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    You are here: Home / Dinner / Ground Turkey Enchiladas

    Ground Turkey Enchiladas

    Last Updated November 14, 2022. Published December 12, 2020 By Lorie 2 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Enchilada ingredients in bowl and cooked turkey enchilada on plate.

    These delicious Ground Turkey Enchiladas are loaded with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans and a simple sauce with the right amount of spice. And covered with all the cheese of course! A perfect make ahead dinner the family will love!

    Ground turkey enchiladas on white plate with fork and cilantro.

    Nothing says comfort food like a cheesy pan of enchiladas. These Ground Turkey Enchiladas are a fun twist on a family favorite--black beans and roasted sweet potatoes packed into tortillas with ground turkey and all the spices.

    My favorite part about this recipe? It is so easy to make ahead of time.

    Why You Will Love These Ground Turkey Enchiladas:

    • A whole meal in one dish. I love enchiladas in general because they are so filling. These ground turkey enchiladas have it all: meat, beans, sweet potatoes, cheese--filling for sure. A meal in one! You can even add in some veggies for more goodnss!
    • Freezer friendly. You can make these enchiladas and then freeze for later. I like to freeze single servings and then grab one for on the go meals or when I want a quick meal but also want something warm.
    • Great to prep in advance. The best part is that you can put these all together and then bake them just before dinner. That allows you to get things ready when you have time and then can get what you need done or have family time while they bake!
    • Very easily adapted to meet your family's needs. Use gluten free tortillas to keep this recipe gluten free. For dairy free, use your favorite vegan shredded cheese. You could even opt for meat free crumbles even!

    These Green Chicken Enchiladas are another great dinner if you love enchiladas! And if you are short on time, this one pot Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet Dinner.

    Recipe Ingredients:

    • tortillas: Many enchiladas are made with corn tortillas. We prefer flour tortillas. That is what I grew up on. If you prefer the corn, that is fine. You can use 6-8 inch tortillas, and honestly, even something a bit bigger may work ok if it's what you have. The size of tortilla will obviously be related to how many you need to use.
    • ground turkey: for the best ground turkey enchiladas, don't use a super lean ground turkey. The flavor and texture is just not the same. I like to use 85% lean ground turkey.
    • sweet potato: to peel or not to peel? Totally up to you! Depends on my mood to be honest.
    • onion: red onion is typically my preference. A yellow onion will work well too.
    • black beans: canned, drained and rinsed. I prefer low or no sodium.
    • jalapeño: you can use a milder green chile or even a small can of diced green chiles.
    • spices: a combination of chili powder, cumin, red pepper and oregano. You can add in some smoked paprika as well
    • garlic: freshly minced if possible. If you don't have any, garlic powder will work, ½ to 1 teaspoon.
    • tomato sauce: not marinara, the sauce that comes in the jar. You could also opt for enchilada sauce but I like using tomato sauce and adding seasoning to it.
    • cheese: freshly shredded cheese will melt much better than pre-shredded cheese package. Either will work though. I like to use colby jack or cheddar but sometimes we use some pepper jack as well.
    Turkey, beans, cheese, spices and other ingredients on counter.

    Step by Step Instructions:

    The reason I love these ground turkey enchiladas is because I when I make roasted sweet potatoes during the week for dinner, I always make a lot extra. That is when I often will whip these up. Save yourself time and prep some earlier in the week.

    If not, that is ok as well!

    • Chop all the veggies to prep. Combine the tomato sauce, spices and 2 garlic cloves and stir well to combine.
    • Dice the peeled sweet potato into ½ inch pieces. If you make them too much bigger, they won't cook quite as fast, so the smaller the better really. Roast them for about 15-20 minutes until they start to become soft and golden edged. (step 1)
    • While the sweet potatoes are roasting, heat olive oil in a skillet and add the jalapeño, onion and 1 garlic clove and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until the onions start to become translucent. Add the ground turkey into the pan and heat until there is no pink. Set aside. (step 2)
    • In a medium bowl, combine the sweet potatoes, rinsed black beans, turkey mixture and ½ cup of the enchilada sauce. Stir to combine. (steps 3-4)
    Sweet potatoes on pan, ground turkey in skillet and ingredients to be mixed in mixing bowl.
    • Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan or large casserole dish and cover the bottom of it with ½ cup of the enchilada sauce. Take each tortilla and scoop ⅛ - 1/10 of the turkey mixture on top, depending on how big your tortillas are (this doesn't have to be exactly measured as I just spoon any extra right on top. So don't worry!) Add a sprinkle of cheese on top of the turkey mixture and roll to enclose. (step 5)
    • Lay the rolled tortilla in the baking pan and repeat with all of the other tortillas. (steps 6 - 7)
    Enchilada filling in bowl, on tortilla and in pan.
    • Spoon over remaining filling on top of the tortillas in pan. ( I like to do about 8 tortillas and then scoop the rest on top--we don't like too much tortillas with our filling!) Then cover the filling and tortillas with the remaining sauce. (steps 8-9)
    Tortillas in pan with filling on top.

    Cover the pan with foil and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and cover with the remaining cheese, more if desired! Bake for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.

    Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top with lots of cilantro and sour cream!

