I spent the holidays with my family and decided to take home all the ground turkey leftovers! This Mexican Turkey Enchilada Casserole takes turkey to a whole different level of goodness.
I’ve been getting a little bored with just doing the turkey, veggies and potatoes thing, so I decided to change things up a bit. I’ve had turkey casserole on my mind, but it seems that many of the turkey casserole recipes out there do not contain many healthy ingredients. Instead of using polenta in the recipe, I used leftover mashed potatoes and turned the recipe into a full-on Mexican dish with the extra enchilada sauce instead of turkey gravy.
This Mexican turkey enchilada skillet casserole is so comforting and is so ridiculously easy to make. It’s a great way to use up those turkey leftovers! I love that this dish has black beans in it to add some extra plant-based protein.
It’s a-m-a-z-i-n-g, and you should try it! It does have a bit of a spicy kick to it because of the cayenne, but you can always use less or opt-out of using it altogether, and I am sure it will still taste wonderful.
The Best Mexican Turkey Enchilada Skillet Casserole
Ingredients
Mashed Potatoes (You can use your Christmas leftovers for this or make your own)
3 pounds potatoes - peeled and chopped (you could also use sweet potato as well)
½ cup olive oil - extra virgin
½ cup milk - plus more if needed
1 ½ teaspoon Sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Turkey Mixture
- 2 cups leftover turkey - minced
- 2 cups enchilada sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder (chilli powder in British English)- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 teaspoon cilantro (coriander)- 1 teaspoon Sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper - or less
1 medium red pepper (red capsicum) - diced
1 ½ cups black beans - cooked, pr drained and rinsed (if using canned)
2 ounce cheddar cheese - shredded
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Start by making the mashed potato mixture if you do not have mashed potato leftovers. Boil peeled and chopped potatoes on high in a pot with water. Boil for 10-15 minutes until soft.
- Once potatoes are soft, drain the water from the potatoes using a strainer and then place potatoes back into the pot on low heat. With a potato masher, start mashing the potatoes. Add in 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil and then continue mashing.
- After the extra virgin olive oil is thoroughly combined, add in 1/2 cup of whole milk and then mash until creamy.
- Add in sea salt, ground black pepper and smoked paprika.
- Remove mashed potatoes from heat and layer the mixture evenly into a cast iron skillet. Set aside.
- To make the turkey mixture, combine 2 cups of shredded turkey, chili powder, smoked paprika, coriander, sea salt, ground black pepper and cayenne into a large mixing bowl.
- Once combined, add in the enchilada sauce and ensure the turkey is completely coated in sauce.
- Add in the diced red bell pepper and 1 1/2 cups of cooked black beans. Stir and combine.
- Once the turkey mixture is completed, layer it on top of the mashed potato mixture in the skillet.
- Finish it off with a layer of shredded cheddar cheese.
- Place in a 375-degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
- Once out of the oven, garnish with cilantro, diced avocado, or salsa.
