Enchilada Casserole
If you’ve been keeping updated with my blog, you’ll I haven’t seen chicken in the grocery store for a while. The Covid-19 virus has drove everyone to stock-up and hoard it before I got the chance to get any. I ended up having to buy a whole turkey instead! So now I’m on a mission to come up with creative ways to use turkey leftovers and whatever else I have on hand at the moment.
So yes, I made this recipe using turkey leftovers, but if you have access to chicken, I bet it would taste even better with chicken!
This was my first time making homemade enchilada sauce and it was a lot easier and quicker than I thought. I don’t think I’ll ever buy pre-made enchilada sauce again! You can of course use store-bought but I encourage you to try making it yourself!
About 6 Servings
Ingredients
Enchilada Sauce
3 T olive oil
2 T flour
1 T chili powder
1 t cumin
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t onion powder
1/4 t oregano
pinch of cinnamon
2 T tomato paste
2 c vegetable stock
1 t apple cider vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Other
1 c rice
2 c water
1 T olive oil
1/2 white onion, sliced
1 1/2 c peppers, sliced
salt & pepper to taste
1 15oz can black beans, drained
4 c shredded turkey
1 c shredded cheese
1/4 chopped cilantro + more for garnish
sour cream for serving
lime wedges for serving
Directions
First you’ll want to make the enchilada sauce. To start mix the flour, chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Heat the olive oil in a medium sauce pan on medium heat until it starts to bubble. Then add in the flour mixture and whisk for about a minute or until mixture turns a darker shade of red.
Add in the tomato paste and combine, then slowly pour the vegetable stock while whisking. Once you’ve whisk out any lumps you can bring it to a simmer and let it simmer for about 5 minutes, whisking occasionally.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the vinegar, salt and pepper.
Now prepare the the rice by bring the rice and water to a simmer, cover and let cook for about 20-25 minutes.
Meanwhile preheat the oven to 375F and cook the the olive oil, onions and peppers in a medium skillet on medium heat. You’ll cook them until tender or the onions start to become translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a large bowl combine the rice, onions, peppers, 2/3 of the enchilada sauce, black beans, shredded turkey and cilantro. Mix completely and pour evenly into a casserole dish. Layer the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese on top with a sprinkle of cilantro.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with sour cream, a sprinkle of cilantro and lime wedges.
Notes
Gluten-free: This recipe is gluten-free if you use gluten-free flour. I used 1-1 gluten-free flour myself.
Dairy-free: This recipe is not dairy-free, but if you use a cheese substitute it can be.
Enchilada Sauce: You can always use pre-made enchilada sauce if you don’t want to make it.
Vegetable Stock: I used chicken stock for this recipe because it’s what I had but I recommend vegetable over chicken.
Rice: I used brown rice in the recipe, but you are welcome to use another kind or even quinoa or pasta instead.
Peppers: I used mini sweet peppers because it’s what I had, but you can also use bell peppers.
Turkey: I made this using turkey leftovers but I also reccomend using chicken in this recipe instead.
Cheese: I used colby jack cheese because it’s what I had but I recommend using a Mexican blend.
