Ground Turkey Casserole Recipe

Since I don’t cook quinoa often, I always get a bit nervous when I see it in a recipe. However, practice makes perfect, right? If, like me, you’re unsure about recipes solely due to them consisting of Quinoa, don’t fret. This recipe is extremely simple.

If you’re trying to have more meatless meals, you can use a vegan ground turkey replacement, but I haven’t made this with one yet. Therefore, I won’t recommend the best replacement. If you happen to know which replacement works best to make this a vegetarian-friendly dish, please comment and let me know! Thanks in advance!

Quinoa has several health benefits.

However, be cautious when serving it without checking for food allergies. It doesn’t mean you must omit it from the recipe, but according to Healthline:

“[…] eating quinoa may cause stomachaches, itchy skin, hives, and other common symptoms of food allergies. The seed and its coating contain the compound saponin, which could cause these symptoms. If you’re allergic to quinoa or sensitive to saponin, it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on tasty recipes. You can wash quinoa to get rid of the coating or substitute it for other healthy grains.”

So, it’s up to you if you’d want to wash it, or use a quinoa substitute for this Ground Turkey Casserole recipe.

There is also the classic question of, when it comes to ground beef vs ground turkey, which is healthier? You can read more about this here if you’d like. Enough of my wordiness; let’s get cooking!

Ground Turkey Casserole

Ingredients

2 Cups Uncooked Quinoa (Can be white or tri-colour. Red quinoa is too hearty and might be overpowering.)
2 lbs. Ground Turkey
1 medium onion finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves grated
11 oz package baby spinach
14 oz can tomato sauce
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
3 cups cheddar or mozzarella cheese shredded
Salt, Pepper, Basil, Thyme,
1 tbsp. avocado oil or coconut oil
Green onions and diced tomatoes for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Cook quinoa as indicated but undercook it by about 4 minutes.

Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

Spray baking dish with cooking spray, or cooking spray substitute. Set aside. It is recommended to use a 9 x 13 dish, but if you need to alter this to fit the dish you have, just take note that it will affect the cooking time.

Preheat large non-stick skillet on medium heat. Add ground turkey. Sauté for 5 minutes, breaking into pieces with a spoon/spatula while stirring. Transfer to the bowl with quinoa.

Return skillet to heat and swirl some oil to coat (I’m obsessed with avocado oil these days). Add dried basil and thyme, and sauté for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Then, add garlic and onion- sauté until golden brown.

Add spinach in batches while stirring. Cook spinach until it has wilted. Transfer to the bowl of quinoa and turkey. Add the tomato sauce, bread crumbs, 2 cups of cheese, salt and pepper. Stir just enough to combine.
Transfer mixture into a baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake uncovered for 25 minutes.
Cut into 8 pieces and serve immediately. There’s no need to let it cool first!

Storing:

Once cooked, you can refrigerate this in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or, you can freeze an uncooked casserole for up to 3 months. Make sure it is tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, and then foil.

Reheating/Cooking Later On:

If you kept leftovers frozen, give yourself time to thaw it the fridge overnight. Bake as per instructions + an extra 15 minutes. Remember to remove the plastic wrap prior to baking!
Make ahead: It is so easy to make this casserole ahead of time. Assemble the casserole as per recipe instructions. Then just cover the uncooked casserole and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. It will still taste so fresh. Bake as per instructions.

Recipe Credit:

This Ground Turkey Casserole recipe was originally posted by Olena Osipov. At the time she posted the recipe, she stated that she is a Certified Nutrition Coach, and Cornell University Healthy Living program graduate. She lives with her family in Vancouver Island, BC. Just learning more about her is reminding me of all the reasons why I had wanted to move to BC! Thank you for sharing your recipe, Olena, if you ever read this!