Black Bean Turkey Enchiladas

Thanksgiving outdoors. November in Boston, backyard of my parents' house, a space heater borrowed from the neighbors, everyone in coats. My father grilled—I didn't know my father could grill but he has a kettle grill he uses for one occasion per year apparently and this was the occasion—and my mother did the oven work indoors and brought things out. Turkey, sweet potato casserole, roasted vegetables, my two pies. Eight people around a folding table in a backyard in November and it was still Thanksgiving. It was entirely Thanksgiving.

Sean Sr. held Nora for most of the afternoon. She was wearing Maureen's hand-knit hat and a coat and she sat in his arms surveying the yard with the authority of a ten-month-old who has just been granted a broader view. She bounced when the food smelled interesting, which was most of the afternoon. She ate sweet potato from a spoon I was holding between courses. She approved.

My mother cried when we said grace, which she does, and my father said a version of the same grace he always says and we ate and the cold was real and the food was hot and it was, despite everything, good. The particular gratitude of a hard year. The table still set. The people still here.

Liam ate three plates. He's two and a half. He ate like a construction worker. Sean Sr. said "he eats like his father did at that age" with a satisfaction that meant: yes, this is continuous, this is right.

The leftovers from that backyard Thanksgiving sat in my parents’ fridge for two days, and I kept thinking about them—that turkey my father somehow knew how to grill, the sweet potatoes Nora approved of from a spoon. When we got home, I didn’t want something new. I wanted to stretch that meal a little further, keep the warmth of it going. These black bean turkey enchiladas are what I made: the turkey folded into something saucy and hearty, the kind of dish that makes a hard-earned holiday feel like it still has one more night left in it.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups cooked turkey, shredded
1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce, divided
1 can (4 oz) diced green chiles
8 medium flour or corn tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend, divided
1 small yellow onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tbsp olive oil
1/3 cup sour cream, for serving
Fresh cilantro and sliced scallions, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat the oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and spread 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce across the bottom.
Sauté the aromatics. Warm olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook 4–5 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
Build the filling. Add the shredded turkey, black beans, green chiles, cumin, chili powder, paprika, and salt to the skillet. Stir to combine and cook 2–3 minutes until heated through. Remove from heat and stir in 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce and 1/2 cup of the shredded cheese.
Fill the tortillas. Lay a tortilla flat and spoon about 1/3 cup of the filling down the center. Roll tightly and place seam-side down in the prepared baking dish. Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling.
Sauce and top. Pour the remaining enchilada sauce evenly over the rolled enchiladas. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup of cheese over the top.
Bake. Cover loosely with foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 8–10 minutes until the cheese is bubbling and lightly golden at the edges.
Serve. Let rest 5 minutes before serving. Finish with sour cream, fresh cilantro, and sliced scallions.

Nutrition (per serving)

Black Bean Turkey Enchiladas — The Table Still Set