grated cheese)
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 Tbsp lime juice (can sub lemon juice)
  • 1 to 2 teaspoons salt or more to taste
  • 8-16 flour tortillas, depending on size and thickness

Garnishes:

  • Chopped red onion
  • Chopped avocado
  • Chopped fresh cilantro
  • Sour cream or crema fresca
  • Ice berg lettuce, sliced thin and sprinkled with salt and vinegar

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