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Healthy Enchilada Skillet

Healthy enchilada skillet with lean ground turkey, black beans, corn, and red enchilada sauce simmered until thick. One-pan enchilada skillet topped with melted Mexican cheese and fresh cilantro for a quick Mexican dinner.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings: 5 servings
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Tex-Mex
Calories: 430
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

lean ground turkey
  • 1 lb lean ground turkey
onion
  • 1 onion
garlic
  • 3 garlic cloves
black beans
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans drained
corn
  • 1 cup frozen corn thawed
red enchilada sauce
  • 1 can (10 oz) red enchilada sauce
diced tomatoes
  • 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes drained
chili powder
  • 2 tsp chili powder
cumin
  • 1 tsp cumin
smoked paprika
  • 0.5 tsp smoked paprika
salt
  • 0.25 tsp salt to taste (start with a pinch and adjust)
Mexican cheese blend
  • 0.5 cup Mexican cheese blend
cilantro
  • 1 cilantro for serving
avocado
  • 1 avocado sliced, for serving
lime
  • 1 lime wedges or squeeze, for serving

Equipment

  • 1 cast iron skillet

Method
 

Cook the turkey base
  1. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add lean ground turkey, breaking it apart as it cooks until no longer pink; drain any excess liquid.
  2. Add diced onion and cook for 3 minutes until soft, then stir in minced garlic and cook 1 minute.
Simmer enchilada filling
  1. Stir in chili powder, cumin, and smoked paprika, then add black beans, corn, diced tomatoes, and red enchilada sauce.
  2. Stir everything together and simmer for 8–10 minutes over medium-high heat, until heated through and the sauce thickens slightly.
Melt cheese and serve
  1. Sprinkle Mexican cheese blend over the top and cover the skillet for 2 minutes until melted.
  2. Serve topped with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and a squeeze of lime.

Notes

Pro tip: drain the turkey well before adding the beans and sauce so the enchilada sauce thickens instead of turning watery. Store leftovers in the refrigerator up to 4 days; reheat in a skillet over medium heat until hot. Freezing isn’t recommended because the cheese and veggies can change texture. For a lower-sodium option, choose reduced-sodium enchilada sauce and season with salt only at the end to taste.