This Ground Turkey Quinoa Casserole is a budget friendly crowd pleaser. Perfect for using up leftover quinoa, or to freeze or make ahead.
Some of our other quinoa favorites include this quinoa skillet, black bean quinoa casserole and spinach artichoke quinoa casserole.
Ground Turkey Casserole
What’s not to love about this ground turkey quinoa casserole?!
It’s full of juicy seasoned ground turkey, leafy green spinach and the right amount of cheesy goodness. Not to mention, it is made with the queen of grains, quinoa! Need less carbs? Try this ground turkey and zucchini skillet instead.
I love that this turkey casserole recipe can be made ahead of time and just popped into the oven for a quick dinner on a busy weeknight.
Leftovers can be easily refrigerated and reheated. And I swear, casserole tastes even better the next day, try parmesan pumpkin quinoa with spinach, too!
Ingredients for Ground Turkey Quinoa Casserole
- Quinoa: You can use white or tri-colour quinoa. No need to rinse as it usually comes pre-washed and rinsing quinoa in a colander is hard.
- Ground turkey: You can substitute with ground chicken, pork, beef or buffalo. I have also used ground venison.
- Vegetables: Baby spinach, onion, garlic. You can also replace the spinach with broccoli, green peas or any other green vegetable.
- Seasonings: Dried basil and thyme, salt and pepper.
- Tomato sauce: I use low sodium. No sodium will work too, add more salt.
- Cheese: Mozzarella or cheddar cheese.
- Oil: Avocado or extra virgin olive oil.
- Breadcrumbs: I recommend whole wheat breadcrumbs for more nutrition but any kind work.
How to Make Ground Turkey Casserole
There is a full recipe card below.
- Cook quinoa: As per package instructions, but undercooking by ~ 4 minutes. So think about 8 minutes of cooking time.
- Sauté ground turkey: In a large non-stick skillet on medium heat for 5 minutes. Make sure to break the meat into pieces with a spatula while stirring.
- Pan fry herbs: You want to pan fry dried herbs in a bit of oil. This helps release their flavors.
- Add vegetables: Afterwards, add garlic and onions, and cook until translucent and fragrant. Then throw in handfuls of spinach while stirring.
- Combine: Mix everything together in a giant bowl, dump into a 9″ x 13″ baking dish and level (do not press or tap). Sprinkle with more cheese.
- Bake: Uncovered for 25 minutes at 375 degrees F. Garnish with diced tomatoes and green onions and serve hot.
Variations and FAQs
- Quinoa: Can be white or tri-colour. Red quinoa is too hearty and might be overpowering in a casserole.
- Greens: Instead of spinach you can use chopped kale with ribs removed. Also swiss chard would be great.
- What are yellow and red veggies on top? I get asked this question all the time. They are finely diced tomatoes and bell pepper just for pretty photos. They are not necessary, just quinoa casserole is not the most appetizing looking dish but definitely delicious.
- Other veggies: Diced sweet potato, brussels sprouts, bell pepper, broccoli or cauliflower would work instead of spinach as well.
- Canned tomato products: If you don’t have tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, passata or crushed tomatoes will work. Even pasta sauce will work, just use less salt then.
- Cheese: Feel free to use a combination of different cheese you have on hand. Some Parmesan would add sharpness and dairy free cheese is fine if that’s what you are used to.
How to Store, Freeze and Make Ahead
Store: Ground turkey quinoa casserole can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
Freeze: This casserole is perfect for freezing. Simply assemble the casserole. Then tightly wrap the uncooked casserole with plastic, followed by foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to dig in, thaw it the fridge overnight and 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.
More Ground Turkey Recipes to Try
- Turkey pasta bake
- Healthy Mexican casserole
- Ground turkey and broccoli pasta
- Ground turkey and potatoes
- Mediterranean ground turkey stew
You might also love these 45 ground turkey recipes!
Ground Turkey Quinoa Casserole
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, see how to cook quinoa tutorial. 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.
- Cut into 8 pieces. Serve immediately garnished with tomatoes and green onions, no need to let casserole cool down.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Up to 3 months.
- Freezer meal: Assemble casserole. Tightly wrap the uncooked casserole with plastic, followed by foil, and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to dig in, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake as per instructions + an extra 15 minutes. Remember to remove the plastic wrap prior to baking!
- Make ahead: 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.
- Quinoa: Can be white or tri-colour. Red quinoa is too hearty and might be overpowering in a casserole.
- Greens: Instead of spinach you can use chopped kale with ribs removed or swiss chard.
- What are yellow and red veggies on top? They are finely diced tomatoes and bell pepper just for pretty photos. They are not necessary, just quinoa casserole is not the most appetizing looking dish but definitely delicious.
- Other veggies: Diced sweet potato, brussels sprouts, bell pepper, broccoli or cauliflower would work instead of spinach as well.
- Canned tomato products: If you don’t have tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, passata or crushed tomatoes will work. Even pasta sauce will work, just use less salt then.
- Cheese: Feel free to use a combination of different cheese you have on hand.
So good. I used applewood smoked cheddar and it was amazing! One of my favourite recipes.
Fantastic! Glad you are enjoying this recipe so much, Lori!
I absolutely LOVE this recipe! I was never a fan of spinach, but in this, it’s almost my favorite part! I did add more tomato sauce and garlic than the recipe calls for, but it’s amazing. Also, I calculated the WW Smartpoints after I made it and I came up with 14 points rather than 7 but who knows.
That is so amazing to hear! Glad you enjoyed my recipe, Tamara!
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!
This was a hit in my family! I adopted some of Tracy’s adds too! Next time I will try the fire-roasted tomatoes and vegan cheese for a non-dairy option.
Olena, I will certainly keep this recipe on hand for social-distancing gatherings! I can’t wait to try your other turkey recipies too.
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!