Ground Turkey Taco Casserole

With rice, beans, cheese, salsa, and big, bold flavors, this Ground Turkey Taco Casserole is a Mexican-inspired dish. This tasty casserole is sure to make everyone in the family happy!

This hearty and comforting Ground Turkey Taco Casserole is for people who love Mexican food. It has big, bold flavors.
I’m here with a ground turkey version of my Ground Beef Taco Casserole to celebrate cheesy goodness and classic taco flavors.

The chewy rice, hearty beans, fresh veggies like onion, garlic, and bell peppers, and lots of cheese and salsa 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. Other than cooking the onion and ground turkey a little bit first, you just throw all the ingredients into a casserole dish, stir them up, and bake them!

Wow!

Get some of your favorite taco toppings, like fresh tomatoes, sour cream, green onions, extra cheese, and avocado.
I love the idea of making this Mexican-style casserole on the weekend so I can eat it for lunch at work or on busy weeknights.

Just heat up a big serving after a long day at work and enjoy the tacos.

Ingredients for Ground Turkey Taco Casserole

Let’s look at the short list of ingredients for ground turkey taco casserole. The good news is that you can find all of these simple ingredients at any grocery store.

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.
Keep in mind that different brands of chili powder have different amounts of spice, so choose one that you have used before that meets your spice level needs.

Recipe Adaptations:

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

Use ground chicken or ground beef instead of ground turkey meat.
Use taco seasoning instead of chili powder.
Instead of black beans, use pinto beans or kidney beans, or leave the beans out completely.
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.

Low-Carb Option:

Looking for a low-carb casserole recipe? Here’s what you can do.
Replace the rice with 4 cups of cauliflower rice. You can either make riced cauliflower yourself by pulsing cauliflower florets in a food processor, or you can buy a couple of bags of riced cauliflower from the freezer section of the grocery store.

Since we are no longer using rice, we need less liquid. Use 1/2 cup to 1 cup of broth. Base the amount you use on how the filling of the casserole looks. You want it to appear moist without being overly watery.

Recipe 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 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.

Storage and Serving Suggestions

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.

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.