Ground Turkey Taco Casserole

Ground Turkey Taco Casserole with rice, beans, cheese, salsa, and big bold flavors to create a Mexican-inspired meal. This flavorful casserole is bound to please the whole family!

Featuring big bold flavors, this hearty and comforting Ground Turkey Taco Casserole is here for Mexican food lovers.

Inspired by my Ground Beef Taco Casserole, I’m here with a ground turkey version, celebrating cheesy goodness and classic taco flavors.

The combination of chewy rice, hearty beans, fresh veggies like onion, garlic and bell peppers, engulfed in salsa and plenty of cheese is a gooey fiesta for your taste buds!

One of my favorite parts about the recipe is it requires very little preparation. Aside from giving the onion and ground turkey a little pre-cook, every single ingredient gets dumped into a casserole dish, stirred, and baked! 

Magic!

Be sure to pick up some of your favorite taco toppings, like green onions, fresh tomatoes, sour cream, fresh cilantro, extra cheese, and avocado. 

I love the idea of preparing this Mexican-inspired casserole over the weekend to enjoy for work lunches or on busy weeknights.

Simply warm up a heaping portion after a long day of work and relax into the taco goodness. 

Let’s go over the simple ingredients list for ground turkey taco casserole. The great news is all of these straightforward ingredients can be found at any grocery store.

Ingredients For Ground Turkey Taco Casserole:

Ground Turkey: One pound of lean ground turkey is the lean protein source of the meal. Use 99% lean or 97% lean – both options work great. 

Vegetables: Yellow onion, fresh garlic, and bell peppers are the fresh veggies that go into this cheesy casserole to add some refreshing flavor. 

Avocado Oil or Olive Oil: Used to sauté the onion and brown the meat, we need some form of cooking oil. I like using avocado oil because it is high in omega 3 fatty acids and has a high smoke point.

Salsa and Green Chilis: Use your favorite store-bought tomato salsa and a can of green chilies to add a great deal 

Black Beans: Bringing fun texture, some dietary fiber, and a filling element to the meal, we add a can of black beans. 

Uncooked White Rice: The all star ingredient that joins all of the other ingredients together in carby holy matrimony. Be sure to use uncooked (dry) long-grain white rice for the best results.

While brown rice can be used in casseroles, you will need to adjust the cooking time much longer for the rice to cook. 

Chicken Broth: Used for the cooking liquid to cook the rice, we need some form of broth. I like using chicken broth or chicken stock but beef broth or even water works too. I like the added flavor that comes with broth so I recommend sticking with the broth option.

Colby Jack Cheese: We need about three cups of grated cheese for this goo fest! I like grating a block of cheese rather than buying pre-shredded cheese like a Mexican cheese blend because it melts better for the ultimate 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: Seasoning the casserole with chili powder and sea salt is what brings the classic taco flavor to the dish.

Note that varying brands of chili powders have different levels of spice so pick one you have used in the past that is suitable to your spice level needs.

There are many ways you can customize this recipe to fit your palate. Here are some ideas.

Recipe Adaptations:

• Use ground chicken or ground beef instead of ground turkey meat.
• Swap out the chili powder for taco seasoning. 
• Use pinto beans or kidney beans instead of black beans or omit the beans altogether.
• If you prefer using brown rice, use 2.5 cups of pre-cooked brown rice and reduce the amount of chicken broth to ½ cup. 
• Reduce the amount of cheese to 1 to 2 cups for fewer calories and less fat.
• Use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder instead of fresh garlic if you prefer.
• Rather than using one cup salsa, use enchilada sauce or taco sauce.
• ​Turn this into a ground turkey skillet by preparing the recipe on the stove top rather than following the baking instructions.
• Replace the ground meat with 3 to 4 cups of shredded leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.

Now that we’ve covered the basic ingredients, let’s whip up this taco-inspired cheesy casserole.

How to Make Ground Turkey Taco Casserole:

Preheat the oven to 375 and spray a 13” x 9” casserole dish with cooking spray.

Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the raw ground turkey to the skillet and use a spatula to chop it into bite-sized bits. The ground turkey doesn’t need to be cooked through just yet, but cook it until much of the pink is gone. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.

Transfer the chopped bell pepper, minced garlic, chili powder, chicken broth, salsa, uncooked white rice, drained black beans, green chiles and sea salt to the prepared baking dish. Stir everything well until combined.

Stir in the ground turkey and onion mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top.

Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil.

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. Initially, the casserole will look slightly liquidy, but this liquid will absorb into the rice the longer the casserole sits.

Because this turkey taco casserole recipe tastes even better the next day and the 2-3 days following preparation, I’m a big fan of making it in advance.

Serve the casserole with your choice of toppings such as chopped or sliced avocado, guacamole, black olives, corn chips, sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, olives, pico de gallo, extra shredded cheese, etc.

You can also serve the casserole with refried beans and flour tortillas or corn tortillas so that people can make tacos or burritos out of the casserole.

How to Store a Casserole:

Store leftover casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You can also wrap the casserole dish in plastic wrap or the foil you used to bake it for storage.

Try storing individual portions in separate meal prep containers to make easy weeknight meals a breeze.

The next time you’re craving a hunk of cheesy lovin’ and/or Mexican food, whip up this easy casserole!

And easy way of getting quick weeknight dinners on the table, this Mexican casserole is here to impress the entire family.

If you enjoy making casseroles, be sure to try out my other gluten-free casserole recipes.

More Casserole Recipes:

• Creamy Chicken Noodle Casserole
• Tuna Noodle Casserole 
• Mediterranean Breakfast Casserole
• Chicken and Rice Enchilada Casserole 
• Salsa Verde Chicken and Rice Casserole

All your favorite ingredients in one spot? Make it for your next family dinner or taco night!

Ground Turkey Taco Casserole

A dreamy, cheesy casserole featuring lean ground turkey, rice, beans, an abundance of taco flavor and plenty of cheese! The whole family will love this hearty weeknight meal!

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes minutes

8 Servings

Equipment

• ▢
  Large Casserole Dish

Ingredients

• ▢ 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, sliced
• ▢ 3 stalks green onion, chopped
• ▢ ½ cup sour cream
• ▢ ½ cup to 1 cup salsa

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375 and spray a 13” x 9” casserole dish with cooking spray.
• Heat the avocado oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chopped onion and sauté until softened, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the raw ground turkey to the skillet and use a spatula to chop it into bite-sized bits. The ground turkey doesn’t need to be cooked through just yet, but cook it until much of the pink is gone. Sprinkle lightly with sea salt.
• Transfer the chopped bell pepper, minced garlic, chili powder, chicken broth, salsa, uncooked white rice, drained black beans, green chiles and sea salt to the prepared baking dish. Stir everything well until combined.
• Stir in the ground turkey and onion mixture and sprinkle the cheese on top.
• Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes.
• Remove the baking dish from the oven and remove the foil.
• 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. Initially, the casserole will look slightly liquidy, but this liquid will absorb into the rice the longer the casserole sits.
• Serve the casserole with your choice of toppings such as chopped or sliced avocado, guacamole, black olives, corn chips, sour cream, salsa, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, olives, pico de gallo, extra shredded cheese, etc.

Notes

*Use your favorite store-bought salsa, homemade salsa or enchilada sauce. Salsa verde, a classic tomato salsa, or enchilada sauce are my favorites. Pick the spice level according to your personal spice tolerance. I like using hot salsa for spicy taco casserole.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving (of 8) – Calories: 412kcal – Carbohydrates: 31g – Protein: 30g – Fat: 18g – Saturated Fat: 9g – Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g – Monounsaturated Fat: 5g – Cholesterol: 83mg – Sodium: 450mg – Fiber: 7g – Sugar: 3g

Course: Main Dishes, Turkey Main Dishes

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: casserole recipes, cheesy casserole recipes, gluten free casserole recipes, ground turkey taco casserole, healthy casserole, healthy dinner recipes

Servings: 8 Servings

Calories: 412kcal

Author: Julia

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