    Ground turkey enchiladas in white baking pan with plates and spatula.

    Recipe Notes and Pro-Tips:

    • You can make these ground turkey enchiladas ahead of time, which is what I typically do. I like to get them all ready in the pan in the morning and then bake in the evening before dinner. You can even prep one day in advance.
    • To reheat: you can microwave for about 1 ½ minutes for one enchilada and 2-3 minutes for 2 or more. In an air fryer, heat at 375°F for about 4-5 minutes. In the oven, bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
    • For gluten free or dairy free:
      • gluten free: use corn tortillas or your favorite gluten free tortillas.
      • dairy free: use a vegan or dairy free cheese. I think Daiya is a fan favorite last I heard!

    Storage Instructions:

    You can refrigerate leftover ground turkey enchiladas for 3-4 days in an air tight container.

    To freeze, add to a freezer safe, air tight container. These can be frozen for up to 3 months. To reheat from frozen, bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes to an hour.

    Ground turkey sweet potato enchiladas with sour cream on top.

    What to Serve With These Turkey Enchiladas:

    While this recipe is essentially a meal in itself, there are several dishes that we enjoy along with these turkey enchiladas. We love to make this Cauliflower Rice Salad for more veggies.

    Feeling chips and dip? This Roasted Tomato Salsa or Mango Guacamole. Corn Bread Casserole is one other dish that is great along with this dish!

    Other Ground Turkey Recipes:

    • Simple Ground Turkey Skillet
    • Simple Turkey Chili
    • Ground Turkey Spaghetti Sauce
    • Ground Turkey Teriyaki Stir Fry
    • Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs
    • Spinach Feta Turkey Burgers

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    Ground turkey enchilada on white plate with sour cream and cilantro.

    Ground Turkey Enchiladas

    These delicious Ground Turkey Enchiladas are loaded with roasted sweet potatoes, black beans and a simple sauce with the right amount of spice. And covered with all the cheese of course! A perfect make ahead dinner the family will love!
    5 from 8 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: American, Mexican
    Prep Time: 30 minutes
    Cook Time: 30 minutes
    Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 499kcal
    Author: Lorie Yarro

    Ingredients 

    • 1 lb ground turkey
    • 1 medium red onion diced
    • 1 jalapeño (or green chile) diced small
    • 3 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces
    • 1 can black beans (14.5 oz. approx.) rinsed
    • 2 - 2½ c tomato sauce
    • 2 teaspoon cumin
    • 2 teaspoon chili powder
    • ¼ - ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
    • ¾ teaspoon oregano
    • ½ teaspoon pepper
    • ½ teaspoon Sea salt
    • 2 c shredded colby jack cheese (or your favorite shredded cheese!)
    • 8-10 tortillas (6-8 inch)
    • olive oil
    • chopped cilantro (optional)
    • sour cream (optional)

    Instructions

    • Preheat oven to 425°F. Peel and chop the sweet potatoes. Toss them in about 2 teaspoons of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake four about 15-20 minutes or until softened and starting to brown. After removing change the heat to 375°F.
    • While sweet potatoes bake, heat 1 T olive oil in a skillet. Add the onion, jalapeño and 1 garlic clove, and cook for about 3-4 minutes until onions start to become translucent.
    • Add in ground turkey and cook until there is no more pink and meat is done.
    • Remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes.
    • In a medium bowl, stir together tomato sauce, 2 garlic cloves, chili powder, cumin, red pepper and sea salt and black pepper to taste. Add about ½ cup of the sauce to the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch pan or large casserole dish.
    • In a separate bowl, combine the cooked ground turkey mixture, sweet potatoes, black beans, and ½ cup of the sauce and stir well to combine.
    • Spoon about ⅛ of the sweet potato and meat mixture into tortillas and cover with a sprinkle of cheese, roll up and line in pan.
    • Spread any extra meat mixture over top of the enchiladas lined in the pan. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce over top and spread along to cover all of the tortillas.
    • Bake covered (at 375°F) for 20 minutes. Add remaining cheese on top of the enchiladas and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until cheese is melted.
    • Garnish with cilantro and sour cream if desired and enjoy! Store leftovers in an airtight container for about 3-4 days.

    Notes

    • To reheat: you can microwave for about 1 ½ minutes for one enchilada and 2-3 minutes for 2 or more. In an air fryer, heat at 375°F for about 4-5 minutes. In the oven, bake at 350°F for about 20 minutes.
    • For gluten free or dairy free:
      • gluten free: use corn tortillas or your favorite gluten free tortillas.
      • dairy free: use a vegan or dairy free cheese. I think Daiya is a fan favorite last I heard!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 499kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 37g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 877mg | Potassium: 976mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 6454IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 406mg | Iron: 5mg
    Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!

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    Comments

    1. stefanie says

      October 16, 2021 at 9:40 am

      5 stars
      These are amazing!!! My husband can't eat cheese so I left it out and only sprinkled some on my servings. The flavor of the homemade sauce is great - and it was simple to make. I loved having it prepped ahead too.

      Reply
      • Lorie says

        October 18, 2021 at 10:14 am

        So happy to hear this! We love it too!

        Reply

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