Turkey Enchilada Casserole is an easy, hearty, and delicious casserole filed with enchilada flavors!This easy weeknight dinner is the answer to your dinner woes. Simply layer up all of the ingredients and bake until cheesy. It is a family favorite and will be a regular on your meal rotation!
I love a good casserole recipe, especially during the fall and winter months. There’s nothing more comforting than a dish full of carbs and cheese, in my opinion! Our family loves a good tater tot hot dish or a pasta casserole, but this turkey enchilada casserole is one of our favorites! I’ve been making this casserole for years, and I’m so excited to finally be sharing the recipe.
The thing I love about this turkey enchilada casserole is that there’s no rolling of the tortillas. That’s right! You get all of the flavor of enchiladas, but instead everything is layered instead of rolled. That makes preparation so much easier and faster!
Ingredients in Turkey Enchilada Casserole Recipe
Ground Turkey – you could use ground chicken or beef, if you’d prefer. I love using 93/7 ground turkey as it adds some flavor and is still a delicious lean protein.
Enchilada Sauce – we use mild red enchilada sauce to keep it kid-friendly. You could make your own too, if you prefer.
Spices – This recipe uses chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder to give it some great flavor.
Frozen Corn – frozen corn and black beans are used in the turkey mixture.
Corn Tortillas – corn tortillas are very traditional in enchiladas, and they work perfectly in this enchilada casserole. I would not substitute flour tortillas in this recipe.
Shredded Cheese – I either use a Mexican shredded cheese or cheddar shredded cheese when I make this dish. You could definitely use Colby Jack or pepper jack for some spice!
How to Make Turkey Enchilada Casserole
This recipe is simple to make, and I love doubling it so I can have a pan to put in the freezer for later!
Brown the turkey. In a large skillet brown the turkey over medium heat. Break up the turkey as it cooks.
Add the spices and remaining filling ingredients. Once it is cooked through, add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, red enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn, and stir well. Season with salt and black pepper, as desired.
Assemble. On the bottom of a 9×13″ casserole dish, spread 10 ounces of red enchilada sauce. Top with 6-8 tortillas. I like to cut some of the tortillas in half so they line up with the edge of the pan perfectly, but this isn’t necessary.
Top the tortillas with half of the enchilada filling and sprinkle with half of the cheese. This casserole has two layers, so repeat the corn tortillas, turkey mixture, and cheese one more time. Now bake in a 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
Serve. Serve topped with your favorite toppings! We love green onions, avocado, cilantro, and sour cream.
Freezer Friendly Enchilada Casserole
You can definitely freeze this Mexican casserole. To do so, wrap the baking dish (I usually use aluminum baking dishes when I’m making freezer meals) in plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil. Be sure to label it! Then, thaw the casserole overnight and then bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes. The cooking time will be longer, as the center of the casserole will be much colder than if baking it right away.
Enchilada Casserole Tips
You can certainly adapt the ingredients in this recipe according to your preferences. You can use ground beef or chicken instead of ground turkey, if you prefer. You could also add a diced onion or diced bell peppers in the filling, if you like!
Store leftovers in an airtight Tupperware in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Top with diced green onions, avocado, cilantro, sliced jalapeño, black olives, or sour cream.
You could add a teaspoon of dried oregano or paprika to the enchilada filling.
Make your own gluten free enchilada sauce with this recipe.
This dish can be made in one 9×13″ casserole dish for a larger crowd, or two 8×8″ pans, for a smaller family. You can bake one immediately and then freeze the other for later, which is what I like to to do!
20ouncesred enchilada sauce(I buy two 10 ounce cans)
12ouncesfrozen corn
14ouncesblack beansdrained and rinsed
10ouncesdiced tomatoes with green chiles
12corn tortillas
3cupsshredded cheddar cheeseor Mexican cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread about half of the 10 ounce can of enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 9×13" baking dish. Note: you can also make this in two 8×8" baking dishes, if you want a smaller portion, and one to freeze later.
In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil and turkey, and brown the ground turkey, breaking it into small chunks as it cooks.
Add chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, the remaining enchilada sauce, corn, black beans, and diced tomatoes and stir well to combine.
Layer half of the corn tortillas on top of the enchilada sauce.
Top with half of the turkey enchilada filling, followed by half of the cheese.
Repeat the tortilla layer, enchilada filling layer, and then top with the remaining cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes. If you make it in an 8×8" dish, you can decrease the baking time to 25 minutes.
Freezing Instructions
Wrap the baking dish with plastic wrap, followed by aluminum foil.
Be sure to label the casserole and add the baking instructions.
Once ready to make, thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-50 minutes, or until the middle is hot and bubbling. The baking time is longer since the middle will be quite cold still.
Enjoy!
Notes
You can certainly adapt the ingredients in this recipe according to your preferences. You can use ground beef or chicken instead of ground turkey, if you prefer. You could also add a diced onion or diced bell peppers in the filling, if you like!
Store leftovers in an airtight Tupperware in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Top with diced green onions, avocado, cilantro, sliced jalapeño, black olives, or sour cream.
You could add a teaspoon of dried oregano or paprika to the enchilada filling.
Make your own gluten free enchilada sauce with this recipe.
This dish can be made in one 9×13″ casserole dish for a larger crowd, or two 8×8″ pans, for a smaller family. You can bake one immediately and then freeze the other for later, which is what I like to to do!
looks delicious!