These leftover turkey enchiladas with butternut squash combine the flavors of Thanksgiving and Mexico to give you an outstanding leftover dish!
Who would think of turning leftover turkey into a Mexican dish? Half Baked Harvest of course! I think she loves cheese almost as much as I do, so naturally when I saw this recipe a couple of years ago I had to make my version of it! And after having it, a part of me almost enjoyed these leftover turkey enchiladas more than the Thanksgiving dinner… almost! I mean enchiladas are one of those things to me that’s hard to screw up and these are no different.
It may seem a little strange to combine the flavors of Thanksgiving with Mexican cuisine but in this case, it’s the perfect combo! The sweet/nutty flavor from the butternut squash goes great with the spices and enchilada sauces, and of course the cheese! You can’t forget the cheese! As I mentioned before enchiladas are hard to screw up and for me it might be because most are loaded with cheese which obviously makes everything better!
I don’t know about you but one of my favorite parts about Thanksgiving is having leftovers for the next few days. Now you can be old-school and just heat up your turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, etc… or you can try something new and unique like these leftover turkey enchiladas. Like most dishes I like to make during the week, this doesn’t take much effort and uses minimal dishes. Oh and you don’t have to wait for leftover turkey to make this. You can always just use a rotisserie chicken and it will taste just as good. I might have done that once or twice already! Either way, you should give these turkey enchiladas with butternut squash a try.
What Ingredients are in this Turkey Enchilada Recipe?
- Olive oil
- Produce – butternut squash and sage
- Spices – chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne pepper
- Green chili enchilada sauce
- Red enchilada sauce
- Mild green chilis
- Milk
- Turkey
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Smoked gouda cheese
- Corn tortillas
How to Make Turkey Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Put a large skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil and butternut squash, cooking for about 10 minutes or until the butternut squash is fork tender.
- Add the chili powder, cumin and sage and cook for an additional minute. Toss in the green chili enchilada sauce, diced green chilis and milk. Cook for about 5 minutes until sauce is slightly thicker. Remove from heat and stir in the turkey and half of the cheese.
- Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the red enchilada sauce along the bottom and spread out. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook corn tortillas for about 20 seconds on each side so they are more pliable. You’ll have to do one at a time. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon about 1/3 cup of the mixture into the tortilla and roll up. Place each enchilada in the dish with the seam facing down. Once all enchiladas are rolled, top with remaining red enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes. While cooling heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Cook the sage for about 30 seconds until, darkened but not burnt. Place the fried sage on top of the enchiladas.
Do I Have to Use Butternut Squash?
No. Pumpkin is actually a great substitute or even sweet potatoes.
Leftover Thanksgiving Recipes:
Leftover Turkey and Butternut Squash Enchiladas
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 cups butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 (10 ounce can) green chili enchilada sauce
- 1 (4 ounce can) diced green chilis
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 cups shredded turkey
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 6 ounces smoked gouda, shredded
- 1 (10 ounce can) red enchilada sauce
- 10-12 corn tortillas
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 14-16 fresh sage leaves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Put a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and butternut squash and cook for about 10 minutes or until the butternut squash is fork tender. Add the chili powder, cumin and sage and cook for an additional minute. Add the green chili enchilada sauce, diced green chilis and milk. Cook for about 5 minutes until sauce is slightly thicker. Remove from heat and stir in the turkey and half of the cheese.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 inch baking dish. Pour 1/3 of the red enchilada sauce along the bottom and spread out. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and cook corn tortillas for about 20 seconds on each side so they are more pliable. You'll have to do one at a time. Working with one tortilla at a time, spoon about 1/3 cup of the mixture into the tortilla and roll up. Place each enchilada in the dish with the seam facing down. Once all enchiladas are rolled, top with remaining red enchilada sauce and cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas for about 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is melted and browned. Remove and let cool for about 5 minutes. While cooling heat a small skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil. Cook the sage for about 30 seconds until, darkened but not burnt. Place the fried sage on top of the enchiladas and serve immediately.
Looks delicious!