Amazing recipe for Turkey Enchiladas using leftover turkey meat or specially cooked turkey. These enchiladas have the best flavor with just a few simple ingredients. It is packed with sauteed onions, spinach, cheese, and turkey all rolled into a soft flour tortilla. It’s baked in a simple cream sauce with more cheese on top. Altogether a great way to use up leftover turkey.
TURKEY ENCHILADAS
I finally did it, I found our family’s favorite way to use up leftover turkey. These enchiladas are very simple and taste amazing. Turkey and spinach work very well together with cream sauce and cheese. It’s an altogether comforting dish that the whole family will love. Even the spinach will be well received when combined with cheese and cream sauce.
Filling of these enchiladas is very simple, made with leftover turkey and sauteed spinach and onions. Sometimes the simplest flavor combinations are the best and it is so true for this recipe.
I highly recommend using flour tortillas instead of corn tortillas. Flour tortillas are a lot more durable when rolled with stuffing and sauce. Corn tortillas always crack and break either when I roll them or take out the enchiladas. Personally, I find that flour tortillas taste better too. They have a milder, smoother flavor that doesn’t overpower other ingredients stuffed inside or the sauce it’s cooked in.
When it comes to cheese, choose one that melts well and has good flavor. I like to use Monterrey Jack cheese but if it’s not available, Italian cheese mix is a good way to go as well.
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY ENCHILADAS
First step is to cook the enchilada filling. Saute onions until it’s softened and add garlic. Cook for just a few seconds, until garlic becomes fragrant, and add spinach. Carefully mix everything, cover with a lid, and let spinach cook down until wilted. You will need to stir every so often so spinach cooks evenly. Once spinach is wilted, mix in turkey meat.
Preheat oven to 375° and lightly grease a 9×9 baking dish.
Spread about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese across the middle of each tortilla. Divide the turkey and spinach filling along the middle of each tortilla as well and roll them up. Place each rolled tortilla in the prepared baking dish, seam down.
In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients for the sauce and pour in evenly and slowly over the enchiladas, letting the sauce seem through inside and in the middle. Spread more cheese over the top and bake for about 20 minutes.
CAN I USE CHICKEN INSTEAD OF TURKEY?
Absolutely! This recipe is great to use with chicken meat as well. You can easily use leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or cook a couple of chicken breasts for these enchiladas. Substituting chicken instead of turkey is the only change you would have to make to get delicious creamy chicken enchiladas.
HOW TO REHEAT ENCHILADAS
You can store leftover enchiladas in the same dish it was baked in, in the refrigerator. Cover the pan air-tight with plastic wrap of a lid and store in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
To reheat enchiladas, you can either reheat it individually in a microwave or you can reheat it all together in the same casserole dish in the oven. When reheating, take plastic wrap off and cover the top of the casserole dish with foil. Place a cold casserole dish with enchiladas into the oven so that the cold dish gradually heat up as the oven heats up.
Reheat enchiladas at 350° just until hot in the middle, for about 20-25 minutes.
MORE RECIPES TO TRY
Spicy Creamy Shrimp Enchiladas
Creamy Steak Enchiladas with Jalapeno Cilantro Sauce
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Creamy Turkey Enchiladas
Ingredients
Enchiladas:
- 2 tbsp canola oil
- 1 yellow onion sliced thin
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 2 cups turkey meat cooked
- 1 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese on top
- 4 soft taco flour tortillas
Cream Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- salt
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat up a cooking pan over medium heat and add oil. Saute onions until it’s softened and add garlic.
- Cook for just a few seconds, until garlic becomes fragrant, and add spinach.
- Carefully mix everything, cover with a lid, and let spinach cook down until wilted. You will need to stir every so often so spinach cooks evenly.
- Once spinach is wilted, mix in turkey meat and take off heat.
- Preheat oven to 375° and lightly grease a 9×9 baking dish.
- Spread about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese across the middle of each tortilla. Divide the turkey and spinach filling along the middle of each tortilla as well and roll them up.
- Place each rolled tortilla in the prepared baking dish, seam down.
- In a small bowl, whisk all ingredients for the sauce and pour in evenly and slowly over the enchiladas, letting the sauce seem through inside and in the middle.
- Spread more cheese over the top and bake for about 20 minutes.
Notes
Nutrition
Barbara says
This dish turned out perfect and was absolutely wonderful! Everyone loved it and wanted the recipe. I made a double batch and had very little leftover. I will certainly use this recipe again. Thank you so much for sharing.
Barbara says
I plan to make this dish for my company; what side would you recommend?
LyubaB says
Hi Barbara,
I like to make this with a vegetable and a starch like potatoes, rice, or risotto and/or a salad would also be good. Here are some links to my recipes that I think would work well with it and you can also go through the sidedish tab on the site.
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/parmesan-risotto/
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/scalloped-potatoes/
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/roasted-fingerling-potatoes/
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/rice-pilaf/
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/sauteed-brussel-sprouts-with-bacon/
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/honey-butter-glazed-carrots/
https://www.willcookforsmiles.com/caesar-salad/
Barbara says
Thank you so much! I can’t wait to rate your recipes. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving;
LyubaB says
I hope you love it!
Captain says
Easy to make and modify and very good. I had extra filling and used Mexican sour cream. Topped with pizza blend cheese. Damn good!!!
LyubaB says
Yum! So glad you liked it!
Deb says
My family of five loved your creamy turkey enchiladas, from the 2 y/o, 5 y/o, and 10 y/o children to the adults. Very pleasing flavor and easy to make! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it’ll be a family favorite.
PSquire says
Wow! My family has always rated new dishes on a scale of 1-5. My son went back for seconds and rated this a 5+++.
Thank you for sharing this recipe! It is definitely a keeper!
I thought the cream sauce was particularly thin, but it was delicious! It all worked splendidly.
Niki says
Would evaporated milk work okay if I don’t have heavy whipping cream?
LyubaB says
Consistency wise yes it would work but it does have a different flavor so if possible use whole milk and add a little more flour but if that is your only option it would work but the flavor will be different. Let me know how it goes!
Mj says
I usually don’t comment, but these were amazing. Added hot pepper flakes to the turkey mixture.
CM says
These creamy enchiladas should be called DREAMY enchiladas! What a delicious and easy recipe. We made six generous enchiladas out of the mix and actually needed a larger dish than the recipe said. No other changes were made. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Johnnyb says
Cooking now with left over turkey I had cooked a20 lb turkey the other day stuck at home with family trying your enchiladas looks amazing just put them in oven ! And with a tray of corn tortillas for a gluten free version for my daughter!
Thanks
LyubaB says
Hi Johnny!
I hope they turned out well and you enjoyed them!
LyubaB says
Thanks, Cindy! Glad you liked it!
Cindy says
I made this the orher night with chicken instead of Turkey. It turned out beautiful and was delicious.