Turkey Enchiladas with Homemade White Sauce is made with left-over turkey. It’s like a surprise to your palate—going from savory sage to spicy chili. Therfore, it’s one of my favorite leftover recipes after Thanksgiving. I’ve had something similar to this recipe except it was made with chicken and a certain canned soup. I’ve wanted to create it homemade from scratch ever since. This is one of those home-style casseroles that satisfies the desire for comfort food. You can make this dish with leftover chicken too. So, you don’t need to wait until Thanksgiving to make it.
Turkey Enchiladas with Homemade White Sauce
1 small to medium onion, diced small
3 cups of left-over turkey, diced medium
8 oz oven roasted green chilies divided, 2 oz set aside (or canned equivalent)
4 cups of homemade turkey stock (made the same way as chicken stock, or store bought broth—a staple in my pantry) divided, 1/2 cup set aside
4 tablespoons of butter
4 tablespoons of flour
3 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese divided, 1 cup set aside
1 cup of sour cream
8 flour tortillas (about 8 to 8 1/2 inches in diameter)
olive oil
salt
white pepper
fresh chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
sour cream for garnish (optional)
salsa or pico de gallo for garnish (optional)
fresh and simple guacamole (optional)
1. Soften one small to medium diced onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until translucent.
2. Add the chopped turkey and 1/2 cup of the turkey broth to the pan.
3. Mix 2 oz of roasted green chilies to the turkey mixture and remove from heat after turkey is warm.
4. Melt butter in a medium-sized pot.
5. Add flour to make a roux.
6. Do not let the flour brown. Slowly add the remaining turkey broth to the roux, and stir until the sauce is thickened.
7. Stir in the remaining 6 oz of green chilies to the sauce.
8. Stir in 3/4 cup of the 1 cup divided cheese (keeping 1/4 cup set aside) until melted and blended into the sauce.
9. Remove the pot from the heat and blend the sauce with an immersion blender. (I do this to make the sauce kid friendly. Well, in my case, husband friendly. I don’t think my husband would like “spicy green things” in his sauce). Plus, the flavor is more evenly distributed.
10. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 cup of sour cream. This has a cooling effect against the spicy green chilies.
11. Add salt and white pepper to the sauce. Have a taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
12. Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Assemble 8 enchiladas by dividing the turkey mixture and 2 cups of cheese evenly between the tortillas. Add the turkey mixture to the center of the tortilla and top with cheese. Tuck each side of the tortilla around the mixture and place the enchilada seam side down.
13. Line up 8 enchiladas side by side and pour the white sauce evenly over the top.
14. Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese down the center.
15. Place the dish in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes until brown and bubbly.
16. Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve. Makes 4 dinners serving two per person.
Turkey Enchiladas with Homemade White Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 small to medium onion, diced small
- 3 cups of left-over turkey, diced medium
- 8 oz oven roasted green chilies divided, 2 oz set aside (or canned equivalent)
- 4 cups of homemade turkey stock (made the same way as chicken stock, or store bought broth - a staple in my pantry) divided, 1/2 cup set aside
- 4 tablespoons of butter
- 4 tablespoons of flour
- 3 cups of Monterrey Jack cheese divided, 1 cup set aside
- 1 cup of sour cream
- 8 flour tortillas (about 8 to 8 1/2 inches in diameter)
- olive oil
- salt
- white pepper
- fresh chopped cilantro for garnish (optional)
- sour cream for garnish (optional)
- salsa or pico de gallo for garnish (optional)
- fresh and simple guacamole (optional)
Directions
- Step 1 Soften one small to medium diced onion in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat for about 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Step 2 Add the chopped turkey and 1/2 cup of the turkey broth to the pan.
- Step 3 Mix 2 oz of roasted green chilies to the turkey mixture and remove from heat after turkey is warm.
- Step 4 Melt butter in a medium-sized pot.
- Step 5 Add flour to make a roux.
- Step 6 Do not let the flour brown. Slowly add the remaining turkey broth to the roux, and stir until the sauce is thickened.
- Step 7 Stir in the remaining 6 oz of green chilies to the sauce.
- Step 8 Stir in 3/4 cup of the 1 cup divided cheese (keeping 1/4 cup set aside) until melted and blended into the sauce.
- Step 9 Remove the pot from the heat and blend the sauce with an immersion blender. (I do this to make the sauce kid friendly. Well, in my case, husband friendly. I don’t think my husband would like “spicy green things” in his sauce). Plus, the flavor is more evenly distributed.
- Step 10 Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 cup of sour cream. This has a cooling effect against the spicy green chilies.
- Step 11 Add salt and white pepper to the sauce. Have a taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Step 12 Add 1/2 cup of sauce to the bottom of a 9 x 13 pan. Assemble 8 enchiladas by dividing the turkey mixture and 2 cups of cheese evenly between the tortillas. Add the turkey mixture to the center of the tortilla and top with cheese. Tuck each side of the tortilla around the mixture and place the enchilada seam side down.
- Step 13 Line up 8 enchiladas side by side and pour the white sauce evenly over the top.
- Step 14 Sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese down the center.
- Step 15 Place the dish in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes until brown and bubbly.
- Step 16 Sprinkle with fresh cilantro and serve. Makes 4 dinners serving two per person.
