One of the best things about the big Turkey Day feast is all of the leftovers! And this recipe does not disappoint!
Whether you have roast turkey, smoked turkey, spatchcock turkey, or fried turkey, if you have any leftovers, be sure to save some for these epic enchiladas! We show you how to make an authentic red sauce, but, we also give an easy hack to make a yummy sauce in a matter of minutes. Serve with pico de gallo for that classic Tex-Mex flavor!
How To Make Leftover Turkey Enchiladas with Red Sauce
The Ingredients You Will Need
For the Red Enchilada Sauce
Dried chili peppers – Such as ancho and guajillo, or a combination of them. These can be found in the Hispanic or produce section of many well-stocked supermarkets, at Hispanic food markets, or online.
Tomato – A Roma is perfect. Chopped. Don’t worry about seeding the tomato.
Garlic – Roughly chopped.
Fat – Olive oil, vegetable oil, or butter.
Onion – Chopped.
Flour – All-purpose.
Seasonings – Dried oregano, ground cumin, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
For the Enchiladas
Leftover turkey – Cubed. Can substitute cubed rotisserie chicken.
Green chiles – Canned. These can be found in the Hispanic section of most supermarkets. Or online. If you can’t find them, just omit them.
Seasoning – Just a pinch or two of salt.
Vegetable oil – For lightly frying the tortillas.
Tortillas – Corn is traditional. If using flour (which is delicious, too), don’t lightly fry them first.
Cheese – Any type of good melting cheese is perfect. Cheddar, Monterrey Jack, or Chihuahua are all great choices.
Lettuce – Chopped iceberg is perfect!
Pico de Gallo – Homemade is best. But, chopped tomatoes are salsa work, too!
EXPERT TIP: Typically, you’ll want to enchiladas per serving. So, if serving four people, you’ll want 8 enchiladas. This will require about 3 cups of leftover turkey.
Tips for Perfect Leftover Turkey Enchiladas
Make the Red Sauce from Scratch – Of course, you can find canned or bottled red enchilada sauce in the Hispanic section of most supermarkets. We even show you a super fast way to make a sauce below. But, for that restaurant-quality enchilada, you’ll want to make the sauce from scratch. If can even be made days in advance of serving.
Lightly Fry the Tortillas – This is another step that can be simplified by simply microwaving the tortillas in a damp cloth until soft. But, a quick dip in hot vegetable oil (and then submerged in the sauce), will give your enchiladas that classic taste and texture.
Serve Right From the Oven – These are definitely best served fresh from the oven. The corn tortillas are fragile and if they rest in the sauce, the will begin to fall apart. Go nice and slow when using a metal spatula to transfer the enchiladas onto dinner plates.
Don’t Forget the Toppings – Classic toppings such as chopped iceberg lettuce, pico de gallo, chopped cilantro, salsa, and even sour cream not only make the dish gorgeous, they add another layer of flavor that is classic.
EXPERT TIP: Below, we give a fast method for making red sauce. It’s not bad, but, if you’ve got a little extra time, the homemade sauce in this recipe puts the dish over the top. You just need a sturdy skillet, blender, and fine-mesh sieve (or colander).
How To Serve
You have options on how to serve these enchiladas. You can plate them and then serve them individually, or you can bring the dish to the table and let guests serve themselves.
Enchiladas are notoriously tricky to get from the baking to the plate without them falling apart, at least somewhat. That’s no problem if they do, they’ll still taste the same.
Take an extra large spatula and scoop the enchiladas up from the short end of them. Lift straight up and then use a fork to scoot them onto the plate.
We love to serve these with plenty of salsa, hot sauce, and sides of Mexican rice and refried beans. Make it a combo dinner and serve them with Tex-Mex beef tacos or chicken tacos!
Other Recipes to Use Your Leftover Turkey
We love leftover turkey for sandwiches and bonus Thanksgiving meals. But, when that gets a little old, these recipes are sure to please. They even give the Turkey Day feast a run for the money!
- Day After Thanksgiving Day Panini
- Risotto with Turkey, Roasted Butternut Squash, and Asparagus
- Leftover Turkey and Dressing Casserole
- Turkey Tetrazzini
- Kentucky Hot Brown
- Classic Monte Cristo
These are all amazing on so many levels. But, in the meantime, isn’t this dish calling your name?
How To Make Easy Red Enchilada Sauce
If you are in a crunch for time and want to whip up an easy red sauce that’s not out of the can, this is pretty darn good.
- Heat 2 tablespoon butter or olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in 2 tablespoon flour, 2 tablespoon chili powder, and cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.
- Whisk in 2 cups chicken (or vegetable broth) and stir until no lumps are visible.
- Stir in 2 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Stir until slightly thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings, if desired.
This sauce is not bad. But, folks, if you want the real deal, make the sauce as written, and you will not be disappointed. We promise you that!
