Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 268kcal
Equipment
- Cutting board
- Chef knife
- skillet
- mixing bowl
- baking pan or casserole dish
- microwaveable plate/bowl
- measuring spoons and cups
- Wooden spoon
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 20 oz 93% lean ground turkey; ground beef or chicken can be substituted
- ½ c chopped onion
- ½ c chopped red bell pepper; other colored peppers can be substituted
- 12 oz cauliflower rice
- 3 oz dry Barilla whole grain elbows or pasta of your choice
- 1½ c frozen corn
- 4 tbsp Tostitos medium con quesso or brand of your choice
- 3 tsp chili powder
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- ½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- salt to taste ( I didn't use any.)
- water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉.
- Place a pot of water on the cook top to boil for the elbow macaroni.
- Chop the required amount of onion and red bell pepper and place it on a paper plate or microwaveable plate. Microwave on high for 60-90 sec until the veggies are tender. Set aside.
- Place the lean ground turkey in a skillet. Use a meat masher or wooden spoon to break up the ground turkey into crumbles. Add about ⅓ c of water to the skillet to facilitate the cooking process.
- When the ground turkey is cooked, transfer it to a colander over the sink to drain away excess water and fat. Rinse the ground turkey with cold water to further rinse away any remaining fat.
- Add the drained ground turkey back to the skillet along with the cooked onion and red pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, paprika, black pepper, and ¾ c of water to the skillet. Stir to mix all the ingredients and spices together. Cook over medium heat until most of the water is evaporated. Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Place the elbow macaroni into the pot of boiling water and cook until done. Drain the elbows and add to a large mixing bowl.
- Microwave the cauliflower rice according to package directions. When it's done, drain off any water. Add it to the mixing bowl with the elbow macaroni.
- Add the Tostitos medium con queso to the mixing bowl. Gently stir the queso into the cauliflower rice and elbow macaroni until they are evenly coated with the queso.
- Microwave the frozen corn for 2 min and then drain off any liquid. Add the corn to the cauliflower rice and elbow mixture and stir to evenly incorporate it into the other ingredients.
- Add the ground turkey mixture to the mixing bowl and stir until it is evenly mixed in with the cauliflower rice, elbow and corn mixture. Taste the mixture and add salt if you think it's needed.
- Transfer the casserole mixture from the mixing bowl into a baking pan or casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Spread the casserole mixture into an even layer.
- Mix the Velveeta shreds and fat free shredded cheddar cheese together and then sprinkle it over the casserole.
- Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and place it in the preheated oven. Bake at 350℉ for 30-35 min until the cheese is melted. Remove from the oven when done and remove the foil.
- Serve and enjoy. Refrigerate any leftovers. They reheat in the microwave well.
Notes
I tasted the casserole mixture before transferring it to the baking pan. I was satisfied with the salt level and did not add any salt to it. If you add salt to the ingredients, then you will need to add that to the sodium content in the nutritional info.
The recipe made 7 c of casserole mixture before adding the cheese on top.
I divided the finished casserole into 6 servings. A serving with a side of veggies or salad was a satisfying meal for the hubby and me.
The nutritional data for 1/6 of the casserole serving size is at the very bottom of the recipe card.
If you should want a larger portion size, the nutritional data for 1/4 of the casserole is below.
cal. 402 kcal | fat 12.8 g| sat. fat 2.8 g | carb. 36.8 g | fiber 6 g | sugar 4.5 g | protein 36.8 g | sodium 616 g
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 268kcal | Carbohydrates: 24.5g | Protein: 24.5g | Fat: 8.5g | Saturated Fat: 2.3g | Sodium: 411mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 3g
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