Most of us have a favorite way to use up Thanksgiving leftovers.  I’m freezing my leftover stuffing to use later this winter with the Cornish game hens I have in the freezer.  I usually make turkey soup, but yesterday, it occurred to me that I have all that green tomato salsa verde that I made earlier this fall, and why not use up the leftover carved turkey in some green enchiladas?   I hadn’t tried the sauce yet, and since I just picked another box of green tomatoes out of the greenhouse, I might want to make more of it.

I made two pans of enchiladas, one with gluten-free tortillas for me, and one with flour tortillas for the rest of the family.   And they liked it quite a bit, so I might be making more salsa verde this week.

I chopped three or four cups of leftover turkey, both white and dark meat, into bite-sized pieces.  This made six gluten-free enchiladas for me, and ten regular enchiladas for the family.  I had cheese already shredded in the freezer, so I used what I had, which was white cheddar.  My favorite cheese for green enchiladas is pepper jack, but Monterey jack is also good.  I lined my pans with foil because I plan to put any leftovers into the freezer for a quick, heat-up meal on rushed days.  The foil will allow me to lift the cooled enchiladas out of the pan, so I can wrap them with more foil and plastic for a tight seal.

Green Turkey Enchiladas

(makes 8-12 enchiladas)

1 pkg. medium-sized flour tortillas (12)

3 cups chopped turkey, light or dark meat or mixed

2 cups blended salsa verde (1 pint jar)

1 cup chopped onions

1 small can sliced black olives

2 cups shredded cheese

1 cup chunky salsa verde

Spray the bottom of a 13X9 inch pan with cooking spray (or oil it with a pastry brush) and spread a generous spoonful of sauce on the bottom of the pan.  Reserve a quarter cup of sauce for spreading on top.  Mix the rest of the sauce in a large bowl with the turkey, onions, chunky salsa verde, and olives.  It’s easiest to mix the cheese in at this point as well, reserving a quarter cup for the top.  What you end up with doesn’t look that tasty, but it will be, I promise.

Starting at one edge, place 3-4 tablespoons of the turkey filling mixture along the edge of the tortilla.  Roll it up and place it seam side down in the pan.  Continue until you have used all the filling mixture (you may have leftover tortillas).  Paint the tops of the enchiladas with the reserved sauce and sprinkle with reserved cheese.  Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until enchiladas are bubbly and cheese is melted and golden brown.

Serving suggestions:  Top with sour cream, more of the chunky salsa verde, chopped avocado, pico de gallo.  Black beans with garlic and lime make a nice side dish.  With a green salad, you have a complete meal.

This dish was a hit with the family.  We finished the meal with a recipe of my daughter’s, a pumpkin pie milk shake.  The first time she made this, she included the pie crust from the leftover pie, but we have since decided it’s better without the crust, so we make extra custard now specifically for this dessert.  We first used homestyle vanilla ice cream, but last year, we discovered that Dulce de Leche ice cream adds depth.  You can turn this into an adult drink with the addition of a shot per serving of the alcohol of your choice.  Rum, bourbon, or brandy are all good choices.  Of course, you can always just eat the pumpkin pie as is!

Amy’s Pumpkin Pie Milk Shake

(makes about 4 one cup servings)

1 quart  of Dulce de Leche ice cream

1 cup milk

1 cup leftover pumpkin pie custard

whipped cream (optional)

Blend all ingredients together and pour into glasses.  Garnish with whipped cream.

Later this week, I will make turkey soup out of the pan drippings in the fridge and the two carcasses in the freezer.  If you’ve got a good recipe for using up Thanksgiving leftovers, I’d love to hear it.