Try Out this Must Have Ground Turkey Casserole
Try out this must-have ground turkey casserole! It’s so good that you will l add it to your arsenal of quick and easy week night casserole recipes. All it takes is a few extra minutes in the kitchen.
Recipe Inspiration
I was having one of those nights when I could not decide what to make for dinner. I searched all through the pantry, the refrigerator, and the freezer. We hadn’t had a noodle dish in a while, so I was thinking of making something with that. I also saw a pack of ground turkey meat in the freezer. Then… I was struck with a buried memory!
For some background, I worked at my local community hospital’s patient food service department fresh out of undergrad. They had a weekly cycle menu. On Sundays, the hot meal selection was this dish called braised beef and buttered noodles. Essentially, this dish was made of a chuck roast type cut if meat with noodles. I decided to make a dish inspired by this one based on what I had on hand.
I never actually learned the recipe for the braised beef and buttered noodles. That wasn’t my job. So, this recipe is the result of my creative juices and pure memory.
Further inspiration for the creation of this ground turkey casserole came from one of my favorite YouTube cooking channels: Terri-Ann’s Kitchen. In this video, she demonstrates how to make the browning. However, making homemade browning can be a little intimidating at the first try. You can always buy the premade version from the store.
The Star – Rotini
Did you know that there are 600 shapes of pasta in in existence? However, only 150 are available in North America. We’re missing out on so much!
Pasta tends to be named based on shape and ingredients. Rotini, a type of noodle. translates from Italian to mean “small wheels”. It originated in Southern Italy.
To ensure that your rotini pasta is cooked to al dente, place it in boiling water and stir occasionally. If the water isn’t hot enough, the pasta will become gummy. Stirring prevents the noodles from sticking together.
Preserving the pasta water is key when adding sauce to any pasta. The cloudy water is a result of the starch that leaks out during heating. That same starch is responsible for the sauce being able to better stick to the pasta. The pasta’s shape can also help to hold sauce, so keep this in mind if you need to substitute.
Rotini is used in this turkey casserole because… well… that’s the only pasta I had on hand!
Key Ingredients
- Rotini Noodles
- Ground Turkey
- Brown Sugar
- Beef Broth
- Ketchup
Rotini noodles or any other noodle of a similar shape work well with this recipe. I like rotini noodles because their shape allows them to hold on to the homemade beef sauce.
Feel free to substitute ground turkey with ground beef. After cooking, you’ll need to drain the fat rendered if you use ground beef. I definitely have done that a few times. We tend to mostly eat more poultry than red meat here in my home.
If you’re going to make you own browning using brown sugar, you won’t taste the sugar! If you’re concerned about blood sugar levels spiking or if are serving this to young children, you can buy pre-made browning from the store.
Beef broth will help give the sauce a more rich flavor and add a bit more color. If you don’t eat red meat at all, you can substitute with chicken broth.
Ketchup is always in my refrigerator. Tomato paste would be a good substitute for this ingredient if you have it on hand.
Regardless if you have all or only some of these ingredients, this recipe is going to be delicious! It’s also likely to be gone in one sitting if you’re not careful. Let’s learn how to make it.
Turkey Casserole Recipe
View the recipe card down below for the detailed recipe ingredients and quantities.
Ground Turkey Casserole
Equipment
- 1 Medium Pot
- 1 Large Skillet
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
Ingredients
- 10 oz Rotini Noodles
- 1/4 c Diced Onions
- 1 Ibs Ground Turkey
- 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/4 c Ketchup
- 1 1/2 c Beef Broth
- 1/2 c Pasta Water
- 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1/2 tbsp Vegetable Oil
Instructions
- In a medium pot, cook pasta according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 c pasta water. Set the pasta aside. 10 oz Rotini Noodles 1/2 c Pasta Water
- Sautee diced onions in olive oil in a medium skillet until translucent. Set aside once finished. 1 tbsp Olive Oil1/4 c Diced Onions
- In a medium mixing bowl, add in ground turkey, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper. Mix until all seasonings are distributed throughout the meat. 1 Ibs Ground Turkey 1/2 tsp Onion Powder 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder 1/4 tsp Salt 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
- Add ground beef mixture the skillet where the onions were cooked. Heat to medium low and cook until the beef is browned. Add in diced onions.
- (OPTIONAL) Make the browning by heating brown sugar and vegetable oil in a small skillet. Add this to the pan with the ground beef once finished. 1/2 tbsp Vegetable Oil 1 tbsp Brown Sugar (See Note #1)
- In a mixing bowl, mix together beef broth and cornstarch. 1 1/2 c Beef Broth 1 tbsp Cornstarch
- Add in the noodles pasta water, ketchup, and beef broth mixture and bring to a simmer. Simmer until sauce has thickened. 1/2 c Pasta Water 1/4 c Ketchup
Notes
- For a quick tutorial on how to make browning. watch the following video from 1:57 – 2:25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tq53YowsBaA&t=157s
- If you decide to use a low sodium beef broth of beef stock, you may need to add salt to taste.
Comment down below if you tried this casserole and/or have added it to your weeknight arsenal!
DISCLAIMER: I am a medical professional, but I am not apart of your healthcare team. Always consult with your primary care physician or other medical professional of your healthcare team when making changes your your diet or lifestyle.
