Recipe Wednesday: Baked Turkey & Cheese Chimichangas!

Hello, lovelies!

The weather here in New York State has been ungodly for the past few weeks. Ice storms, feet of snow, below zero temperatures, and wind chills, just to name a few. We have a space heater both downstairs AND upstairs in our small duplex apartment just to maintain a somewhat livable temperature of 64 degrees. Imagine me in 3 layers of clothes and huddled under blankets...and I'm still cold. Mr. J and I keep trying to come up with new ways to talk about how cold it is outside, but my favorite remains when my normally straight-laced J says, "It's colder than a witch's tit out there!" Gets me every time.

Naturally, I have been looking for excuses to turn the oven on. I baked whole wheat bread yesterday and was pretty pleased to open the oven door and stand in front of it after the loaves were done. What is more joyful (and painful) than feeling your toes thaw?

If you're also looking for a soul-warming meal on a cold night, you're invited to try this baked turkey and cheese chimichanga recipe. I adore the word "chimichanga," especially because it makes a fabulously funny appearance in Shrek Forever After:

Someone once told me that chimichanga translates as "thingamajig" in Spanish, which makes me like it even more. Does anyone know if that's true? Speaking of translations, this recipe is a bit of one. Chimichangas are traditionally deep fried and filled with chicken, beef, or pork. This simple version reduces calories but retains tons of flavor. The filling is rich and creamy thanks to the refried beans and cheese, and the salsa adds a tangy kick. Bonus: the tortillas still have a bit of crunch as they are baked uncovered without a topping!

Baked Turkey & Cheese Chimichangas

1 Tbs. extra virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground turkey
1/4 cup diced onion
1 tsp. chili powder
1 16-oz. can refried beans
1 3/4 cups salsa + more for topping
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack or Colby-Jack cheese
6 to 8 tortillas
1/2 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add turkey, onion, and chili powder. Cook until turkey is no longer pink.

Stir in the 1 3/4 cups salsa and the beans. Cook until heated through. Stir in cheese. When cheese is melted and combined thoroughly, turn off heat.

Spoon at least 1/2 cup of filling into each tortilla. Fold two sides of the tortilla over the filling and roll up to connect two remaining sides.

Place chimichangas seam-side down in baking dish. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes until crisp and browned.

Serve with salsa and sour cream on top!

This recipe will fill 6 tortillas to make very full chimichangas, or 8 normal-sized ones.

*Our favorite tortillas are the Food for Life brown rice frozen tortillas.
**Use whatever cheese you fancy, but I like Colby-Jack the most for its flavor and meltiness.
***I prefer organic and reduced sodium refried beans. I've yet to make them myself but it's on the to do list!

Much love,
Danni

ONE YEAR AGO: Baked Honey Brie

This recipe is linked to:
Kitchen Meets Girl