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mexican quinoa casserole in casserole dish
Erin Antoniak

Mexican Quinoa Casserole

4.99 from 59 votes
This Mexican quinoa casserole is made with ground turkey, quinoa, and black beans. It's the perfect healthy weeknight meal to make for meal prep or to feed a crowd! 
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Course: dinner, gluten-free, Main Course, meal-prep
Cuisine: Mexican
Calories: 256
Ingredients Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup quinoa rinsed and drained
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion diced
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 can fire roasted tomatoes
  • 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
  • 1 can corn drained and rinsed
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp pepper
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne powder
  • 1 cup water
  • juice of one small lime
  • 1.5 cups cheddar cheese
Topping
  • lime wedges avocado, greek yogurt, cilantro

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 350F.
  2. Cook your quinoa by bringing 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Cover with lid. Once boiling, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Turn off heat, let sit for a few minutes and then fluff with work.
  3. While quinoa is cooking, heat olive oil in large sauce pan or dutch oven.
  4. Add diced onion and cook until just soft.
  5. Add in ground turkey and garlic, breaking up with spoon.
  6. Once turkey is all the way cooked through, reduce heat and add in tomatoes, beans and corn.
  7. Next, stir in all spices and water.
  8. Stir to combine, and then add in lime juice. Let simmer for 15 minutes on low.
  9. Turn off heat and stir in cooked quinoa.
  10. Pour turkey quinoa mixture into a baking dish (I used an 8x11 dish) and top with cheddar cheese.
  11. Bake for 20 minutes at 350F. Let cool a few minutes before serving. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 256kcalCarbohydrates: 17gProtein: 22gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 52mgSodium: 472mgPotassium: 356mgFiber: 2gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 536IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 175mgIron: 2mg

Notes

  • Rinse and drain the quinoa before cooking. This removes any bitterness and gives you the best texture in the final dish. Cook it separately first, then stir it into the turkey mixture before baking.
  • Cook the quinoa separately before assembling. Don't skip this step — adding it uncooked to the casserole won't give you the right texture. Once it's cooked and fluffy, stir it into the meat mixture and then pour everything into the baking dish.
  • The leftovers taste even better the next day! The flavors continue to develop as it sits, making this one of those rare casseroles that's actually better reheated. It also freezes well before baking if you want to prep ahead.

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