These are the best ground turkey enchiladas filled with black beans, red enchilada sauce, and southwest spices. Serve with melted cheese and your favorite toppings for an easy, healthy weeknight dinner!
Do you love enchiladas? Make shredded beef enchiladas, Instant Pot chicken enchiladas, or healthy chicken enchiladas next!
The secret to good enchiladas is using quality ingredients and a homemade enchilada sauce (it takes 10 minutes!).
Take it one step further and pre-fry or bake your tortillas to prevent them from soaking up extra sauce. Don’t forget to use one of these methods to warm tortillas so they shells don’t break when you roll them.
With countless Mexican recipes on my website, it’s no secret Mexican food is my favorite cuisine. I live for fall-apart Birria beef and a classic carne asada taco. When it comes to enchiladas, I like them in all forms, including enchilada casserole.
This recipe works by elevating the ground turkey filling with rich spices and black beans. Use a homemade enchilada sauce for deep flavor and and bake them with melted cheese. Finishing them with fresh herbs, Mexican pickled onions, and a squeeze of lime juice is an easy way to brighten them up balance out the rich filling. I also love them with guacamole and Copycat chipotle corn salsa.
Why I Love This Recipe For Ground Turkey Enchiladas
- Healthier comfort food: This recipe features fiber-filled black beans and is a great way to add lean protein and extra veggies.
- Family Favorite: It’s one of my favorite recipes for an easy weeknight dinner because the whole family will love it (my kids will take any excuse to add sour cream).
- Make-ahead friendly: dare I say they’re even better the next day? I love leftover enchiladas, and I’ve taken them as a prepped meal to friends and family so many times.
Ingredients You Need to Get Started
Here are the simple ingredients for this healthy ground turkey enchiladas recipe. Most are pantry staples and easy to find in grocery stores. Jump down to the recipe card for exact measurements.
- Avocado oil or olive oil: I prefer avocado oil to cook with, but both work. This is for browning the turkey.
- Ground turkey: It’s low in fat and high in protein. You could also try it in ground turkey vegetable soup or use ground turkey in this Mexican shredded beef.
- Yellow onion: The base of most dishes, especially Mexican dishes, start with fresh onion.
- Garlic: Opt for fresh garlic cloves if possible.
- Southwest spices: Chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika, oregano, salt and black pepper.
- Black beans: Be sure to drain and rinse them well before adding them to the recipe.
- Fire roasted tomatoes: I love the smoky heat this ingredient brings, however, roasted tomatoes work well.
- Red enchilada sauce: We like to use homemade gluten-free enchilada sauce, but you can also use store-bought, like Siete. We also love adding diced green chiles. If you’re interested in a homemade enchilada sauce, try our recipe for gluten-free enchilada sauce.
- Corn tortillas: Authentic enchiladas are made with corn, but you can use a grain-free tortilla, like Siete, to keep them clean. We also tested these with flour tortillas and they worked well. Use less shells because they’re bigger.
- Mexican cheese: Enchiladas aren’t complete without melted cheese. A Mexican blend or cheddar cheese is best. To keep them dairy-free, top them with our vegan cashew queso instead.
How To Make Ground Turkey Enchiladas (Step-by-Step)
The full printable recipe is below, but let’s walk through the steps with some photos and a video so you have a clear idea of what to expect. These ground turkey enchiladas are really easy and these step-by-step instructions will make sure they turn out every time.
1. Brown the Ground Turkey in Spices
Cook the onion and garlic in a large skillet until soft and fragrant. Add the ground turkey and spices and cook, breaking up the turkey, until no pink remains.
2. Finish the Turkey Filling
Stir in the fire roasted tomatoes and black beans and stir to combine then remove the mixture from the heat.
3. Prep the Tortillas
Brush the tortillas with olive oil and bake them quickly or fry them on each side for 10 seconds in a skillet. The tortillas wont’ soak up much of the oil, in fact, this creates a barrier to the sauce and makes them more pliable to work with. For a quick alternative, choose another method to soften tortillas for enchiladas. If you don’t have time to fry/bake them, you can place them in the microwave. We’ve tested these each way and they’re still delicious!
4. Fill and Roll the Tortillas
Fill each tortilla evenly with the ground turkey mixture and and lots of cheese, then roll them up tightly and place seam side down in a baking dish with a little enchilada sauce.
Success tip: Looking to make these dairy-free? Omit the cheese and make this dairy-free cashew queso at the end.
5. Bake the Turkey Enchiladas
Pour more enchilada sauce on top and sprinkle them with shredded cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly. Check the enchiladas halfway through and cover with aluminum foil if they’re getting too brown.
5. Garnish and Serve
Top them with your favorite Mexican toppings including pickled onions, avocado crema, corn salsa, or creamy jalapeno ranch.
Expert Recipe Tips
- Warm or fry the tortillas to make them more pliable and easy to roll. Check out our step-by-step, easy instructions on how to soften tortillas for enchiladas.
- Don’t forget the toppings because they really make a difference in the final flavor. Some of our favorites include sliced radishes, pickled onion, avocado, sour cream (or Greek yogurt), cilantro, red onion, jalapenos, and green onions.
- Don’t overdo it on the enchilada sauce. They’re not supposed to be soggy and swimming in sauce.
