These leftover turkey enchiladas are a unique way to repurpose leftover roasted turkey into something completely new (and incredibly delicious)! With fresh veggies, warm spices, red enchilada sauce, and plenty of cheese, they’re savory, flavorful, and easy to make for a family-friendly dinner or meal prep option that’s ready in under an hour!
Five-Star Reader Review
“These were great! Really easy way to use up the turkey, very flavorful and easy to put together.”
— margie
Say Goodbye to Boring Leftovers Thanks to These Enchiladas with Leftover Turkey!
I make a roasted spatchcock turkey every Thanksgiving and inevitably end up with more leftover meat than I know what to do with. Of course, it’s great sliced and served in sandwiches, turkey noodle soup, and turkey salad. But after eating the classic Thanksgiving leftover dishes for a few days I want something a little different. That’s where these leftover turkey enchiladas come in!
Saucy, cheesy, and full of flavor, they’re one of my favorite leftover turkey recipes because they completely transform leftover roasted turkey into something new. Plus, they come together with really simple ingredients and are ready to eat in under an hour. Exactly the kind of weeknight meal you need after a busy holiday season!
The Ingredients You Need for This Leftover Turkey Enchilada Recipe
- Leftover Shredded Turkey: This recipe works well with leftover turkey breast, dark meat, or a combination of both! Just make sure the turkey is fully cooked! You can shred or diced the turkey into smaller pieces so it’s easy to incorporate into the filling.
- Greek Yogurt: I love to include this to add extra creaminess to the filling, along with extra protein. Full-fat Greek yogurt provides the best taste and texture (to me!), but any percentage will work. Sour cream tastes great, too but I love the extra protein that Greek yogurt helps to add.
- Cilantro: Don’t forget to use both the stems and leaves of cilantro for the best flavor.
- Enchilada Sauce: I’m most often using red enchilada sauce for this recipe but green will also work really well. My biggest tip is just to use your favorite.
- Veggies: I include bell pepper, onion, and baby spinach in the filling to add in some extra veggies and flavor. I’ve also added diced zucchini and it works so well. Feel free to mix and match whatever you have on hand. This recipe is a great way to use up that produce that’s about to go bad in the fridge.
- Lime Juice: this adds a pop of brightness that balances everything nicely. I always recommend fresh lime juice for the best taste. Save extra wedges for serving!
- Tortillas: I prefer to use flour tortillas for this recipe. Feel free to substitute corn tortillas or your favorite grain-free tortillas to keep the recipe gluten-free.
- Cheese: I love the creamy meltiness of Monterey Jack cheese. Sharp cheddar is another great option!
💕Ashlea’s Tip: Make sure that you are shredding your own cheese instead of buying a pre-shredded bag of cheese for ultimate cheesy goodness. Pre-shredded cheese contains stabilizers, which cause it to melt differently. If you want to save time, you can use a food processor to shred the cheese if you prefer.
How to Make Leftover Turkey Enchiladas
Step One: Sauté the veggies. Cook the onion, bell pepper, and garlic in a large skillet until tender. Add the spinach, and continue to cook just until wilted.
Step Two: Make the filling. Combine the shredded turkey, sautéed veggies, Greek yogurt, cheese, cilantro, enchilada sauce, spices, and lime juice in a large mixing bowl. Stir until well combined.
Step Three: Assemble the enchiladas. Spread a little enchilada sauce in the bottom of a greased baking dish. Warm the tortillas in the microwave until pliable, then dip each tortilla in enchilada sauce to coat both sides. Add roughly ⅓ cup of filling to each tortilla, roll tightly, and place seam side down in the baking dish.
✨Pro-Tip: Be careful not to overfill the tortillas, or they’ll be difficult to roll and more likely to tear!
Step Four: Bake. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the tortillas, and sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Let the enchiladas rest for 5 minutes before serving. This helps the sauce thicken and set. Then, add your favorite toppings and enjoy!
📝Pro-Tip: For an extra golden-brown topping, I like to place my enchiladas under the broiler for a minute or so before removing them from the oven. Just keep a close eye on them to prevent burning!
Serving Suggestions
These leftover turkey enchiladas are delicious on their own and even better with toppings! Some of my favorites include sliced avocado, avocado salsa, pico de gallo, avocado corn salsa, chopped cilantro, diced tomatoes, diced red onion or pickled onions, lime wedges, or sliced jalapeño peppers.
Then, to make my meal even more filling, I like to pair my enchiladas with cilantro lime rice or fried plantains with cinnamon and sea salt!
I hope you give this Leftover Turkey Enchiladas recipe a try! If you do make this recipe, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews and ratings help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you trust and love.
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Easy Leftover Turkey Enchiladas
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Mexican-inspired
Description
These leftover turkey enchiladas are a unique way to repurpose leftover roasted turkey into something completely new (and incredibly delicious)! With fresh veggies, warm spices, red enchilada sauce, and plenty of cheese, they’re savory, flavorful, and easy to make for a family-friendly dinner or meal prep option that’s ready in under an hour!
Ingredients
- For the Filling:
- 2 cups shredded leftover turkey
- 1 cup diced white onion
- 1 small orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 cup fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
- 1/3 cup red enchilada sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- juice of 1 lime
- salt and pepper, to taste
- For the Enchiladas
- 8 flour tortillas
- 2 1/3 cups red enchilada sauce, divided
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease 9×13 baking dish with avocado spray.
- Make the Sautéed Veggie Mixture: Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the avocado oil, diced onion, diced bell pepper, and minced garlic. Sauté the garlic, onion, and bell pepper in avocado oil until tender. Next, add the baby spinach and sauté for 1-2 minutes until it is just wilted. Set aside.
- Make the Filling: Add the shredded turkey, sautéed veggie mixture, Greek yogurt, cheese, cilantro, enchilada sauce, cumin, oregano, lime juice, salt, and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Stir until everything is well combined.
- Assemble the Enchiladas: Pour 1/3 a cup of enchilada sauce in the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Next,microwave the flour tortillas for 30 seconds to 1 minute, flipping halfway through, until warm and pliable. Next, pour 1/2 cup of enchilada sauce on a large plate. One at a time, gently dip a tortilla in the enchilada sauce until lightly coated on both sides. Scoop around 1/3 a cup of the filling into the tortilla and then gently roll up and place in the baking dish, seam side down. Repeat the process until all 8 enchiladas have been made.
- Pour the remaining enchilada sauce over the enchiladas and then top with the remaining shredded Monterey Jack cheese.
- Bake the enchiladas at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until the top becomes golden brown and bubbly. Garnish with cilantro, diced red onion, and lime wedges before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Make Ahead: Assemble the enchiladas in a baking dish, then cover them tightly with foil, and store them in the fridge for up to 1 day. When you are ready to bake the casserole, remove the dish from the fridge and place it on the counter for 20 minutes and allow it to come to room temperature before baking.
Store: Store any leftover enchiladas, tightly covered, in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Freeze: Let the enchiladas cool completely. Then, transfer them to a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months.
Reheat: Thaw frozen enchiladas in the fridge overnight. Then, warm them in the microwave or in the oven at 350°F just until warmed through. Tip: If the top is browning before the enchiladas heat through, cover the dish with foil, and continue to bake until warm.
Photography: Sasha Hooper
Made these using leftover turkey that I had froze in portions to be used in future meals. We all loved them! They were easy to prepare and I loved the addition of the veggies.
These were great! Really easy way to use up the turkey, very flavorful and easy to put together.