Ground Turkey Casserole
If you have lots of leftover quinoa and ground turkey in the freezer, this ground turkey casserole with a giant pack of baby spinach is for you! Some of my favorite casseroles are made with quinoa: black bean quinoa casserole and spinach artichoke quinoa casserole.
Quinoa is a queen of healthy whole grains, full of complete protein and contains all essential amino acids. Treat it like rice but quinoa is even better. Simply just because it is ready in 12 minutes.
I originally posted this healthy ground turkey casserole 4 years ago while visiting my mom’s farm. Over the years, I made it over tens times receiving rave reviews. So more appetizing photos were in order.
How to Make Healthy Ground Turkey Casserole and Tips
Cook quinoa as per package instructions undercooking by 4 minutes. In my world, it means 8 minutes cooking time, with a clean up afterwards.
Sauté ground turkey for 5 minutes, breaking into pieces with spatula while stirring. I used ground venison because I already had it on hand. You can also use ground buffalo, chicken, pork or beef.
Then you want to pan fry dried herbs in a bit of oil first, to help release their flavors. Afterwards, add garlic and onions, and cook until translucent and fragrant.
Don’t be afraid to throw as much spinach as you want because it shrinks like crazy – I used a giant standard 11 oz pack of baby spinach. Load it up with iron, vitamins A, K, C, E , calcium and cancer fighting abilities.
Tip: if your kids are not spinach eaters, replace it with broccoli, green peas or any other green vegetables they like.
Mix everything together in a giant bowl, dump into baking dish and level (do not press or tap). Sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for 25 minutes. That’s it!
Garnishing with diced tomatoes and green onions is optional. My kids loved it! This ground turkey and quinoa bake came out extremely juicy and right amount cheesy. It tasted even better next day.
Can I Freeze It?
Yes. Got a friend who just had a baby? You are having a baby? This casserole is perfect for freezing.
To freeze casserole: assemble, tightly wrap with plastic and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as per instructions + 15 minutes.
Is It a Make Ahead Casserole?
Absolutely. Assemble, cover with plastic and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Bake as per instructions. It tastes fresh no matter what you do. very hard to ruin this recipe.:)
Hungry for More Ground Turkey Casserole Recipes?
- Turkey pasta bake with kale or spinach that kids won’t complain about.
- Ground turkey and broccoli pasta – delicious one pot, 30 minute and stove top casserole.
- Ground turkey and potatoes – one pot baby potato and broccolini dinner – YUM!
Ground Turkey Quinoa Casserole
This Healthy Ground Turkey Casserole is a budget friendly crowd pleaser. Perfect to use up leftover quinoa, freeze and make ahead.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Category: Casserole
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: American Ukrainian
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked quinoa
- 2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 large garlic cloves, grated
- 11 oz package baby spinach
- 14 oz can tomato sauce (I used low sodium)
- 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs
- 3 cups cheddar or mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 tsp basil, dried
- 1/4 tsp thyme, dried
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 tbsp avocado oil or coconut oil
- Cooking spray (I use Misto)
- Green onions and diced tomatoes, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook quinoa as per package instructions undercooking by 4 minutes. Transfer to a large mixing bowl. Preheat oven to 375 F degrees and spray 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray. Set aside.
- Preheat large non-stick skillet on medium heat and add ground turkey. Saute for 5 minutes, breaking into pieces with spatula while stirring. Transfer to the bowl with quinoa.
- Return skillet to medium heat and swirl 1 tbsp of oil to coat. Add dried basil and thyme, saute for 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Add garlic and onion, saute until golden brown. Add spinach in batches while stirring, and cook until it’s wilted. Transfer to a bowl with quinoa and turkey, along with tomato sauce, bread crumbs, 2 cups of cheese, salt and ground 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. Serve immediately garnished with tomatoes and green onions, no need to let casserole cool down.
Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days or freeze leftovers for up to 3 months.
Freeze: Assemble, tightly wrap with plastic and then foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as per instructions + 15 minutes.
Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating in the comments.
Looks delish, but what is considered a serving?
You cut rectangular casserole into 8 squares.