Recipe Variations
- Ground turkey: Try using ground beef or ground chicken if that’s what you have on hand. You will likely need to drain some of the fat from the ground beef.
- Turkey leftovers: If you have a lot of leftover turkey (like from Thanksgiving!) you can shred it and use that instead.
- More veggies: add some bell pepper or roasted corn to the filling.
- Taco seasoning: Swap the spices for a pre-made taco seasoning. We prefer a clean one like Siete to keep it gluten-free and sugar-free.
- Fire roasted tomatoes: A can of diced tomatoes will work just as well.
- Enchilada sauce: Make your own enchilada sauce as opposed to the prepared enchilada sauce.
- Green sauce: Swap the red enchilada sauce for a store bought or homemade green enchilada sauce.
Dietary Modifications
- Vegetarian/vegan: Dice and roast two sweet potatoes in the oven and use our vegan cashew queso on top.
- Paleo/whole30: Swap the black beans for roasted sweet potatoes, use grain free tortillas and cashew queso.
- Dairy-free: Omit the shredded cheese and use cashew queso.
- Gluten-free: Opt for grain free tortillas, corn tortillas or gluten free flour tortillas.
Make Ahead and Storage
- Make ahead: Meal prep the filling in advance and store in an airtight container then fill and bake the enchiladas when you’re ready to eat.
- To store. Leftover turkey enchiladas can be stored in an airtight storage container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- To reheat. Reheat enchiladas from the fridge on a baking sheet at 350°F until warmed through. You can also rewarm this recipe in the microwave.
- To freeze. Let the pan cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator then follow steps to reheat.
If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. Or you can tag me on Instagram so I can see it!
Easy Southwest Ground Turkey Enchiladas
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon EACH paprika, garlic powder, oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 15 ounces (1 can) can black beans drained and rinsed
- 14.5 ounces (1 can) can fire roasted tomatoes
- 1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce (we use homemade gluten-free enchilada sauce)
- 8-10 corn, grain free or flour tortillas
- 2 cups shredded Mexican cheese or vegan cashew queso
- Topping options: sliced radishes, pickled onion, avocado, sour cream (vegan), cilantro, red onion, jalapenos
Instructions
Make the filling
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray a 9×13 inch casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- Heat the oil in a deep saute pan over medium heat. Once it’s hot add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the garlic and cook for another minute, until fragrant.2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil, 1 medium yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the ground turkey, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and cook to break up the turkey until no pink remains, about 5 minutes. Pour in the can of fire roasted tomatoes and black beans and stir to combine then remove the mixture from the heat.1 lb ground turkey, 2 teaspoons chili powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin, 1 teaspoon EACH paprika, garlic powder, oregano, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 15 ounces (1 can) can black beans, 14.5 ounces (1 can) can fire roasted tomatoes
Bake
- Place the tortillas on a microwave safe plate and cover them with a damp paper towel. Microwave them on high for 30 seconds then flip the stack over and microwave for another 30 seconds to make them softer and more pliable to work with.8-10 corn, grain free or flour tortillas
- Spread 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce
- Divide the ground turkey and 1 cup of shredded cheese evenly between all of the tortillas. Roll them up tightly and arrange them in a line on top of the enchilada sauce in the baking dish. Roll as many tortillas as you can with the filling that will fit in the dish. It was about 8-10 tortillas for us.2 cups shredded Mexican cheese
- Pour the remaining 1 1/4 cups of enchilada sauce evenly over the enchiladas and top with the remaining cup of shredded cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly.1 1/2 cups red enchilada sauce
- If you're using the vegan cashew queso, omit the cheese and pour the warm queso over the enchiladas after they're baked. Serve with desired toppings.
Notes
- Paleo/whole30: swap the black beans for roasted sweet potatoes, use grain free tortillas and cashew queso.
- Dairy-free: omit the shredded cheese and use cashew queso.
- Gluten-free: opt for grain free tortillas, corn tortillas or gluten free flour tortillas.
- Make ahead: prepare the filling in advance and store in an airtight container then fill and bake the enchiladas when you’re ready to eat.
- To store. Baked enchiladas can be stored in an airtight storage container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To reheat. Reheat enchiladas from the fridge on a baking sheet at 350°F until warmed through. You can also rewarm this recipe in the microwave.
- To freeze. Let the pan cool completely. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in the refrigerator then follow steps to reheat.
Video
Equipment
- 9×13 inch casserole dish
- Deep skillet or pan
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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excellent!!! my significant other who is so fussy you hate to make any dish for him JUST LOVES THIS RECIPE. “make it again but we will make Mexican rice and beans”. Upon that response I am adding this so I will never lose this recipe!!! Thank you! I will try more of your recipes especially Mexican. God bless!
Love it Crystal! So glad you guys enjoyed it.
Third time making these enchiladas, we love them. Added green peppers this time with a side of brown rice. Love the use of the fire roasted tomatoes.
Thanks Vivian!
Really enjoyed this recipe, and you did not hold back with the spices. Great combination, and beats store-bought seasoning packs.
I personally don’t have a microwave! And I was too lazy to steam the tortillas, so I ended up layering as an enchilada casserole, added 10 minutes to the bake time, and it was still amazing!
The enchilada sauce recipe was perfect, too. I love your recipes.