Ground Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

So, I've been tweaking recipes again...

I tend to do that when:

a) What's on the menu doesn't sound good

b) Some particular ingredient is begging to be used

c) A recipe sounds absolutely amazing but I don't have everything it calls for

d) c) happens and I decide to risk turning up something semi-amazing instead by substituting something else

e) all of the above

So the scenario last week was that I had ground turkey tacos on the menu (enter reason A). For some reason, tacos just didn't float my boat that day, so I was trying to think if there was something else yummy I could make with the ground turkey and tortillas. Enchiladas immediately came to mind, enhanced by the fact the a can of black beans was calling my name (enter reason B). So, I began a diligent internet search for enchiladas with black beans. I stumbled upon a delicious looking recipe including homemade enchilada sauce on a blog called "Scrambled"- but alas! it included not ground turkey but shredded beef using a chuck roast and some crazy long preparation that I am sure creates a magnificent enchilada but which I had neither time, ingredients nor desire to invest in (enter reason C).

SO.

If you think that reason D enters here, you would be absolutely correct.

So, in essence, E just happened, didn't it?

Anyway, back to the enchiladas. Thanks to the ground turkey, some amazing whole wheat tortillas from Trader Joe's, Scrambled's fantastic, flavor-packed sauce, and my hubby picking up a few things at the store, we knocked these enchiladas out of the park!

I did not want to stop eating them- seriously! I have not normally been a huge fan of red-sauce enchiladas (see my recipe for "white enchiladas"), but this delicious flavor combination made me a believer!

Ground Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas

(printable version)

adapted from Scrambled

serves 6

1 1/2 lbs. ground turkey

1 TB oil, if needed

1 lg onion, diced

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 TB chili powder

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp cayenne

4 cloves garlic, minced

28 oz. tomato sauce

1/4 cup red wine

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

2 15-oz. cans black beans, drained and rinsed

12 whole wheat flour tortillas

cilantro and sour cream for garnish, if desired

Brown ground turkey. Drain and reserve fat (if there is any). Set turkey aside. 

Return 1 TB fat to pan (if there isn't any, add a TB of oil) and add onions. Sprinkle with salt and cook till soft, about 10 min. Add spices and cook one minute. Add garlic and cook an additional minute.

Add tomato sauce and red wine and bring to a boil. Add turkey to the sauce, reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. 

Using a slotted spoon, remove as much of the meat from the sauce as you can, placing it in a large bowl. Add beans and one cup of the cheese to turkey and mix well.

Spread 1/2 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan. Preheat oven to 375. Warm tortillas (place in microwave between paper towels for 10-15 sec. or until slightly warm).

Working one at a time, roll 1/4 cup of the meat/bean mixture into each tortilla. Place seam side down in the baking dish. Repeat for each one until the pan is full. Top with remaining sauce and cheese. 

Cover loosely with foil and bake 20-25 min. or until cheese has melted.

Garnish with cilantro and sour cream if desired.

Note: I found that these enchiladas do not freeze very well when prepared beforehand. I would recommend if you want to freeze half the batch that you freeze the filling, then when ready to use, thaw filling and roll enchiladas. Bake as directed.