How did autumn arrive so quickly? Summer flew by in the blink of an eye and we are now waking up to shorter days and crisp, cool mornings.
Even though our family routines look a little different this fall, I still try to rely on meals that are healthy and easy to prepare. I also love adjusting my cooking to reflect the changing seasons. Comfort foods and seasonal ingredients are both on the menu as we transition into fall and winter. My ground turkey and sweet potato enchilada skillet blends a little of both.
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Meal Prep
Once you start cooking the enchilada skillet comes together pretty quickly. I always attempt to have all of the vegetables chopped, the tortillas cut, and the cheese grated ahead of time. Key word being attempt, but preparing ingredients in advance makes cooking so much easier!
Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Enchilada Skillet Cooking Tips
A 12 inch cast iron skillet works well to sauté the vegetables, and as an added bonus is oven safe. Once all the ingredients are in the skillet, you can just slide it right under the broiler.
This meal may also be customized for your taste buds. Depending on your heat tolerance, you can either use a mild restaurant style salsa or turn up the heat a notch with a spicy salsa. My kids and I are not spicy people, but my husband loves a spicy salsa. So I cook with a mild salsa and then my husband tops his off with a spicier version. A win for everyone!
Vegetarian? No problem. Just omit the ground turkey. Makes the meal even easier to clean up because it only requires one pan. Either way you will be rewarded with a delicious meal. A perfect comfort food for fall!
Looking for more fall dinner ideas? My Slow Cooker Apple Cider Chicken Sandwiches are another family favorite. Or try this Easy Maple Glazed Chicken and Sweet Potato sheet pan dinner. If you would like some tips for meal planning (doesn’t planning meals seem like such a challenge right now??), take a look at my post on how meal planning can make your weeks easier!
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1/2 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 cups sweet potatoes cut into approximately 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 8 yellow corn tortillas, cut into strips then halved (a pizza cutter works great for this)
- 15 ounce container of your favorite salsa
- 1 1/4 cup Monterey Jack or pepper jack cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
- salt and pepper
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Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks, 7-9 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink. Set aside.
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Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 4-5 minutes until the onions are translucent and fragrant. Toss in the minced garlic and sauté for another 60 seconds, keeping a close watch so the garlic does not burn.
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Add the sweet potatoes, along with the cumin and chili powder. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until all of the pieces are coated in the oil and seasoning. If necessary, add another tablespoon of olive oil so the potatoes don’t stick to the pan.
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Cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until the sweet potatoes are tender and can be pierced with a fork.
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Turn down the heat to medium low and add the can of black beans, corn tortilla pieces, cooked ground turkey, and salsa. Stir to combine, and simmer for a few minutes until heated through.
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Remove from heat and mix in ½ cup of cheese. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and broil in the oven on high for 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts and tortillas are slightly browned.
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Remove from the oven and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with sour cream, additional salsa, or diced avocados.
This sounds yummy. Lots of good ingredients in it that are also good for you. And of course there is the cheese—yum!
Cheese always makes meals better! I think you would like this one, Dad might too!
Oh my gosh this looks amazing. I am
Saving and making this one soon.
Thank you, it is such a good one for fall! Hope you enjoy it!
This sounds delicious. I will be adding it to my dinner ideas.
It is definitely a keeper! Hope it is for you too!
Ok…yum! I’m hungry now. I have to make this!
Why is it that just looking at food makes us hungry? 😉 Hope you enjoy!
That looks delicious! I wonder if it would taste just as good with a vegan meat alternative
Hi Camille! I haven’t tried a meat alternative but think it is definitely worth a try. Please let me know how it works out for you!
This sounds so delicious! I love finding new ways to use sweet potatoes.
I have been using sweet potatoes in so many dishes lately. It is always good to find new ways to cook with them!
This looks delicious- and like a recipe my whole family would enjoy! I am always looking for recipes that are fast and easy. Definitely trying this one!
Fast and easy for the win! I hope your family enjoys the recipe!
This dish looks really good and tasty, I am so excited to make this with my family and hope they will love it.
I hope they love it too! Enjoy!
This looks amazing! I need to make it soon!
Thank you! I have a running list of all of the recipes I need to try!
Now that it’s the fall season, I would love to incorporate more comfort foods in our daily meals and this is just perfect! Thank you for this recipe.
Hi Alyssa! You are very welcome. I agree, there is just something about fall that makes me want to start cooking up comfort meals! Hope you enjoy!
This sounds like a great fall recipe. And I love a one-put skillet meal!