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A delicious dish made with layers of sliced sweet potatoes, ground turkey, enchilada sauce and goat cheese.
I woke up the other morning thinking, “I need enchiladas…”. True story. So 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!
Try my dairy-free taco dip or my taco zoodles for other delicious taco Tuesday healthy dinner ideas.
Please note, this is one of my early blogging recipes, with amateur photos, and in my “primal” or Paleo eating days. It was a big hit at the time which is why I have left it on my blog.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe is great
- It is naturally gluten-free and grain-free.
- You can omit the goat cheese to make it Paleo and Whole30.
- It is a great way to get enchilada flavor, but with less carbs.
Recipe ingredients
- chili powder, garlic powder, oregano, cumin
- chicken stock
- coconut flour
- red pepper
- onion
- ground turkey
- sweet potato
- goat cheese
- chopped tomatoes
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Make the enchilada sauce.
Step 2: Brown the ground turkey with onion and pepper.
Step 3: Layer the casserole with sweet potato, enchilada sauce, ground turkey, and goat cheese.
Expert tips
- To make sure the sweet potatoes are cooked, you have to make sure that a knife can easily go through the whole casserole.
- When serving, scoop the enchilada sauce leftover on the bottom of the casserole and pour it on top of the slice.
- For leftovers, store this dish in the fridge.
- Omit the goat cheese for strict Paleo or Whole30.
Other Paleo Whole30 meals that you will enjoy:
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Sweet Potato and Ground Turkey Enchilada Casserole
Ingredients
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!
Notes
- To make sure the sweet potatoes are cooked, you have to make sure that a knife can easily go through the whole casserole.
- When serving, scoop the enchilada sauce leftover on the bottom of the casserole and pour it on top of the slice.
- For leftovers, store this dish in the fridge.
- Omit the goat cheese for strict Paleo or Whole30.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was absolutely delicious.
A lot quicker then I thought it would but so yummy .
Thank you for this delicious dinner ( and leftover lunch)
YES! So happy to hear it!!
The sweet and savory taste of the sweet potato combined with the Mexican spices created a fantastic dish that will be made over and over. I did replace the goat cheese with a Mexican 4 cheese.
I’m so glad to hear it! Great idea to use Mexican cheese!
I made this for my family tonight. Pretty much followed the recipe. Used half chili powder, half chili/garlic powder. Used feta. Used white sweet potatoes.
OMG it was so good and my kids totally gobbled it up! This will be going into our regular dinner rotation!
yum yum yum! Feta sounds perfect here. Glad your kids enjoyed it too. 🙂
This was absolutely wonderful, the flavors work so well together!
🙂 Happy to hear it. This is one of my favorite casseroles!
This was absolutely delicious. I added a Moroccan spice blend and substituted feta instead of goat cheese because my partner doesn’t like goat cheese. It was truly wonderful. One suggestion–don’t slice the sweet potatos any less than half an inch thick or they will disintegrate. Still tastes great, but has even less structure.
Oh yummm I bet it tastes so good with Feta, I’ll have to try it. Thanks for the tip for slicing the sweet potatoes, that’s good to know! 🙂
I don’t follow paleo, but was looking for a good casserole. Added black beans to stretch for the kiddos and topped with sharp cheddar. So good!! I also changed some ingredients to the sauce that work for my family. Great dish! Will try with goats cheese one day.
So happy to hear it! I bet it is delicious with black beans and cheddar. 🙂
Is 4 TABLESPOONS correct? That seems like an awful lot for one dish!
It sounds like a lot, but works great for enchilada sauce 🙂 You could start with less and taste it to see how you like it?
This is an excellent recipe that is definitely worth making.
Thank you! 🙂
This dish was sooo delicious! I tried it out tonight and it will definitely be in rotation. I didn’t have enough chili powder so I subbed with 3T of the Flavor God Chipotle seasoning and it was very spicy, but delicious! Thanks for the adapting this to Paleo.
Great! I’m so glad you liked it and that it worked with the Flavor God Chipotle seasoning. I’ll have to test it out!
Love this recipe! Looks so delicious and I love how healthy it is.