Ground Turkey Taco Casserole

This Mexican-inspired meal has ground turkey, rice, beans, cheese, salsa, and big, bold flavors. Everyone in the family will love this tasty casserole!

Introduction

This Ground Turkey Taco Casserole is for people who love Mexican food. It has big, bold flavors and is filling and comforting.
This is a ground turkey version of my Ground Beef Taco Casserole, and it’s a celebration of cheesy goodness and classic taco flavors.

The chewy rice, hearty beans, fresh vegetables like onion, garlic, and bell peppers, all covered in salsa and lots of cheese, make for a gooey fiesta for your taste buds!

One of the best things about the recipe is that it doesn’t take much time to get ready. You only need to cook the onion and ground turkey a little bit before putting all the other ingredients in a casserole dish, stirring them together, and baking them.

Wow!

I love the idea of making this Mexican-inspired casserole on the weekend so I can eat it for lunch at work or on busy weeknights.

After a long day of work, just heat up a big portion and enjoy the taco goodness.

What You Need to Make Ground Turkey Taco Casserole:

Ground Turkey: The meal’s lean protein comes from one pound of lean ground turkey. You can use either 99% lean or 97% lean, and both work well.

Fresh veggies like yellow onion, garlic, and bell peppers add a fresh taste to this cheesy casserole.

We need some kind of cooking oil, like avocado oil or olive oil, to sauté the onion and brown the meat. I like avocado oil because it has a lot of omega-3 fatty acids and a high smoke point.

Salsa and Green Chilis: To make a lot of salsa, use your favorite store-bought tomato salsa and a can of green chilies.

We add a can of black beans to the meal to give it a fun texture, some dietary fiber, and something to fill you up.

Uncooked white rice is the star ingredient that brings all the other ingredients together in a carby holy matrimony. For the best results, make sure to use uncooked (dry) long-grain white rice.

You can use brown rice in casseroles, but you will need to cook it for a lot longer than usual.

Chicken broth is needed because it is the cooking liquid that cooks the rice. Beef broth or even water works, but I like to use chicken broth or chicken stock. I think you should stick with the broth option because it adds flavor.

Colby Jack Cheese: For this goo fest, we need about three cups of grated cheese. I prefer grating a block of cheese to buying pre-shredded cheese like a Mexican cheese blend because it melts better and gives you the best creamy, gooey experience.
You can use any kind of melting cheese you enjoy, including Monterey jack cheese, cheddar cheese, or pepper jack cheese.

Chili powder and sea salt: Adding chili powder and sea salt to the casserole gives it the classic taco flavor.

Different brands of chili powders have different levels of heat, so choose one that you have used before that fits your heat level needs.

Changes to the recipe:

• Instead of ground turkey, you can use ground chicken or ground beef.
• Taco seasoning can be used instead of chili powder.
• You can use pinto beans or kidney beans instead of black beans, or you can leave out the beans entirely.
• If you like brown rice better, use 2.5 cups of pre-cooked brown rice and cut the chicken broth down to half a cup.
• Cut the cheese down to 1 to 2 cups to cut down on calories and fat.
• If you want, you can use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder instead of fresh garlic.
• Use enchilada sauce or taco sauce instead of one cup of salsa.
• If you want to make this into a ground turkey skillet, cook it on the stove instead of in the oven.
• Instead of ground meat, use 3 to 4 cups of shredded turkey from Thanksgiving.

Low-Carb Option:

Are you looking for a casserole recipe that doesn’t have many carbs? You can do this.

Use 4 cups of cauliflower rice instead of the rice. You can either make riced cauliflower by putting cauliflower florets in a food processor and pulsing them, or you can buy a few bags of it from the freezer section of the grocery store.

We need less liquid now that we’re not using rice anymore. Add 1/2 to 1 cup of broth. Base the amount you use on how the filling of the casserole looks. It should look moist but not too watery.

Ingredients List

• 1 Tbsp avocado oil or olive oil
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 4 cloves garlic minced
• 3 Tbsp chili powder
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup salsa*
• ⅔ cup white rice
• 1 (15-oz) can black beans, drained
• 1 (7-oz) can green chilis
• 1 tsp sea salt to taste
• 3 cups grated colby jack cheese

For Serving

• 1 ripe avocado, cut into pieces
• 3 stalks of green onion, chopped
• ½ cup of sour cream
• ½ cup to 1 cup of salsa

Instructions to Make Ground Turkey Taco Casserole

1. Set the oven to 375 degrees and spray a 13″ x 9″ casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Put the avocado oil in a big skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until it is soft.
3. Put the raw ground turkey in the skillet and use a spatula to cut it into small pieces. You don’t have to cook the ground turkey all the way through yet, but you should cook it until most of the pink is gone. Lightly sprinkle with sea salt.

4. Put the chopped bell pepper, minced garlic, chili powder, chicken broth, salsa, uncooked white rice, drained black beans, green chiles, and sea salt into the prepared baking dish. Mix everything together well.
5. Add the ground turkey and onion mixture and cheese on top.
6. Put aluminum foil over the casserole dish and bake it for 45 minutes.
7. Take the baking dish out of the oven and take off the foil.
8. Place the oven on the High Broil setting and broil the casserole for 5 to 8 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and turns slightly golden brown. At first, the casserole will look a little watery, but as it sits, the water will soak into the rice.

You can top the casserole with any of the following: chopped or sliced avocado, guacamole, black olives, corn chips, sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, olives, pico de gallo, extra shredded cheese, and more.

Make sure to get some of your favorite taco toppings, such as green onions, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, fresh cilantro, extra cheese, and avocado.

You can also give people refried beans and flour or corn tortillas to go with the casserole so they can make tacos or burritos out of it.

Storage and Meal Prep

I like to make this turkey taco casserole ahead of time because it tastes even better the next day and for the next two to three days.

How to Keep a Casserole: You can keep leftover casserole in the fridge for up to a week in an airtight container. You can also use plastic wrap or the foil you used to bake the casserole to cover it up for storage.
Put each serving in its own meal prep container to make weeknight meals even easier.

If you want some cheesy lovin’ or Mexican food, make this easy casserole the next time you want it!

This Mexican casserole is an easy way to get quick weeknight dinners on the table that will impress everyone in the family.