Quick Turkey and Bean Burritos

Roasting a turkey, like we did over the New Year's weekend, leaves one with a lot of leftover turkey.  A lot of it went into frozen lunches consisting of turkey, stuffing, gravy, cranberry sauce and baked sweet potatoes, and some more went into Turkey Soup, which used turkey stock made from the turkey carcass.   That still left us with several pounds of leftover roast turkey, though, including one full turkey breast.  I used some of that leftover turkey to make turkey burritos.

Most people probably don't think of Mexican food when they think of turkey.  Chicken is much more typical, but other sorts of poultry work just fine with Mexican cuisine, and in this particular case, using already-roasted turkey meat - mostly breast meat - makes for a quick, low-fat meal with lots of flavor.   You might not find this sort of burrito on the menu at very many Mexican restaurants, but if you give it a try, I think you'll find it a big hit at your own table.

Quick Turkey and Bean Burritos

yield = serves 6

1         tablespoon canola oil
1         large white onion, finely chopped
1         pound cooked turkey, chopped and shredded
1         can chili beans
1         can black beans, drained and rinsed
3/4      cup taco sauce
1/2      cup turkey (or chicken) stock (or broth)
4         teaspoons fresh lime juice
2         teaspoons medium chili powder
1         teaspoon ground cumin
1/2      teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/4      teaspoon table salt
6         tortillas
1         cup shredded cheddar or Mexican white cheese
2         tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering.  Add onion and cook until soft, stirring frequently.  Add turkey and cook until slightly browned.   Add beans, taco sauce, lime juice, chili powder, cumin, black pepper and salt.  Cook 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened.

Spoon 1/6 of the turkey mixture down the middle of one tortilla, then top it with some cheese and cilantro.  Fold in one end of the tortilla, then one side to cover the turkey mixture, then roll the other side of the burrito over to make a burrito.  Repeat with the remainder of the turkey mixture and burritos, then serve.

Note:

If you don't have any cooked turkey, you can make this recipe with fresh ground turkey.  Use 1 1/4 pound of ground turkey and add it in place of the cooked turkey, cooking it through until it is cooked and slightly browned.  You can also use cooked chicken in place of the turkey.