These ground turkey enchiladas offer a swift and effortless twist on the traditional Mexican favorite and is ready in less than 40 minutes.
When it comes to comfort food for me, enchiladas are at the top of the list - from green chicken enchiladas to enchiladas con carne to chicken mole enchiladas.
And these ground turkey enchiladas are so tasty, you would think you've been preparing it for hours.
Why This Recipe Works
- Simple - With ground turkey, taco seasoning and enchilada sauce, most of the heavy lifting is taken away.
- Flavorful - While it is a lot a store-bought ingredients, make no mistake it is loaded with flavor.
- Make-Ahead - You can prepare the dish up to a day in advance and then bake when ready.
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Ingredient Notes
- Rotisserie chicken - don't have to waste time cooking the chicken.
- Taco seasoning - A quick and easy way to add some spice and flavor to the dish.
- Cheese - can't have enchiladas without some cheese on top which creates that gooey factor.
- Red enchilada sauce - Store-bought works great. Just buy your favorite version. I use Old El Paso.
- Corn tortillas - What encases the yummy filling and soaks up the sauce.
Ingredient Swaps
As with any recipe, you can mix and match your ingredients. Some variations include:
- Instead of ground turkey, you can use ground chicken or even ground beef or pork.
- While I use a combination of pepper jack and sharp cheddar cheese, you can use all of one or the other or try Monterey jack cheese too.
- If you don't want store-bought sauce, you can make your own homemade red enchilada sauce.
- I like the flavor of corn tortillas, but flour tortillas work just fine.
Step-by-Step Photos
Please note full ingredient list and instructions can be found in recipe card below.
Cook the turkey, onion and green chilis in a skillet for about 10 minutes before adding the taco seasoning.
Assemble the enchiladas by adding 2 tablespoon each of cheese and the ground turkey mixture.
Place the enchiladas seam side down in a baking dish. Add the enchilada sauce and remaining cheese. Bake at 425°F for 10-15 minutes or until golden brown.
FAQs
Corn tortillas are more traditional for enchiladas, but flour tortillas will work as well. Choose 7-8" flour tortillas or 6" corn tortillas as they fit best in most pans.
I highly recommend it as it makes them more pliable when adding the filling and rolling. There are a few different ways you can accomplish this:
• Heat individual tortillas in skillet for 20 to 30 seconds per side
• Wrap a stack of tortillas in foil and place in 325°F oven until warm
• Moisten a paper towel and wrap stack of tortillas and place in microwave for 30 seconds or until warm
Yes. You can prepare all of the way up to baking the enchiladas and place in the fridge for up to a day. Just bake for 30 minutes instead.
You can also place in the freezer for 3 months and place the frozen enchiladas in the oven. You'll need to bake for an hour to cook through.
To reheat leftover enchiladas, preheat the oven to 350°F, cover the dish with foil, and bake until heated through. Alternatively, you can reheat individual portions in the microwave.
These ground turkey enchiladas can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.
Serving Suggestions
These enchiladas are great on their own, but you can always add some delicious toppings or sides. Some options include:
Equipment
The equipment you use is important to how the recipe turns out. What is needed is the following:
- Skillet - You need something to cook the onions and garlic.
- Large bowl - Need a bowl to be able to mix together the ingredients.
- Baking dish - You want a 9x13 baking dish for the enchiladas.
Pro Tips/Recipe Notes
- Incorporate some vegetables like diced onions, bell peppers or other vegetables to add texture and freshness to the filling. Sautéing them before combining with the ground turkey can enhance their flavor.
- If you want spicier enchiladas, add diced jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the ground turkey mixture.
- Heat corn tortillas in small skillet for 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. If you skip this step, the tortillas will break apart is you roll them up.
- Make sure you don't overfill the tortillas or you won't be able to roll them up.
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has addition ingredients that you don’t need. Just buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself.
Similar Recipes
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Ground Turkey Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 cup sweet onion, chopped
- 1 (4 oz can) diced green chilis
- 1 ½ tablespoon taco seasoning
- 2 cups red enchilada sauce
- 12 (6 inch) corn tortillas
- 1 ½ cups pepper jack cheese, shredded
- 1 ½ cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- fresh cilantro, chopped onion and avocado for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, onion and diced green chilis and cook for 7-10 minutes, browning the turkey and breaking up with a spoon. Add the taco seasoning and cook for another minute before removing from heat.
- Heat small skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tortilla and cook until just pliable, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining tortillas.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Pour ½ cup of the enchiladas sauce into a 13x9 pan to completely coat it. To assemble the enchiladas, add 2 tablespoon of the cheese and ground turkey mixture. Place seam side down in pan and repeat with remaining tortillas. Add the rest of the enchiladas sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until it is bubbling and cheese is golden brown. Top with some garnishes if desired.
Notes
- Incorporate some vegetables like diced onions, bell peppers or other vegetables to add texture and freshness to the filling. Sautéing them before combining with the ground turkey can enhance their flavor.
- If you want spicier enchiladas, add diced jalapeños or a pinch of cayenne pepper to the ground turkey mixture.
- Heat corn tortillas in small skillet for 20 seconds per side so they are pliable. If you skip this step, the tortillas will break apart is you roll them up.
- Make sure you don't overfill the tortillas or you won't be able to roll them up.
- Don’t use pre-shredded cheese. It doesn’t taste as good and also has addition ingredients that you don’t need. Just buy blocks of cheese and grate yourself.
Tina says
So good!
Ryan says
Glad you enjoyed!