Turkey Enchilada Skillet Recipe

While enchiladas aren't the most complicated meal to make, they still involve steps such as making the filling, stuffing and rolling the tortillas, and baking them under a blanket of sauce and cheese. Even with all that effort, there's still a chance that the enchiladas will turn out soggy. This stovetop casserole, however, is something that developer Jessica Case calls "a quick version of making enchiladas" and describes as "easy, delectable, delicious and full of tasty enchilada flavor." The tortillas will have less time to get soggy as they are stirred into the casserole right s it finishes cooking, and as Case uses corn ones in her enchiladas, she notes that this also makes this "another perfect gluten-free dish." 

This recipe can be customized to make it suit your preferences. Case says you can swap out the ground turkey for other types of ground meat, while a meat substitute could work if you prefer to eat plant-free. She also suggests that rotisserie chicken could work, noting that because it's pre-cooked, you could directly "add it to the mixture with the chiles and broth."

The main ingredients in this skillet casserole are ground turkey, corn tortillas, enchilada sauce, and cheese (Case favors a Mexican-style pre-shredded cheese blend). The vegetables include frozen corn, bell peppers (both red and green), an onion, a jalapeño, black beans, and diced green chiles, while cumin, chili powder, oregano, coriander, salt, and pepper are used for seasoning, though as a shortcut, Case notes that you can use 2 tablespoons of a fajita spice packet mixture instead. Finally, if you throw in some olive oil for cooking, you'll be all set to go.

Heat a tablespoon of oil in a heavy pan over medium-high. When it's hot, use it to fry the ground turkey along with all of the seasonings. Stir the meat as it cooks so you can break up all of the lumps. After about 8 minutes, all of the pink color in the meat should be gone. At this point, remove the turkey from the pan.

Pour the rest of the oil into the pan and use it to fry the onions and peppers (including the jalapeño). After about 5 minutes, they should be somewhat soft and beginning to brown. Add the black beans, diced chiles, enchilada sauce, and corn, then stir in the turkey. Cover the pan with a lid or a piece of foil and bring the contents to a simmer, then uncover it and simmer everything for 10 minutes.

Stir the tortilla strips into the meat and vegetable mixture, then spread the cheese over the top of the casserole. Leave the stove burner on low until the cheese starts melting, then switch it off. The turkey enchilada casserole is ready to eat at this point, although Case suggests topping it with cilantro, avocados, or queso if you want to dress it up a bit. She feels that sliced olives, sour cream, chopped tomatoes, and guacamole would also work as garnishes.