10.03.2013

Easy Weeknight Turkey Enchiladas

Turkey enchiladas

I had to taste some chicken enchiladas at work a couple of weeks ago (yes, had to -- such a tough job), and ever since then I'd been craving more enchiladas. A comforting dish of corn tortillas stuffed with a meaty filling, smothered in sauce, and covered with gooey cheese -- what's not to crave? When a package full of Tortilla Land's corn and flour tortillas showed up at my door, it was like enchiladas were destined to happen.


Tortilla Land corn tortillas

There are so many ways to make enchiladas. They can be filled with chicken, beef, vegetables, anything really, and the sauce is typically red or green. I tend to eat flour-tortilla-based dishes more than corn-tortilla-based ones, but for enchiladas corn tortillas are a must. I was excited to try making the dish with Tortilla Land's corn tortillas. Because they're fresh (meaning they need to be cooked before eating), I knew I'd have a bit of flexibility with the texture. One of the tough things about making enchiladas is getting the tortillas pliable enough to roll them up. This is a cinch with Tortilla Land's tortillas. Once you warm them through in a skillet, they become very workable and are easy to roll up around the filling.

Tortilla Land corn tortillas

Speaking of the filling, I decided to come up with a really easy enchilada recipe so I could make them for a weeknight meal. I knew ground turkey would cook up quickly, so I started with that and crafted a simple sauce from a can of plain tomato sauce and some taco seasoning. My original intention was to make my own taco seasoning... until I realized I was all out of chili powder. I went with a packet instead and it simplified the dish even more. (Feel free to use homemade if you have it on hand though.)

I cooked the ground turkey and mixed a little of my enchilada sauce and some shredded cheese into it. Then I cooked the tortillas one at a time, filled them with the turkey mixture, rolled them up, and arranged them in a baking dish. I brushed the tops of the tortillas with a little corn oil, thinking it would help them crisp up, and then I baked them for about 10 minutes. Only after they had crisped a bit did I spread the sauce over them and sprinkle on the cheese (I was trying to avoid a soggy mess). I popped them back in the oven just to melt the cheese and served them piping hot. The corn tortillas weren't crunchy, but they weren't soggy either. They held up nicely, making them just the right match for the turkey filling, tomato-based sauce, and gooey cheese.

Easy Weeknight Turkey Enchiladas

Turkey enchiladas

These easy weeknight enchiladas pair ground turkey, cheese, and 
a savory sauce with fresh corn tortillas.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 6 enchiladas

Ingredients

Corn oil
1 tablespoon taco seasoning
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
10 ounces ground turkey
1 cup shredded Mexican cheese blend
6 Tortilla Land corn tortillas

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease square baking dish with corn oil.

Toast taco seasoning in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and cook until hot, about 2 minutes. Set aside.

Enchilada sauce

In medium skillet, cook turkey over medium heat, breaking up with spoon, until no longer pink. Drain and transfer to bowl. Dry out skillet with paper towels.

Ground turkey

Stir ¼ cup sauce and ½ cup cheese into turkey.

Ground turkey with enchilada sauceEnchilada filling

Cook 1 tortilla in dry skillet over medium-high heat, flipping once or twice, until golden and spotty brown, about 1 minute (if it starts to puff up, just pat it down with tongs or a spoon). Place tortilla on plate and spread a generous spoonful of turkey mixture down center.

Corn tortillaTurkey enchilada

Roll up and place in prepared dish, seam side down. Repeat with remaining tortillas and turkey mixture. Brush tops of tortillas lightly with corn oil. Bake until starting to crisp, about 10 minutes.

Turkey enchiladaTurkey enchiladas

Remove dish from oven, spread sauce over tortillas, top with remaining ½ cup cheese, and return to oven. Bake until cheese is melted, about 5 minutes.

Turkey enchiladasTurkey enchiladas

Serve.

Turkey enchiladas

More recipes to try with Tortilla Land tortillas:

Fish Tacos
Grilled Mexican Tortilla Pizzas
Steak Tacos

What are your favorite dishes with corn tortillas?

Tortilla Land sent me corn and flour tortillas to sample. All opinions are my own.