Mexican spaghetti squash casserole with ground turkey, black beans, corn and cheese. Simple to prepare, lower in carbs, and leftovers keep amazingly well!
After sharing my (easy) method for cooking spaghetti squash last week, I have to show you another easy way to enjoy it, right? This is officially my new favorite spaghetti squash recipe!
I love adding spaghetti squash to recipes because it's a great way to take traditionally heavy recipes and give them a slightly lighter makeover.
Casseroles are so often 'heavy' and make me feel stuffed and bloated, but not this spaghetti squash casserole...it tastes totally indulgent but is secretly light!
Don't forget to pin this post to save it for later!
We love this spaghetti squash casserole because
- it is easy to prepare (especially if you pre-cook your spaghetti squash)
- leftovers keep well
- you can even freeze it!
How to make it
For this recipe, I mixed cooked ground turkey with cooked spaghetti squash, raw bell peppers, corn, chiles, black beans, spices and cheese.
To make sure that it didn't end up too soupy, I also added in 2 eggs. This really helps the casserole set up (particularly as it cools).
- Cook your spaghetti squash (you can use my easy oven or Instant Pot methods!)
- Cook your turkey (swap for any ground meat or leave it out for vegetarian)
- Stir all ingredients together and scoop into a large casserole dish
- Bake covered for 45 minutes, uncovered for 15
- Enjoy!
Can I freeze it? I tested freezing this in individual portions (after baking all the way through), and it still tasted great, a little softer than the original but not in an unappetizing way. I don't know if you can freeze this casserole before baking.
Can I make it vegetarian? Yes, leave out the ground turkey.
Can I lower the carbs in this casserole? Keep in mind that spaghetti squash does contain 10 g carbs per cup, but if you want to lower carbs in this recipe, leave out the corn & black beans, and try making a low carb enchilada sauce. Without the corn or black beans (but using regular enchilada sauce), this casserole has roughly 11 g net carbs.
To avoid using foil, I used my reusable GIR Silicone Lids
! I absolutely love these!
Find more ways to avoid single use plastic (and foil) waste in the kitchen here.
Tips & equipment
- casserole dish- I use this one from Crate & Barrel, but any deep 9 x 13 inch baking dish should suffice
- reusable silicone lid- I LOVE this one
from GIR (I also own the 9 x 9 inch one!) - Looking for more spaghetti squash recipes? Check out this Lemon Chicken Spaghetti Squash, and stay tuned for my Spaghetti Squash & Meatball Meal Prep!
Mexican Spaghetti Squash Casserole
Ingredients
- 2 lbs spaghetti squash (cooked & cooled slightly)
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 bell peppers (chopped into small pieces)
- 11.5 oz can of corn (drained; 341 mL)
- 18 oz can of black beans (drained & rinsed; 541 mL)
- 4.3 oz can of green chiles (127 mL)
- 18 oz can of diced tomatoes (including juices; 541 mL)
- 10 oz can of mild enchilada sauce (300 mL)
- 1 tablespoon mild chili powder
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups cheese (divided)
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti squash (see *). Scoop out seeds and shred into noodles with a fork.
- Heat oven to 350°F.
- Cook ground turkey in a nonstick skillet over medium heat, breaking it up with a spatula and cooking until no pink remains (roughly 7 minutes). Cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients, reserving ¾ cup of cheese. Scrape into a deep 9X13 inch casserole dish and sprinkle with the reserved ¾ cup of cheese.
- Cover and bake for 45 minutes.
- Bake uncovered for another 15 minutes, until casserole is cooked through and bubbling.
- Allow casserole to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. The longer it sits the more it sets up.
