This Easy Turkey Taco Casserole is a classic throwback dish, and sooooo delicious and satisfying. Perfectly seasoned ground turkey is layered with tortillas, beans and cheese then “customized” toppings are added to make your perfect plate!
You know I love ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING TACO related!! I have literally never met a taco I didn’t love. See two of my favorite tacos here:
Soooo, take amazing, traditional taco ingredients and throw them into casserole form?!! Why not?! My Asian mama (!!!!) was actually the first person to introduce me to this casserole when I was about 7 years old and I’ve been a fan ever since!
How to make Turkey Taco Casserole: The Game Plan
I love giving you a “game plan” or “order of operations” to make recipes come together super quickly and help you make the best use of your time.
- Brown turkey meat.
- While meat is browning, heat up the beans and cut tortillas into fourths.
- Preheat oven to 375 while you assemble the casserole.
- Layer: tortillas, beans, meat and cheese, TWICE.
- Oven will be preheated when you are done layering 🙂
- Bake at 375 for 30-40 minutes.
- While casserole is baking, prepare whatever toppings you want (see below) and clean the dishes! 🙂
Customizable toppings!
The casserole that you put into the oven is just your flavorful “base layer.” But the toppings are where the real magic happens!!! Feel free to add whatever you think works but here are some of my faves:
- Chopped tomatoes
- Sliced olives
- Chopped iceberg lettuce
- Sour cream
- Avocado
- Scallions
- Salsa
- Red onion
- Red bell pepper
- Jalapeños
Recipe notes and tips
- This recipe absolutely works without the meat if you want to make it veggie! I would just add an extra layer of cheese!
- If you aren’t a fan of refried beans, you can use black beans or omit all together and replace with more cheese.
- This casserole freezes beautifully. Just wait until you are ready to bake it to add the top cheese layer and any toppings.
- Leftovers make a great lunch and can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Flour tortillas are also fine to use. Just keep in mind, they don’t hold up quite as well as leftovers and can get a bit soggy.
Other recipes you’ll love
- ONE PAN CHICKEN WITH CHERRY TOMATOES
- CROCKPOT BUFFALO CHICKEN TACOS WITH CELERY SLAW
- SPICY GROUND PORK TACOS WITH CILANTRO SLAW
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Easy Turkey Taco Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground turkey
- 2 16 oz cans refried beans
- 1 cup taco sauce* See Note 1
- 2 1/2 tbsp taco seasoning
- 12 corn tortillas, cut into fourths
- 12 oz cheese (any kind!) or 1 1/2 to 2 cups
Toppings (use as many or as little as you like)
- chopped tomatoes
- olives
- scallions
- sour cream
- diced avocado
- red onion
- chopped lettuce
- salsa
- red bell pepper
- jalapeños
Instructions
- Add about a teaspoon of olive oil to a large skillet over medium high heat. Add ground turkey and brown turkey, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon or potato masher.
- When meat is browned and almost cooked through, add the taco seasoning and taco sauce. Stir and simmer 2-3 minutes more to allow flavors to combine.
- While meat is cooking, add beans to a pan over medium heat with about 1/4 can of water to thin them out and make them spreadable. Stir until smooth and heated through.
- Preheat oven to 375 and spray a 9 x 12 baking pan (or similar) with cooking spray.
- Assemble the casserole: Layer 1/2 the tortillas, beans, meat and cheese into even layers. Repeat ONCE so there are two layers of every item. The last layer should be cheese.
- Bake, uncovered for 30-40 minutes until casserole starts to bubble and cheese is nicely melted on top.
- Remove from oven and allow 5-10 minutes for the casserole to cool. Top with toppings and enjoy!
- Casserole can be stored, tightly covered in the fridge for 3-4 days.
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