Turkey Enchiladas

 

         Turkey Leftovers

I was looking for a way to use my leftover Turkey from Thanksgiving in a more original way than the typical sandwich or Turkey Tetrazzini.   I thought of pasta with a cream sauce and parmigiana but when I opened my cheese drawer I realized I had a nice big package of flour tortilla's in there that needed to be used before they spoiled in a week or so.  We are lucky here in the southwest that our tortillas are often locally made by hand and are thinner and more flavorful than those on the east coast in commercial supermarkets but they will do just fine as well.  I made enchiladas with a sauce I would have used for the pasta and it was totally divine!  

Ingredients 

6 bacon strips – cooked and set aside – pan cleaned out for veggies

1/2 cup diced red or yellow bell pepper

3 diced roma tomatoes

1/2 cup diced onion

10 ounces thinly sliced cooked turkey, shredded

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

Cheese sauce – recipe follows

1/4 teaspoon pepper

6-8 Flour tortillas

Toppings –

A little over ½ cup shredded Swiss – or at least enough to lightly cover casserole.

2 cups shredded lettuce

2 diced roma tomatoes

Cheese Sauce:

5 tablespoons Unsalted butter
2 tablespoons  Crème Fraiche (diluted) or cream

½ cup heavy cream or more
1/2 Parmesan
1 /2 teaspoon Nutmeg
1 Pinch of pepper

Directions for Sauce:

Melt butter – add cream and crème Fraiche and stir – add in cheese. It needs to be somewhat thickened and you need to taste to make sure it is not too salty from the Parmesan.  Add more cream or cheese to desired consistency.  It should coat the spoon nicely when dipping the spoon in the sauce.  

Directions for The Turkey Casserole:

1. Sauté the yellow or red pepper and onion until soft – about 10 min.
2. Add the tomatoes – let cool to room temp or just slightly warm.
3. Mix together the turkey, Swiss cheese, onion/pepper/tomato mixture.
4. Pour all the sauce over the enchiladas.  Make sure all but the ends are wet – yet most of the sauce will pool under the enchiladas. 
5. Cover with foil or cover and bake at 350° for 25 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5-10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted and ends are slightly crispy. Garnish with lettuce and tomatoes. 

NOTE:  If you plan on leftovers - I recommend doing a flour and butter roux and then adding the cheese and cream.  The above dish does not reheat well.   A butter, cream and cheese sauce separates with re-heating the next day.