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If your household is anything like mine, it takes several packages of ground turkey to feed everyone tacos. Not only is ground turkey expensive, but it can get boring on it's own with only taco seasoning. I have discovered that adding beans and (gasp!) veggies not only makes taco meat go much further, but it tastes much more flavorful and fills everyone up faster: double win! Stretching the meat doesn't mean losing the protein content either, because there is plenty of protein added from of the beans.
I managed to fit a whole 8 oz. of sliced mushrooms and 4 cups of cauliflower rice in this recipe without anyone noticing. The cauliflower and mushrooms are mashed right into the ground turkey after it cooks, so there are no noticeable veggie pieces. Although I love when the flavors and textures of veggies get to shine through in a dish, there are several picky eaters in my family who don't!
The filling of this taco casserole can be eaten on its own without baking it in a baking dish. I've eaten it on it's own and in the casserole. Both ways of eating it are delicious and satisfying! I love baking the filling because it requires no sides. It contains protein, veggies, healthy carbs, and fiber all in one dish.
After pulling the taco casserole out of the oven, you can customize the toppings. I chose lettuce, tomatoes, and yellow onion. Olives, jalapenos, and cilantro would also be delicious! I plan to add a layer of guacamole right before the layer of lettuce in the future!
I have linked some of the ingredients that I own down below. These products are tried and true and are the best quality and value that I have found.
Fiesta Taco Casserole
Makes 6-8 servings.
Ingredients:
For the Filling:
1.5-2 lb. ground turkey
4 cups cauliflower rice
1 8 oz. container sliced mushrooms
1 yellow onion, diced
6 TBSP Autumn's Taco Seasoning
4 cups (about 2 cans, drained) cooked pinto or black beans (I used 3 cups of pinto and 1 cup of black, but you could do half and half)
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 8 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
1/2 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 bunch of cilantro, chopped (optional)
For the casserole:
Shredded lettuce, diced onion, diced tomatoes, cilantro, sliced olives, and/or jalapenos for the topping.
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees if you plan to make the casserole.
Cook the ground turkey in a large pan or pressure cooker. Drain it in a colander.
In the same pan or pot the turkey cooked in, saute the cauliflower, sliced mushrooms, yellow onion, and taco seasoning for a few minutes, or until softened. Add the ground turkey back to the pan and use a ground meat chopper to combine the ingredients as they continue cooking for a few minutes.
Add the cooked beans, frozen corn, canned diced tomatoes, tomato paste, nutritional yeast, and optional cilantro to the meat mixture and continue using the ground meat chopper to incorporate the ingredients. If you don't want all of your beans to be mashed, set some aside and fold them in last after the rest of the ingredients are mixed through.
If you are making the casserole, scoop the taco filling into a greased 9x13in. baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
After removing the casserole from the oven, layer on your toppings of choice. Serve and enjoy!
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