Ready to make the best dish in town with your leftover turkey? Go for it!
And when you do, be sure to take a photo of it, post it on Instagram, and tag @HowToFeedaLoon and hashtag #HowToFeedaLoon!
Leftover Turkey Enchiladas with Red Sauce
Video
Equipment
- large skillet or saucepan
- Blender
- Colander any fine-mesh sieve
- baking dish 9x13"
Ingredients
For the Red Enchilada Sauce
- 5 dried ancho chiles
- 5 dried guajillo chiles
- 1 plum tomato roughly chopped
- 3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoon olive oil or butter, divided
- 1 medium onion chopped, save some for topping the enchiladas
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
For the Enchiladas
- 3 cups cooked turkey cubed
- 1 4 oz can green chiles
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- vegetable oil for lightly frying the tortillas
- 8 corn tortillas
- 3 cups cheddar cheese grated
- 1 cup iceberg lettuce chopped, for garnish
- ½ cup pico de gallo for garnish
Instructions
Make the Red Enchilada Sauce
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Working in a couple of batches, heat the chiles in the skillet for about 15 seconds on both sides, pressing down on them with a spoon or spatula. Remove and when cool enough to handle, use a pair of scissors to cut away the stems and then remove as many of the seeds inside the pepper as possible (don't worry if you don't get all of them, you'll strain the liquid later).5 dried ancho chiles, 5 dried guajillo chiles
- Place the chiles in a large bowl and cover with about 4 to 5 cups of warm tap water. Place a small plate on top of the chiles to keep them submerged. Let them rest in the water for at least one hour.
- Use a pair of tongs to transfer the soaked chiles to a blender. Add the chopped tomato, and garlic, and add about 3 cups of the chile soaking water. Securely place the lid on the blender and purée until smooth.1 plum tomato, 3 cloves garlic
- Back in your skillet, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil (or butter) over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until they are soft, about 4 to 5 minutes.4 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion
- Carefully pour the puréed chile mixture into the skillet with the onions. Stir and bring to a simmer. Add another cup of the soaking water and simmer for about 2 minutes.
- Place a fine-mesh sieve or colander over a heatproof bowl and strain the sauce through it, using a wooden spatula to help it through.
- Use a paper towel to wipe out the skillet. Add the remaining 2 tablespoon olive oil (or butter) over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until fully absorbed, about 1 to 2 minutes.2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- Whisk in the strained sauce and stir in the oregano, cumin, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened, about another 4 minutes. Set aside.1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1½ teaspoon Kosher salt
Prepare the Enchiladas
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Heat another large skillet over medium-high heat and add the turkey, green chiles, salt (½ tsp), and a quarter cup of the prepared enchilada sauce. Cook, stirring often, until heated through, about 4 to 5 minutes. Set aside.3 cups cooked turkey, 1 4 oz can green chiles, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- Ladle enough of the sauce over the bottom of the dish just to cover it (not too much).
- In a saucepan large enough to hold a tortilla, heat about 1 to 2 tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium heat. Once hot, quickly pass a tortilla through the oil, flipping once. Tongs or a pair of forks help you do this. Take care not to tear the tortilla, but if you do, just grab another tortilla (or go with the torn one, it will still roll just fine). You'll need to add more oil as you continue to lightly fry the tortillas.vegetable oil, 8 corn tortillas
- Quickly transfer the tortilla from the skillet into the pan with the sauce. Flip the tortilla a couple of times to coat it with the sauce. Place on one end of the prepared dish. Spoon about 2 tablespoon of the grated cheese along the center of the tortilla, lengthwise. Add about 2 tablespoon of the prepared turkey over the cheese. Bring the sides of the tortilla up and press them together, one side over the other. Gently turn the enchilada seam-side down and continue this process until your dish is full (usually about 8 enchiladas).3 cups cheddar cheese
- Ladle some more of the sauce over the tops of the enchiladas. Sprinkle more chopped onion over the sauce, and then sprinkle on the remaining cheese (about 1 to 1½ cups) over the enchiladas.
- Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melty and the sauce is just bubbling. Serve at once, topped with shredded lettuce and pico de gallo.1 cup iceberg lettuce, ½ cup pico de gallo
Wes says
Ummm, the Rojo (Red) Sauce is the absolute BEST! Talk about talking leftovers to a new level!!
Kevin A. Carson says
When I was a kid one of my mom’s post-Thanksgiving recipes was “Mexican turkey” with ro-tel tomatoes, cheddar, and other ingredients I forget now. Might have been rice-based.
One of my favorite Mexican dishes is seafood enchiladas with poblana cream sauce. I suspect this would be good with a white sauce substitution.
Kris Longwell says
Hi Kevin! That all sounds so delicious! Gotta love Ro-tel!!! And we love Mexican seafood dishes, too! You might be interested in our Seafood Stuffed Poblanos…really good!!! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! Best, Kris & Wesley