Trader Joe’s enchiladas use ground turkey, TJ’s Enchilada Sauce, TJ’s Homestyle Salsa Especial, and TJ’s Corn & Wheat Tortillas. Prep takes 20 minutes and the pans bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. The recipe fills 3 to 4 pans and serves 16.
The sauce is not just the enchilada sauce on its own. Two 12-ounce bottles of TJ’s Enchilada Sauce combine with two tubs of Salsa Especial and 1½ cups of chicken stock. Mixing the three together before assembly gives the liquid enough volume to coat every layer and keep the tortillas from drying out during the bake.
The turkey filling builds on more than ground meat. Two large white onions cook down with the turkey, and whole kernel corn and black beans bulk out the mixture so it stretches comfortably across all 16 servings.
Trader Joes Enchiladas Recipe
Course: DinnerCuisine: Mexican-AmericanDifficulty: Easy16
servings20
minutes25
minutes300
kcalThe spice mix that seasons the turkey includes cinnamon and nutmeg alongside the chili powder and cumin. Both are unusual in enchiladas, but they deepen the savory notes without adding sweetness, which is why the filling has more complexity than the ingredient list suggests.
Ingredients
- Spice mix
2 tbsp chili powder
3 tbsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp paprika
½ tsp nutmeg
1 tsp garlic powder
Salt and pepper to taste
- Filling
Olive oil, for cooking
2 large white onions, diced
3 lbs ground turkey
2 × 15 oz cans whole kernel corn, drained
2 × 15 oz cans black beans, drained
- Sauce
2 × 12 oz bottles Trader Joe’s Enchilada Sauce
2 × 12 oz tubs Trader Joe’s Homestyle Salsa Especial (mild)
1½ cups chicken stock
- Assembly
4 packages Trader Joe’s Corn & Wheat Tortillas (36 tortillas total)
6–8 cups white or Mexican cheese blend, grated
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 3 to 4 baking pans.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the ground turkey and all the spices. Cook until the turkey is no longer pink.
- Stir in the drained corn and black beans. Remove from heat.
- Whisk together the enchilada sauce, salsa especial, and chicken stock in a large bowl until combined.
- Dip each tortilla in the sauce mixture to coat. Add a scoop of filling, a handful of cheese, and roll tightly. Place seam-side down in the prepared pans.
- Pour any remaining sauce over the rolled enchiladas. Top with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the edges are bubbling.
Can I assemble these enchiladas ahead of time?
Yes, both pans can be assembled the night before and refrigerated overnight before baking. Pull them from the fridge 20 minutes before they go in so the cold center does not affect the cook time. Cover with foil for the first 15 minutes, then uncover for the last 10 to melt the cheese properly.
What if I cannot find TJ’s Homestyle Salsa Especial?
Any mild, chunky salsa close in consistency to TJ’s works here as a substitute. Avoid thin, smooth restaurant-style salsas since they make the sauce too loose and thin out the coating on the tortillas. A jar of medium-chunky supermarket salsa is the closest swap.
Can I use a different protein instead of ground turkey?
Chicken thighs, shredded after slow cooking, swap in directly for the ground turkey without changing anything else. The spice mix stays the same, and the corn and black beans go in just as written. Ground beef works too, though it will need draining before assembly to keep the filling from going greasy.
What other Trader Joe’s dinner works well for a crowd?
A Trader Joe’s gyro uses TJ’s gyro meat, flatbread, and tzatziki in a format that scales just as easily as these enchiladas. The trader joes gyro with flatbread at thecopycatcook.com walks through the full assembly. It comes together faster than these enchiladas and needs no oven time at all.
What if I want a Trader Joe’s pasta dish instead?
Pasta is the fastest Trader Joe’s dinner when oven time is not an option. A spinach dip pasta from trader joes uses TJ’s spinach dip as a ready-made sauce base and comes together in under 20 minutes on the stovetop. It serves a crowd on a weeknight without any baking or pan assembly.
