Turkey Enchilada Casserole
Turkey Enchilada Casserole is an easy, hearty, and delicious casserole filled 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 (like my Philly Cheesesteak Casserole!), 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. With this casserole, you get all of the flavor of enchiladas, but instead everything is layered instead of rolled - just like in my Creamy Chicken Enchilada Casserole. That makes preparation so much easier and faster!
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Ingredients
- Ground Turkey - 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.
Variations
Swap the meat - you could use ground chicken or beef, if you'd prefer.
Spice it up - add ¼-1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper for a spicier casserole.
Make it vegetarian - add another can of black beans and omit the turkey for a vegetarian enchilada casserole. Or try my Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchilada Casserole.
Different cheese - You could use Colby Jack or pepper jack for some spice!
Recipe Instructions
This recipe is simple to make, and I love doubling it so I can have a pan to put in the freezer for later!
- In a large skillet brown the turkey over medium heat. Break up the turkey as it cooks.
- Once it is cooked through, add the chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, red enchilada sauce, diced tomatoes, black beans, and corn.
3. Stir it all together and cook another 5 minutes on the stove. Season with salt and black pepper, as desired.
4. On the bottom of a 9x13" casserole dish, spread 10 ounces of red enchilada sauce.
5. 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.
6. Top the tortillas with half of the enchilada filling.
7. Top with half of the shredded cheese.
8. Top with the remaining corn tortillas.
9. Top with the remaining turkey mixture.
10. Top with the remaining cheese. 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 9x13" casserole dish for a larger crowd, or two 8x8" 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! Check out my Chili Tater tot Casserole for another cozy casserole!
Recipe FAQs
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
I think this casserole is best made with corn tortillas.
Sure! You could add extra corn to make up for the lack of beans.
Yes! Just make the casserole up to the step of baking and refrigerate. Then add 5-10 additional minutes since it will be starting in the oven cold.
Check out these enchilada recipes.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #greensnchocolate.
Turkey Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 20 ounces red enchilada sauce (I buy two 10 ounce cans)
- 12 ounces frozen corn
- 14 ounces black beans drained and rinsed
- 10 ounces diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 12 corn tortillas
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese or 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 9x13" baking dish. Note: you can also make this in two 8x8" 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 8x8" 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 9x13" casserole dish for a larger crowd, or two 8x8" 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!
If you freeze it, how long is it good, and what are the instructions to heat back up?
I freeze it, unbaked, up to 3 months in my deep freezer. To bake, thaw it overnight in the fridge and then bake according to instructions, but add 10-15 minutes to the written baking time to account for it starting much colder than you would if you were to bake it right away.
Is this good for dieting? How many calories per serving ?