Turkey, Rice and Black Bean Enchiladas

Roasted turkey, seasoned rice and chili-style beans, nestled into flour tortillas, topped with salsa, cheddar and pepper jack and baked until amazing. Imagine how that scenario plays out on your palette. I know, I've been there. And I  made these insanely awesome enchiladas with my leftover Thanksgiving turkey. So glad I did.

How spicy to make it? Since I've been there with this dish, that's really up to you. I used a spicy salsa and it knocked my socks off. My boys devoured every last crumb, while I wiped the tears from my eyes. It could have been the combo of the spicy salsa with a good-quality pepper jack (also spicy). You know what you can handle. I clearly didn't.

No turkey in the house? No problem! This is a great dish for chicken. Since the recipe calls for cooked chicken, consider throwing an extra chicken breast in the oven the next time you're roasting chicken so you can plan for this dish. Otherwise, use any leftover chicken, or the cooked chicken from the prepared foods section of the grocery store, or shredded rotisserie chicken.

Prep ahead friendly: Yep, you can assemble this dish up to 2 days in advance and refrigerate before baking. Pull the baking dish from the fridge 30 minutes before baking to bring the dish closer to room temperature. Bingo, dinner is served.

Turkey, Rice and Black Bean Enchiladas

1 cup white rice
2 cups chicken broth or water
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon Mexican spice blend of choice (taco and fajita seasonings work too), plus more for sprinkling over top
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cups cubed or shredded cooked turkey or chicken
15-ounce can seasoned black beans, undrained
8 fajita-size soft flour tortillas
1 cup prepared salsa of choice, mild, medium or hot
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
Chopped green onions, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium saucepan, combine the rice, broth, butter, 1 teaspoon of the Mexican seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the black beans (with the sauce from the can) and cook, covered, for 5 more minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the turkey.
Arrange the tortillas on a flat surface. Spoon the turkey and rice mixture onto the center of each tortilla, making a line down the center. Roll up tightly and place the enchiladas side-by-side (tightly nestled) in a shallow baking dish. Top with the salsa and both cheeses. Sprinkle a little of the Mexican seasoning over top (just a light dusting).
Bake, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the cheese melts and the flour tortillas start to turn golden brown on the exposed areas.
Top with green onions before serving if desired.

Serves 4