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!
Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!
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.
Tips:
Nutrition Information
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Amanda says
Hi there! I’m looking forward to making this recipe! I was just wondering if you think I can assemble the whole casserole, put it in the fridge and cook it the next day? Or would that be a problem with the egg in it? Thanks!!!
Denise Bustard says
Hi Amanda! Yes, that should work just fine! If the casserole goes into the oven cold, you may need to add 10 minutes onto the cook time. Hope you enjoy!
Melea says
I made a couple of substitutions and didn’t use the green chiles or enchilada sauce, but it’s still amazing! So tasty!
Denise Bustard says
Woohoo! I'm so happy to hear the recipe was a hit for you, Melea! Thank you for taking the time to come back and rate the recipe, that's so helpful 🙂
Lisa says
Eggs? What do they do? I made this tonight. It was good! I left the eggs out though because I just wasn’t sure what they were for.
Jennifer Junig says
The eggs help hold the casserole together.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Lisa, the eggs help to prevent the casserole from being watery and also do work to bind it together. Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for reporting back 🙂
Melanie says
I made this last night and it was a big hit! I was running behind, so I cooked my spaghetti squash in the microwave. I didn't have any canned corn so I cut kernels off two ears of corn. They were a little al dente, but I liked it.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Melanie! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe, thanks so much for coming back to leave a review with your modifications.
Frances says
Fixed the recipe for dinner recently. My husband loves hot and spicy foods. A tablespoon of chili powder and a tablespoon of cumin it seems is a bit excessive even to his pallet. Unless this was published in error, I would cut those spices by a third next time.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Frances! Did you use a chili powder blend or pure powdered chiles? I meant for the paprika-based chili powder, which is quite mild in terms of spiciness.
Patricia McDermott says
Well, nothing ever happens the way you want. When I assembled my ingredients, I had a 3 pound spaghetti squash cooking in my instant Pot, and collected in front of me a 15 oz can of No salt added black beans, a14.5 oz can of no salt added diced tomatoes, an 11 oz can of whole kernel corn and a 4 oz can of diced green Chiles. The only thing with the correct amount was the enchilada sauce but I think we’ll be fine.
Denise Bustard says
Hi Patricia! This sounds like the story of my life, too! I hope it all worked out for you 🙂
Lynn says
Can you use zoodles (zucchini or yellow squash) instead of spaghetti squash? Would they need to be cooked first?
Denise says
Hi Lynn, I don't think that would work for this recipe as the zucchini can't cook for as long as the spaghetti squash and I worry it would turn out really mushy.
Ashley says
Why do I need to divide the cheese if it’s all added at once?
Denise says
Hi Ashley, thank you for catching that! You should stir 1 1/4 cups into the casserole and sprinkle the rest over top. Either way it shouldn't affect the final outcome, but I will update the recipe.
Arlene Martin says
Made this flavor filled recipe last night and it was delicious! We live 23 miles from the nearest grocery store so as usual after reviewing the contents of my refrigerator and cupboards I had to get a little creative. I used leftover turkey and just cubed it, added 1/2 cup of onions and a jalapeño pepper to augment my one bell pepper and the final result was just great. This recipe is a keeper!
Denise says
Hi Arlene! I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your swaps, as this is very helpful for other readers.
Beth says
Are their any substitutes for the egg in your casserole recipes?
Denise says
Hi Beth! Unfortunately I have only tested it with the egg. You may be able to just leave it out but the casserole might be a bit more watery.
Dawn says
This looks so delicious! I'm from San Antonio and was raised on amazing Mexican food that my mom used to make, and I think this has the potential to be amazing, too! I currently eat mainly plant-based so I'll be subbing ground flax seed (4T) for the 2 eggs, some cubed tofu (or chopped sauteed mushrooms & walnuts) for the cooked turkey, and some homemade vegan cheese in place of dairy cheese. I also plan to add some chopped onion and minced garlic just because..... I'll let you know how it turns out! : )
Auda says
Easy to make and delicious. I varied the method a little. Instead of adding everything to the squash after cooking the turkey, I added the bell pepper (and added some onion) to the pan with the turkey and the seasonings and cooked those ingredients together. Then I added the remaining ingredients along with turkey mixture to the squash and baked. I kept the cheese on top instead of mixed through out but otherwise, I didn't change a thing. It was filling and pretty healthy!
Denise says
Thanks so much for sharing your modifications, Auda! I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe.
Sandy says
Under ingredients you list 2 lbs spaghetti squash. What size spaghetti squash (whole) would yield 2 lbs of spaghetti squash?
Denise says
Hi Sandy, sorry for the confusion, that is meant to be one whole spaghetti squash of 2 lbs, not 2lbs of cooked squash.
Julie N. says
If I’m using spaghetti squash leftovers, approx how many cups would I need in this recipe?
Denise says
Hi Julie, apologies for my late reply. According to my notes, a 2 lbs spaghetti squash yields roughly 6 cups of noodles, so that's roughly what you'd need for this recipe. Hope this helps!