Thanksgiving Leftovers & Turkey Enchilada Stack: A Family Favorite

I’m writing this post while on a family Thanksgiving vacation in Mammoth Lakes, CA. I don’t like to think a lot about meals while on vacation, so this Turkey Enchilada Stack fits the bill perfectly. For the most part, I am using leftover turkey and ingredients you would likely already have in your pantry or refrigerator. Now, if you didn’t cook a turkey or if you don’t have any leftovers, you can easily use meat from a rotisserie turkey or chicken.

I had two places of inspiration for this recipe – The Pioneer Woman and Cook’s Illustrated. When I came across Ree Drummond’s recipe for Simple, Perfect Enchiladas, I knew I had to make it. And what a treat it was; I loved how she incorporated fresh green onions and cilantro! But I wanted to find a way to simplify it and make it a tad healthier. To simplify, I stacked the tortillas instead of rolling them. To make it healthier, I used shredded turkey breast, eliminated most oil and used light cheese. Ree’s recipe also uses canned enchilada sauce. I searched high and low for a canned sauce I liked and came up empty. So I decided to make an easy one from scratch. Cook’s Illustrated is my favorite how-to site, so that was my first stop. I found a recipe that met my expectations, but I did modify it a bit to my liking.

So, here is my version of turkey enchiladas…

Ingredients needed:

• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 medium onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 1/2 to 3 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons MAGGI Instant Chicken Flavor Bouillon
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 2/3 cup (5 fluid-ounce can) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
• 1 cup water
• 6 king size (7 1/2-inch) corn tortillas
• 3 cups shredded white meat turkey or meat from 2 lb. rotisserie chicken
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded light cheddar or Mexican-blend cheese, divided
• 1 cup sliced green onions, divided
• 1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced black olives, drained, divided (optional)
• 4 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, divided
• Light sour cream (optional)

For the sauce, heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, for 4 minutes or until tender. Stir in chili powder, cumin, sugar and bouillon. Cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.

Stir in tomato paste, evaporated milk and water; cook for a few minutes to heat through.

Pour through fine-mesh strainer (see photo above); discard onion/garlic pieces. Like it spicy? Stir 1 can (4 ounces) diced green chiles into the sauce.

Heat tortillas in microwave on HIGH (100%) power for 40 seconds or until very warm (this is how a lot of the fat is cut out of the recipe – no need to fry the tortillas in oil.)

Spoon 2 tablespoons sauce over bottom of 9-inch-round deep-dish pie plate, shown above.

Place 2 tortillas over sauce, covering entire bottom of pie plate, shown above.

Top with 1 1/2 cups turkey, ¾ cup cheese, 1/2 cup green onions, half of the olives and 1 tablespoon cilantro. Since my family doesn’t like olives, I left the olives out this time!

Top with about ½ cup sauce. Place 2 more tortillas over top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/2 cups turkey, ¾ cup cheese, remaining 1/2 cup green onions, remaining olives and 1 tablespoon cilantro, shown above.

Top with about ½ cup sauce. Top with remaining 2 tortillas, shown above.

Pour remaining sauce over tortillas. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup cheese (see photo above); cover loosely with foil.

Bake for 25 minutes or heated through. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbly. Sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro before serving. Serve with sour cream.

Ahh, another meal triplet approved. Enjoy this special time with your family! We’re off to the slopes for now…

Links:

• Turkey Enchilada Stack
• Get Carnation & baking coupons

Other ideas for your turkey leftovers:

 

Turkey & White Bean Stew

Take Two Turkey Tetrazzini