Turkey Enchiladas
A hearty Mexican dish featuring shredded turkey rolled in flour tortillas and smothered in a rich homemade enchilada sauce made with roasted tomatoes, dried chiles, and aromatic spices. Topped with two types of Mexican cheese, these enchiladas are perfect for using leftover turkey.
Ingredients
- •2 cans San Marzano tomatoes
- •2 large onions
- •8 whole dried ancho chiles
- •20 whole dried arbol chiles
- •4 heads garlic
- •2 stalks celery
- •2 large carrots
- •4 tablespoons whole coriander seeds
- •2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds
- •2 tablespoons whole dill seeds
- •to taste salt and pepper
- •1 whole roast turkey
- •3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- •4 cups pulled cooked turkey
- •8 pieces flour tortillas
- •3 cups queso fresco
- •3 cups queso Chihuahua
- •1 cup sour cream
- •2 whole limes
- •note about chiles
- •note about queso fresco
- •note about queso Chihuahua
- •equipment list
Cooking Instructions
- 1.
In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, onions, ancho and arbol chiles, garlic, celery, carrots, coriander, cumin, and dill and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper then transfer to the roasting pan you will roast the turkey in.
10 min
- 2.
Roast the turkey according to your recipe. As the turkey roasts, its juices and fat will drip down and cook the enchilada sauce ingredients. (Keep in mind that if you baste the turkey with the turkey juices, they'll be flavored with your enchilada sauce ingredients. To avoid flavoring your turkey this way, baste with melted butter, turkey or chicken stock, or low-sodium chicken broth-or a combination of these.)
180 min
- 3.
When you remove the turkey from the oven to rest, check to see that the vegetables are tender and if necessary return them to the oven to finish cooking.
30 min
- 4.
Working in batches, transfer the enchilada mixture to a food processor or blender and process until smooth-if necessary, use a few splashes of water to loosen or thin the mixture and create a smooth paste. Season with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: The enchilada sauce can be prepared ahead and refrigerated, in an airtight container, up to 3 days, or frozen, up to 3 months.
15 min
- 5.
Preheat the oven to 350°F and butter 2 (9- by 13-inch) baking dishes. Spread about 1 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of each dish.
5 min
- 6.
Pick the meat off the leftover turkey carcass and transfer to a large bowl-you'll need about 4 cups of meat. Add half the remaining enchilada sauce, along with half the queso fresco and half the queso Chihuahua, and stir to combine.
15 min
- 7.
On a work surface, spread about 1 cup of the turkey filling on the bottom half of 1 tortilla and roll it up burrito-style, folding in the sides to seal them closed. Repeat with the remaining tortillas and filling. Arrange the enchiladas tightly in the 2 prepared baking dishes then cover with the remaining sauce, followed by the remaining queso fresco and queso Chihuahua. DO AHEAD: The turkey enchiladas can be assembled up to this point, covered, and refrigerated, up to 24 hours, or frozen up to 3 months.
20 min
- 8.
Cover the enchiladas with foil and bake until the cheese has melted and the sauce is thickened and dark, about 1 hour. Serve immediately with sour cream and limes.
60 min