These healthy turkey and poblano enchiladas are my favorite enchiladas recipe - the filling makes enough for a double batch of enchiladas or is great for using as a nacho topping!
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Mmmmmm enchiladas. I love this recipe so so much. And I love it, even more, when I have a batch in the freezer ready to save my life and fill my hungry belly on a busy night. With some recipes, like lasagna, pasta bakes, soups, stews, and sauces, it just makes sense to prep extra for a double batch so you can reap the rewards later. Enchiladas is one of those recipes. My version of turkey and poblano enchiladas makes a big ol' batch - like 24 enchiladas! This nice thing is that if for some reason I don't want that many, the filling makes for a delicious nacho topping.
I love these turkey and poblano enchiladas because they are full of lean protein, fiber from black beans and poblanos, and Southwestern flavor from a bit of chicken chorizo. The sauce for these is my homemade classic red enchilada sauce, which comes together easily while the enchilada filling is browning. We're using a lighter hand on the cheese these days but there's just enough in here to make me happy. But enough chatter...let's make some enchiladas!
Turkey and poblano enchiladas ingredients
- Lean ground turkey + chicken chorizo - I buy chicken chorizo from Sprout's Farmers Market. If you can't find a chicken or turkey chorizo, Aidell's sells a smoked version that is yummy, or you can just substitute with a bit of pork chorizo. Or you can try this chorizo spice mix and add it to the ground turkey
- Poblano pepper - I love the mild smokiness of poblano peppers. They are the perfect pepper for adding a Southwestern chile flavor without getting too much heat.
- Black beans - whenever I formulate a recipe, I try and see where it's possible to sneak in some extra nutrition. Adding beans to enchilada filling not only stretches out the filling in a budget-friendly way, but packs in fiber, some folate, and potassium.
- Enchilada sauce - a great way to control the amount of salt in a recipe is to make your own sauce, condiment, or dressing. This homemade enchilada sauce is so easy and once you taste it, you won't want storebought anymore!
- Cheese - I like to use a blend of cheddar with some pepper jack, Colby jack, or even mozzarella to get a nice melty topping.
- Tortillas - the best tortillas, in my humble opinion, are those made of a blend of corn and wheat. These are typically soft, pliable, free of hydrogenated oils, and taste amazing!
- Toppings - whenever I make enchiladas, I like to serve them with a colorful salad-like topping. Typically for me, this includes sliced tomato, avocado, and lime juice. If you like cilantro, feel free to add it here.
Homemade enchilada sauce recipe
Don't let a homemade sauce intimidate you! If you ever made a cheese sauce for mac and cheese or gravy for biscuits, this is much easier and you can totally do it! You will simply heat up some oil, mix in a bit of flour, then some spices. Once combined, add chicken or vegetable stock. Your sauce can simmer away while you make the enchilada filling. And that's all there is to it! You'll need a full recipe of this sauce for this big batch of 24 enchiladas. Or you can choose to make ½ a recipe of enchiladas and then freeze ½ the sauce and filling for later.
Prepping enchiladas for fresh and freezer
As I mentioned above, this recipe makes a LOT of enchilada filling. But you have options for how to use it:
- Freeze unbaked enchiladas in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Place in the fridge for 12-20 hours to thaw and bake as directed.
- Freeze baked enchiladas in meal-prep containers. Thaw in the fridge overnight and microwave for 2-3 minutes to reheat.
- Freeze enchilada filling for up to 6 months and use as desired on quesadillas or nachos. Thaw in the fridge overnight for using or defrost in the microwave and use right away.
Serving suggestions
I'd recommend serving these enchiladas with any of the following:
- Healthy Refried Black Beans
- Sweet and Smokey Roasted Plantains
- Chopped Mexican Kale Salad (omit the chicken)
- Roasted Corn and Summer Tomato Salad
- Chips with fresh guac and salsa
- Mango Watermelon Floats or Fresh Lime Tart with Blackberry Sauce for dessert
Are you ready to make these Turkey and Poblano Enchiladas? I’m so excited for you to try this recipe. Once you get the chance to make it, please let me know how it turns out for you! Leave a comment and rate the recipe below. This will help me with the creation of future recipes! I’d also love to feature your creation in my monthly newsletter, so you can upload a photo to Instagram or Twitter with the tag @sweetcayenne5 to be featured!
Turkey and Poblano Enchiladas
Ingredients
- Oil
- 1 pound (93/7) lean ground turkey
- 12 ounces ground chicken or turkey chorizo (or pork chorizo if you can't find it)
- ¾ cup small-diced poblano pepper (about 1 large pepper)
- 1 (14.5 ounces) can no salt added black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 ½ cups shredded cheddar, Colby, Monterrey, or pepper jack cheese (or a combination), divided
- 4 cups (1 recipe) homemade or 2 (10.5 ounce) cans prepared red enchilada sauce
- 24 (6'') (6’’) corn and wheat blend tortillas, or gluten-free tortillas if needed
- For serving: diced tomato and avocado, freshly-squeezed lime juice, cotija cheese, or freshly-chopped cilantro
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add a tablespoon or so of oil and heat until it glistens. Add the ground turkey and the chorizo. Cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon until the meat is brown all over. Add the poblano pepper and cook for 5 minutes to soften. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the black beans and ½ cup of the enchilada sauce. Cool the mixture for 10 minutes.
- If cooking the enchiladas right away, preheat oven to 350℉. Lay the tortillas on a flat surface and have greased baking dishes prepared on the side.
- Spoon about ¼-⅓ cup of the enchilada meat filling onto a tortilla. Add a tablespoon of cheese. Roll the tortilla up and place it seam-side-down in the greased baking dish. Repeat until all the tortillas have been filled.
- Top the enchiladas with the remaining sauce (1 ½ cups) and cheese (about 1 cup). Bake for 25-30 minutes until the cheese is melted, the sauce bubbles, and the edges of each tortilla are slightly crispy. Serve hot and top as desired with fresh tomato, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and cotija cheese.
Notes
- Freeze assembled and unbaked enchiladas for up to 6 months. Place in the fridge for 12-20 hours to thaw and bake as directed.
- Freeze baked enchiladas in meal-prep containers. Thaw in the fridge overnight and microwave for 2-3 minutes to reheat.
- Freeze enchilada filling for up to 6 months and use as desired on quesadillas or nachos. Thaw in the fridge overnight for using or defrost in the microwave and use right away.
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b says
Great meal! I did serve it with my favorite Mexican kale salad.
Made your enchilada sauce also to go with it. Great!
Used chicken instead of turkey and made my own chorizo.
Whitney Reist says
Awesome!! So glad you enjoyed it - thank you for the kind comment and rating. Love the pairing with the kale salad.