I bought quinoa (tricolor) for the first time. I already had ground turkey so I looked for a recipe with both and this one came up. Note l halved all of the original ingredients. I cooked the quinoa with some chicken broth, sautéed onions, red, yellow and orange peppers and added the ground turkey. Added chopped spinach and garlic. Once everything was cooked I added the quinoa to the Sautee. Added cumin, sage, basil, oregano and Adobo to taste; a can of fire roasted diced tomatoes and Jack and cheddar cheese.
Put in oven 20 minutes.
Pretty tasty!
★★★★
It looks yummy but the picture sure looks like there are red and yellow peppers in it but no mention in the recipe…?
For decor purposes just to give some life to brown turkey in pictures. So it looks appetizing to you. It worked.:)
This is the first recipe I have tried. Your instructions are clear and easy to follow except I am a gong show. So I did things like forget to pick up tomato sauce and not realize that until I needed it so had to borrow a jar of spaghetti sauce from my mother-in-law who lives in our basement suite. Then after going to get it I forget to add it so I had to scrape all the cheese off the top put it all back in the bowl to add the sauce then reassembled it all back again. I used the Tex mex shredded cheese because I had that already and made my own bread crumbs so there’s that. #thestruggleisreal. Anyways aside from my poor “just follow instruction skills” it turned out amazing! I can’t wait to try another one. I want to make the salad you made at the bbq on Monday are they on your site?
★★★★★
Hi Raylene! So nice to see you here. Haha, glad you made it work.:) That was Martha Stewart’s recipe and Jenn actually made it. I was too tired after LA work trip. Please let me know what else you try.
This is a great, easy recipe. I halved it and it still made a full 9×9 pan. I added broccoli and peas. I found it a little under-seasoned so next time I will add more spices.
★★★★
Very Good! Very satisfying.
★★★★★
Festive and fun! Looked like it was going to be dry but not at all! Can’t wait to try the left overs tomorrow morning with a fried egg on top!
★★★★★
So delicious and easy to make and I love the fact that is is so healthy! I make it very frequently and it’s always a hit!
★★★★★
Looking forward to making this tonight, trying to get my husband to eat more quinoa. Is that red and yellow bell pepper on top? I only saw tomatos and green onion as a garnish in the recipe
That’s yellow tomato. Was summertime when I took these pics. Hope your husband appreciates our team effort!
Ah ok, the tomato was an amazing garniah with the green onions. We loved it! I will give a five star. We used turkey italian sausage (ground) by accident but it still was really yummy. May use a quarter less quinoa next time. Great though! Thank you
My kids loved this casserole and so did my husband.
★★★★★
My 4 kids loved this casserole and went back for seconds!
★★★★★
Could you make it in advance and put it in the fridge and then bake it later?
Tried this today, it’s delicious! Instead of tomato sauce, I used diced tomatoes and didn’t use breadcrumbs. Turned out great! Thanks for the recipe, it’s my family’s new favorite.
yes! I love this one too!! it is glorious! I tried cooking this to my family once! they really enjoyed it!
Did you cover the casserole with aluminum foil when you baked it in the oven?
No. Quinoa cooks fast.
This is an amazing recipe, I actually made it last November, (three months ago) and froze an extra casserole for later which we had tonight. I made a simple mushroom gravy and served that overtop and it was better than the first time. This is a great recipe to freeze. Thank you.
You are welcome, Vera. Casseroles, soups and stews only taste better with every day. Plus leftovers and those are my favourite meals to cook.:)
I made this for dinner tonight and it was AMAZING! I am so pleased with how satisfying and comforting this meal was while still being so healthy! Thank you for introducing this delicious recipe into my home. Can’t wait for leftovers tomorrow 🙂
Awesome! You are welcome. I tried to reduce amount of cheese and breadcrumbs for this recipe but not worth it haha.
First time eating quinoa, and it was amazing! My husband and I loved it. I added celery and celery leaves to the garlic and onion, soooo good. Thank you! Definitely a new favorite!
You are welcome. Quinoa is really good. We love it!
I made this today, and it turned out great! I cut the recipe in half for my family of three, and it should last us for just about three days. I will definitely be making this again.