Recently, I came across this show, Recipe Rehab, where they take a recipe and two chefs revamp something that is high calorie into something that is much healthier and full of flavor. The episode that I came across centered around a family’s cheese enchilada recipe. It looked delish but the calories had me going “Oh heck no!” Well, there was a familiar face on there – Jaden from Steamy Kitchen and she made a recipe with ricotta cheese that lightened everything up. There were a couple other tips in the episode that got me thinking and I decided to play in the kitchen. What resulted was an inspired tried and true recipe for Turkey and Cheese Enchiladas that I will use from now on. Plus – a homemade enchilada sauce is so much better than the canned in my opinion. Make sure to give this recipe a try and don’t forget the cocoa – trust me on this. It adds this flavor that you just can’t get from a jar.
On to the recipe:
Gather your ingredients
Adding a bit of spice
Viola – homemade enchilada sauce – so simple
OK – assembly time – and if the tortillas break, don’t sweat it – the sauce will cover
Fresh out of the oven
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Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil (I used some Mojo de Ajo)
- 3 tablespoons of chili powder
- 1 tablespoon of flour
- 1 8 ounce can of tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon of Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flakes (or cayenne pepper - depends on how spicy you like it)
- 1 cup of chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- 1 pound of ground turkey
- 1/2 of a small red onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese
- 1 1/2 cups of reduced fat Mexican blend cheese
- Salt and Pepper for seasoning.
- 12 corn tortillas
Instructions
- In a non-reactive saucepan, over medium heat, add the oil and heat for a minute or so.
- Add the chili powder and allow to bloom for a minute. Follow with the flour and stir until the flour is cooked for a minute or so.
- Whisk in the tomato sauce and let simmer until it is slightly thicker.
- Add the cumin, cocoa powder, Mexican oregano, smoked paprika, garlic powder and red pepper flakes and whisk in the chicken broth.
- Mix thoroughly and stir until the sauce is thickened.
- Keep warm while you prepare the enchilada filling.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Season the ground turkey with a bit of salt and pepper.
- To a large skillet, add the olive oil and let heat over medium high heat.
- Add the ground turkey and brown.
- Remove the browned turkey to a medium bowl and set aside.
- Add another teaspoon of olive oil to the skillet, followed by the onions.
- Cook the onions until translucent and add the minced garlic.
- Let cook for another minute or so and add the cooked onions and garlic to the turkey.
- Stir in the ricotta cheese and mix thoroughly.
- Lightly warm the tortillas, wrapped in a slightly damp kitchen towel, in a microwave until pliable (about 30 seconds or so - maybe longer)
- To assemble, spread a bit of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of a baking dish.
- To the warmed tortilla, add a bit of the turkey mixture, followed by a bit of the shredded cheese and a slight bit of the sauce.
- Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish. If they break - don't worry - you will be covering it with sauce. Call it rustic - I won't tell.
- Continue with the rest of the tortillas.
- When the baking dish is full, ladle the enchilada sauce over the rolled enchiladas.
- Top the sauce laden enchiladas with the remaining cheese and bake for about 20 minutes or so until the cheese is bubbling.
- Enjoy!
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