Sweet Potato and Ground Turkey Enchilada Casserole (paleo, GF)

I woke up the other morning thinking, “I need enchiladas…”. True story.

And rather than think about how weird that is (at least for someone who rarely eats enchiladas), I went on a mission to create an enchilada inspired Paleo dish that I could eat that day.

The result was this Sweet Potato and Ground Turkey Enchilada Casserole. And all I can say is… mission accomplished!

Now I do have to state the obvious… this casserole isn’t very pretty.

My amateur photography skills probably don’t help either, but the reason that I am posting this recipe ( the most important reason) is because it is AMAZINGLY delicious.

Like, needs to be in your regular rotation delicious.

Have I convinced you yet?

I layered thinly sliced sweet potatoes, ground turkey covered in home-made enchilada sauce, goat cheese, and chopped tomatoes in a cast iron casserole pot.

Its kind of pretty before it’s baked, right?

Then I put the whole thing into the oven for 45 minutes and out came this Paleo enchilada deliciousness.

I mean seriously, YUM!!

I officially am in love with using goat cheese with enchilada sauce…it’s a match made in heaven… better than cheddar if you ask me.

To make sure the sweet potatoes are cooked, you have to make sure that a knife can easily go through the whole casserole.

Then, it’s really all quite simple, cut the first slice of this casserole with a metal spatula.

Then scoop the enchilada sauce leftover on the bottom of the casserole and pour it on top of the slice.

I actually recommend that you pour that enchilada sauce on top of the whole casserole. It adds a nice texture to everything.

For anyone who loves enchiladas, this Sweet Potato and Ground Turkey Enchilada Casserole is a great way to get enchilada flavor in a Paleo format.

It also stores well in the fridge.

I put the casserole into the fridge and was able to enjoy this meal for days— it was really so great!!

Note: omit the goat cheese for strict Paleo or Whole30.

4.86 from 7 votes

Sweet Potato and Ground Turkey Enchilada Casserole

By: Dominique

Servings: 6

Cook: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Total: 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Sauce adapted from Gimme Some Oven’s Enchilada Sauce recipe

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Sauce ingredients:

• ▢ 1 Tbs olive oil
• ▢ 1 Tbs + 2 tsp coconut flour, ( I like Nutiva for quality and price)
• ▢ 4 Tbs chili powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp cumin
• ▢ 1/4 tsp oregano
• ▢ 2 cups organic chicken stock

Ground Turkey Ingredients:

• ▢ 2 tsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 red pepper, , diced
• ▢ 1/2 yellow onion, , diced
• ▢ 2 lbs ground turkey
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp pepper

Layering Ingredients:

• ▢ 1 sweet potato, , sliced thin
• ▢ 1 cup (8 ounces) crumbled goat cheese (Note: omit for strict Paleo and Whole30)
• ▢ 2 cup chopped tomatoes, ( I always use Pomi)

Instructions 

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

To start, make the enchilada sauce:

• Heat the 1 Tbs olive oil over medium-high heat in a sauce pan. Add 1 Tbs of the coconut flour into the oil and mix it into the oil. Let it cook for 30 seconds. (You’ll notice that it starts turning brown).
• Stir in the 4 Tbs of chili powder.
• Gradually add the chicken stock and whisk ( add 1/3 cup at a time, until a full 2 cups has been put into the pan).
• Then add the garlic powder, salt, cumin, and oregano to the mixture and stir.
• Reduce the heat to medium and let the sauce cook for 15 minutes.
• Then add 2 tsp of coconut flour to the sauce, whisk, and turn the heat off.

Next, cook the ground turkey:

• Put 2 tsp of olive oil into a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the diced onion and red pepper to the pan and cook for 4 minutes.
• Add the ground turkey, salt and pepper to the pan and cook until the ground turkey is browned.
• Strain any excess fat from the ground meat and then pour the enchilada sauce on top of it. Mix well.

Lastly, layer the casserole:

• Grease a cast iron casserole. I used a 3 quart cast iron casserole pot.
• Put one layer of sweet potatoes on the bottom of the pan (this was 1/2 of a large sweet potato for me). Top with 1/2 of the ground turkey mixture. Put 1 cup of chopped tomatoes on top of the ground turkey mixture and then put 1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese on top of that.
• Repeat with another layer of sweet potatoes, the other 1/2 of the ground turkey mixture, 1 cup of chopped tomatoes, and 1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese.
• Sprinkle with some oregano and put the casserole into the oven for 45 minutes.
• Cut the first slice of casserole with a metal spatula. Scoop up the enchilada sauce on the bottom of the casserole and top the slice and the whole casserole with it.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 412kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 47gFat: 17gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 103mgSodium: 948mgPotassium: 983mgFiber: 5gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 8074IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 120mgIron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Tried this recipe?Mention @perchancetocook or tag #perchancetocook!