Cheddar Turkey Enchiladas

"Yummy."

This was the general reaction I received last night while serving these enchiladas to my husband, parents and kids. The original recipe called for ground beef, but since I was doubling this recipe to bring to a friend who doesn't eat red meat, I made them with ground turkey instead - and with terrific results! I unfortunatley didn't take a picture of the final product, but believe me when I say they turned out really well.

I forgot where I got this original recipe from; I believe it was from some type of freezer cooking cookbook I checked out from the library a while back. I tweaked it a bit to suit our family's tastes. This makes a nice large batch of enchiladas; split the batch into two pans so you can eat one and freeze the other!

Cheddar Turkey Enchiladas

1 lb. ground turkey
1 envelope taco seasoning (I used 3 T. of this homemade taco seasoning)
1 c. water
2 c. cooked brown rice
1 can fat-free refried beans
2 c. shredded cheddar cheese
10-12 tortillas
1 jar (16 oz.) salsa (I used mild thick and chunky for my family)
1 can condensed low-fat cream of chicken soup

In a large skillet, cook turkey over medium heat until no longer pink; drain fat. Stir in taco seasoning and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes. Stir in rice. Cook and stir until liquid is evaporated.

Spread about 2 tablespoons of refried beans (I used a bit more), ¼ c. beef mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese (I used quite a bit more than 1 T. cheese in each tortilla since our family LOVES cheesy dishes) down the center of each tortilla; roll up. Place seam side down in two greased 13x9 baking dishes.

In a separate bowl, combine salsa and soup; pour down the center of enchiladas. Sprinkle with remaining cheese (I ran out of cheddar and ended up using some monterey jack on top of one pan which turned out fantastic as well).

Bake one casserole, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Cover and freeze remaining casserole up to three months.

To use frozen casserole: thaw in fridge overnight. Remove from fridge 30 minutes before baking. Cover and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Uncover, bake 5-10 more minutes or until heated through.