White Turkey Enchilada Pie

White Turkey Enchilada Pie

Instead of wrapping tortillas around a filling and baking the rolls in a sauce in the oven, this enchilada pie just layers the tortillas with the filling, making it easy to cut into wedges to serve. It's a lot easier to assemble too!

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To be perfectly honest, this recipe for white turkey enchilada pie came about because I didn’t have a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole readily available (it was in the basement, which yes, indicates how lazy I was feeling!). I did, however, have a round 2-quart casserole dish right there so decided that instead of rolling the tortillas around the filling, covering them with sauce and baking, it would be a great idea to just place the round tortillas into the round baker with layers of sauce, filling and cheese in between. Et voilà, the enchilada pie was born.

You do have some prep to do when making this, but if you’re starting with leftover cooked turkey you’re already away to the races already. Make the filling by sautéing a few veg and mixing it with the turkey, pinto beans and spices. Then, in a separate pan, make the Pepper Jack cheese sauce, which has some nice kick to it. (If you’re not one for spicy foods, you can use Monterey Jack instead of Pepper Jack.)

Filling for enchiladas in a saute pan with a wooden spoon.

Then, it all comes down to just building the casserole. A little liquid in the bottom of the casserole will keep the bottom tortilla moist, so give the bottom a good covering with sauce. Layer tortilla, filling and cheese until you have three complete layers. Then it’s time for the sauce.

Building white turkey enchilada pie - tortillas, cheese sauce, filling and a casserole dish.

Pour the sauce over the top of the casserole carefully so that you don’t overflow. Nudge the layers a little so that the sauce can flow down the sides and coat everything. Because the casserole will be quite full, be sure to put it on a baking sheet before transferring it to the oven. That will save you any headaches later on should it overflow as it bakes. (I really hate cleaning the oven.)

Cheese sauce covering a casserole on a cement countertop.

The enchilada pie is beautiful when it first comes out of the oven, but it does benefit from a few minutes to cool and settle a little. Time will also make it easier to cut into wedges.

White Turkey Enchilada Pie in a green casserole on a counter with a brown and black towel and server near by.

When that times comes, serve the white turkey enchilada pie with a side salad, some avocado, a little salsa perhaps, or go all out and make some rice and beans to go with it.

Turkey enchilada pie in a green casserole with a wedge removed and sitting on a white plate in the background.

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White Turkey Enchilada Pie

Nutrition Info Print Recipe
  • Prep Time: 30 m
  • Cook Time: 30 m
  • Resting Time: 10 m
  • Total Time: 1 h 10 m
  • Servings:
    6

Ingredients

White sauce:
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • 1¼ cups milk
  • 2 cups grated Pepper Jack cheese
Enchiladas:
  • olive oil
  • 1 onion sliced
  • 1 red bell pepper sliced
  • 1 green bell pepper sliced
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup water
  • 3 cups shredded cooked turkey
  • 1 (16-ounccan pinto beans drained and rinsed
  • 1½ cups grated white Cheddar cheese
  • 4 (10-incflour tortillas
  • chopped scallions
Toppings (optional):
  • sliced black olives
  • diced avocado
  • diced tomatoes

Instructions

  1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and stir the two together into a paste. Pour the milk into the saucepan and whisk until the sauce comes to a boil. Once at the boil, let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes until it starts to thicken and coats the back of a spoon. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the Pepper Jack cheese. Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.
  2. Pre-heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sauté the onion until it starts to brown – about 8 minutes. Add the peppers and sauté until they start to soften – another 5 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and water and sauté for another minute. Stir in the shredded cooked turkey and pinto beans. Heat through for another minute and then remove the pan from the heat.
  3. Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
  4. Spread some sauce on the bottom of a round 2-quart casserole dish. Place a tortilla on top of the sauce. Spread a third of the turkey mixture on the tortilla and top with a third of the grated Cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers of tortilla, turkey and cheese two more times. Top with the last tortilla and pour the remaining sauce over the top, allowing it drip down the sides into the casserole dish. Place the casserole onto a baking sheet and transfer it to the oven.
  5. Bake at 350°F for 30 minutes, until lightly browned on top.
  6. Let the enchilada pie rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with chopped scallions. Cut into wedges and serve with diced tomatoes, avocados and black olives if desired.
Enjoy,
If you made this recipe, please add your comments and ratings below.

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Comments (11)Post a Reply

  2. LOVE your ideas! This is a great recipe!
    If you’re ever in a real hurry and want an even quicker version of this you might try your “stacking” version with my Chicken Enchiladas Verde version that is like regular enchiladas w/o having to cook veggies. I use bottled enchilada Verde’ sauce. Follow your stacking instructions using the turkey/chicken, Verde’ sauce, cheese of choice. YUMMY! We also like a few chopped raw onions sprinkled on top before the cheese.
    Note: I’m so glad you came up with the stacking method because my family loves Chicken Enchiladas w/Verde Sauce, but I don’t make it often because of the time and mess it makes rolling enchiladas. This is my new “go to” recipe for this dish.
    Thanks a Million…..you REALLY ROCK!

    Reply

  3. 5 stars
    I made this tonight for the first time and my family loved it! It was perfect comfort food, with a bit of a kick. Perfect with a green salad and a little Easter chocolate 😉 Thank you Blue Jean Chef!

    Reply

  4. 5 stars
    I made this for my 15 year old son who can never get enough to eat …. it is ABSOLUTELY delicious! I could not stop at one serving …. I didn’t have turkey, so I used ground turkey …. thus will be a regular dish for us here forth !

    Reply

  6. 5 stars
    Mad the enchilada pie, but used shredded roasted chicken and replaced the pinto beans with canned Lima beans to make it more low carb. I also used low carb tortillas. Really LOVED it. Will make it again. Love your doggy pictures, too.

    Reply

  7. 5 stars
    Made this last night. What a great way to use leftover turkey. It was delicious!
    We won’t want to wait until we have turkey again, so will use chicken next time. Thanks for all you’d for us.

    Reply

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