Ground Meats
$1.59per plate
Prep
15 min
Ground Meats · Ground Turkey
Ground Turkey Enchiladas
Ground turkey enchiladas take a pound of turkey, a dozen corn tortillas and a sauce you stir together from a can of tomato sauce and chili powder, and turn them into dinner for six at about $1.35 a plate. Where our turkey tacos are assembled at the table in twenty minutes, these are rolled, sauced and baked, so the tortillas go soft and the whole tray comes out bubbling. The scratch sauce is the part worth doing: canned enchilada sauce costs more than the tomato sauce and chili powder it is made of, and this one you can season to your own heat. They join the rest of our ground turkey recipes, all under $2 a serving.
$1.35per plate
Estimated recipe total
$8.12 · serves 6
Cook
30 min
Total
45 min
Serves
6
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/ground-turkey-enchiladas
Equipment
- Skillet
- 9x13 baking dish
Variations
- Use flour tortillas instead of corn; they roll without warming but go softer under the sauce.
- Swap in a 10 oz can of enchilada sauce for the scratch sauce if you are out of chili powder.
- Use ground beef or shredded cooked chicken instead; drain beef after browning, or stir cooked chicken straight in with the sauce and cheese.
1 How to make it
1
Make the sauce
Whisk the tomato sauce with the chili powder, cumin, a pinch of salt and about 1/2 cup of water in a bowl until smooth. Taste it: it should be a little stronger than you want the finished dish, because the tortillas will soak some up. Set it aside.
2
Brown the turkey and onion
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high, add the onion and ground turkey, and cook 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat up, until no pink remains and it reaches 165 degrees F. Stir in the garlic for the last minute. Season with salt and pepper.
3
Bind the filling
Stir about 1/2 cup of the sauce and 1/2 cup of the cheese into the turkey. This is the step people skip, and it is why lean turkey filling turns out crumbly and dry; the sauce and cheese hold it together inside the roll.
4
Warm and roll
Warm the tortillas 20 seconds a side in a dry skillet, or wrap the stack in a damp towel and microwave 30 seconds, until pliable. Cold corn tortillas crack the moment you roll them. Spread 1/2 cup of sauce in the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish, then fill each tortilla with a spoonful of turkey, roll it, and lay it seam-side down in the dish.
5
Sauce, cheese, bake
Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the rolls, making sure the ends are covered or they will dry out, and scatter the rest of the cheese on top. Bake 20 minutes, until the sauce bubbles at the edges and the cheese has melted. Let it sit 5 minutes before serving so the rolls hold their shape.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Flour tortillas for corn. Flour rolls without warming and never cracks, which makes it the easy option, but it goes softer under the sauce. Corn holds its structure better and is cheaper.
- Canned enchilada sauce. A 10 oz can replaces the tomato sauce and spices one for one. It costs more and runs sweeter, but it is a fair trade on a night when you have no chili powder.
- Ground beef or chicken. Both work. Drain beef after browning; shredded cooked chicken can go straight in with the sauce and cheese, skipping the browning step entirely.
3 Budget tips
- The scratch sauce is the saving here: a 15 oz can of tomato sauce plus spices runs about 85 cents against well over a dollar for canned enchilada sauce, and it makes more.
- Corn tortillas are one of the cheapest carbohydrates in the store. A pack of 30 often costs about two dollars, and they freeze.
- Cheese is the second most expensive thing in the dish. Buying a block and shredding it yourself is usually a third cheaper than pre-shredded, and it melts better because there is no anti-caking starch on it.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate covered in the baking dish, or in an airtight container, for up to 4 days. The tortillas keep absorbing sauce, so day-two enchiladas are softer but no less good.
Freezer
Freeze baked and cooled, whole or in portions, for up to 3 months. You can also assemble and freeze unbaked without the top cheese; thaw overnight, add the cheese, and bake as written plus about 10 minutes.
Reheating
Reheat portions covered in a 350 degree F oven for 15 to 20 minutes, or microwave in short bursts. Cover them either way; uncovered enchiladas dry at the edges fast.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
390
Protein
25g
Fat
17g
Carbs
34g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Why do my corn tortillas crack when I roll enchiladas?
They are cold. Corn tortillas are brittle straight from the bag and pliable once warm. Give them 20 seconds a side in a dry skillet, or microwave the stack wrapped in a damp towel for 30 seconds, and roll them while they are still warm.
Can I make enchilada sauce from tomato sauce?
Yes, and it is the cheaper way. Whisk a 15 oz can of tomato sauce with 2 tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp cumin, a pinch of salt and about half a cup of water. That is essentially what canned enchilada sauce is, minus the markup.
Should enchiladas be covered while baking?
Not if the sauce covers them properly. Pour it right to the ends of the rolls and the sauce does the covering. If you have gone light on sauce, foil the dish for the first 15 minutes.
Are enchiladas a casserole?
Not by our definition. They are individually rolled portions that happen to bake in one dish, rather than a single unified bake, which is why you will not find them in our casserole collection.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 9x13 baking dish. A 9x13 dish is the standard size for casseroles and baked pasta, so one dish feeds the whole table. Best for casseroles, baked pasta, stuffed peppers, and baked oatmeal.
- Mixing bowls set. A set of nesting bowls handles prep, mixing, and marinades without dirtying every dish in the house. Best for mixing meatball and patty mixtures, tossing ingredients, and holding prepped components.
- Measuring cups and spoons set. A basic set of measuring cups and spoons keeps amounts consistent, which keeps budget recipes reliable. Best for rice, liquids, and any recipe where the ratio matters.
- Instant-read meat thermometer. An instant-read thermometer takes the guesswork out of doneness, so lean or cheap cuts stay juicy instead of overcooking. Best for chicken, pork, and meatloaf, where a few degrees decides juicy or dry.
Feeding a crowd tonight? This one is also part of our Easy Family Dinner Recipes collection.
Cook next
All recipes Related recipes
From other tables
All recipes 
