Instant Pot (leftover) Turkey Enchilada Casserole

Looking for a tasty dish to use up some Thanksgiving leftover turkey? Tired of sandwiches and soup? Well, look no further - I adapted an old family favorite (Chicken Enchilada Casserole) to the Instant Pot, and it turned out pretty darned good. Yes, I experienced a couple of hiccoughs, but that is to be expected - so I will show what I did and what I will do next time. Lessons learned, easily fixed.

Traditional enchiladas are a lot of work - wetting the tortillas, rolling with filling, placing in a pan and covering with sauce. These are made layered like lasagna, so they are faster and less messy to make. And with already cooked turkey (or leftover chicken - or even rotisserie chicken), easier and faster than ever. This is a pot-in-pot recipe.

So to start. The ingredients are as follows:

Leftover turkey (about 2 cups), diced

Condensed cream of chicken soup

10 oz can enchilada sauce

Shredded mexican cheese (or jack and cheddar - about 1 1/2 cup)

Corn tortillas
Half an onion, diced

You also need a 7"x3" round container. I used a springform I bought from It's In The Pot - it is a great container, and worked well, except I would have been better with a large glass or ceramic container. It turns out, this doesn't set up like a lasagna, as I hoped it would. Still tastes great, but because it stays runny, a springform is not the best choice.

Now, I wanted to make more, so I ended up using an additional can of soup and a can of El Pato tomato sauce

Start by dicing the onion, and mixing with the soup and enchilada sauce.

Then get your pot ready. Add a small amount of sauce in the bottom of the pot and place one tortilla.

(I thought I could use parchment paper and no sauce on the bottom. Not a good plan. Best to use the right pot and add sauce to the bottom)

Then add 1 cup of diced turkey and spread to cover

Top with 1 cup of sauce and spread to cover

Add 1/2 cup of cheese, spread evenly.

Repeat, adding a tortilla, turkey, sauce and cheese

Top with a third tortilla, and add remaining sauce to the top

Top with 1/2 cup of cheese

And cover with foil. Important - spray the foil with nonstick spray to keep the cheese from sticking to it.

Add 1 1/2 cup water to the Instant Pot. Place the casserole on the trivet, and lower into the pot.

I picked up colored rings for my Instant Pot, so I could use them for different types of foods, and not worry about smells transferring.
Set the Instant Pot on Pressure Cook (or Manual) for 22 minutes.

Allow natural release for 15 minutes, then open. Dab or tip any excess water off the foil top, and remove from the Instant Pot.

(Optional but nice) Place the casserole under the broiler to crisp up the cheese a little. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving to firm up a little.

Sadly, the Turkey Enchilada casserole didn't set up like I hoped, so I ended up transferring it all to a glass casserole dish. But it came out great, and taste is what really matters. Dig in!

Top as you like, with sour cream, olive slices, etc. Personally, I like it just like it is, though sometimes I will add a little more cheese. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do!

Tools:

Instant Pot

Trivet

7" x 3" round pan for pot-in-pot cooking

Aluminum foil

non-stick cooking spray

Ingredients:

2 cups diced turkey (or chicken, cooked)
1 1/2 cup shredded Mexican cheese

1 can Condensed cream of chicken soup

1 10 oz can enchilada sauce

3 Corn tortillas
1/2 medium onion, diced

Directions:

Dice the onion small. Mix with enchilada sauce and soup. Dice the turkey.

Spread a small amount of the sauce in the bottom of the pan. Add one tortilla on top of it. Top with 1 cup turkey, spread evenly. Spread 1 cup sauce over turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over top. Repeat with tortilla, turkey, sauce, cheese, tortilla. Top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Spray aluminum foil with non-stick spray and cover pot.

Add 1 1/2 cup water to Instant Pot. Place casserole on trivet, and lower into the Instant Pot. Close lid and seal, set to Manual or Pressure cook (high) for 22 minutes. Allow 15 minutes natural release.

Let stand 15 minutes before serving

Optional - place uncovered casserole under broiler to brown and crisp cheese. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.