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 quinoa casserole in white baking dish with blue napkin

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!

Ground Turkey Casserole Ingredients

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. healthy ground turkey casserole
  • Sautรฉ 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.ground turkey for ground turkey quinoa
  • Pan fry herbs: You want to pan fry dried herbs in a bit of oil. This helps release their flavors. onion for ground turkey and quinoa
  • Add vegetables: Afterwards, add garlic and onions, and cook until translucent and fragrant. Then throw in handfuls of spinach while stirring.Ground Turkey and Spinach
  • 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. ground turkey casserole recipe
  • 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.

Ground Turkey Casserole

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Ground turkey quinoa casserole garnished with red and yellow tomatoes in white dish.

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.
4.88 from 77 votes
Servings 8 servings
Calories 523
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients  

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.

Nutrition

Serving: 1slice | Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 624mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 3g
Course: Casserole
Cuisine: American Ukrainian
Author: Olena Osipov
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!

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About Olena

Welcome! I grew up in Ukraine watching my grandma cook with simple ingredients. I have spent the last 14 years making it my mission to help you cook quick and easy meals for your family!

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Comments

    1. It’s just different colour tomatoes on top for pop of colour. Quinoa casserole not the prettiest thing to photograph. ๐Ÿ™‚

  1. 5 stars
    I made this last night and it was SO incredible! I somehow skipped the part to mix In the cheese (used 3 cheddar bagged blend) and instead put it all on the top but it was still really good. My husband said this was one of his favorite healthy meals. Perfect for someone like me who isnโ€™t a pro in the kitchen :).

    1. Perfect! Make ahead helps a lot. I love doing it with casseroles. There is a pure satisfaction pulling it out of fridge and into the oven lol.

  2. So sorry to bother you, I must have missed something. I erased my original recipe in MyFitness pal and started from scratch. Your calorie count is spot on! Looking forward to making your recipe. Thanks for your reply, sorry again and have a good day!

  3. Oops, I forgot to mention that I halved the recipe, so I dropped the cheese from 1.5 cups to 1 cup. Everything I simply cut in half and looked up in MyFitnessPal and compared that to actual nutrition labels from my local grocery store.

  4. Hi! Would love to try this recipe because it sounds delicious. I’m having trouble figuring out the calorie count though. I substituted Panko for the bread crumbs, diced tomatoes for the tomtato sauce, low fat shredded cheese and Jennie-o extra lean (99%) ground turkey. I even dropped the cheese down to 1 cup and I’m still over 520 calories per serving in my nutrition app (app is MyFitnessPal, and all the nutritional info looks accurate with nutrition labels, and left everything else in the recipe the the same). Oh, and I’m gonna use full circle quinoa. Am I missing something? Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

    1. I am not sure why. We use Nutrifox. Also itโ€™s just for info purposes as we donโ€™t calorie count but rather encourage wholesome ingredients in real life.

  5. 5 stars
    Very good!I halved the recipe and uses diced tomatoes instead of sauce and panko instead of bread crumbs. I used spray instead of oil. This brought the calories down significantly.

  6. Hi Olena, my name is patty and I was wondering how I would figure out the servings because I have to have a low fat low sodium diet. I had a heart attack in February. What are the actual servings for the Ground Turkey Quinoa Casserole ? thank you so much.

  7. 5 stars
    Super good. I was concerned about the moisture level upon putting it in the dish to bake, but it turned out perfectly!

4.88 from 77 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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