Turkey Fiesta Casserole is a great way to use up cooked turkey (or chicken). This easy Mexican-style dish has turkey, corn chips, refried beans, cheese & salsa!
Every now and then I grab a few of my old cookbooks or cooking magazines and look back through them for “new” recipes. Recently I went through one of my OLD Taste of Home magazines from 2005 (yes, I saved them), and found this easy to prepare Mexican casserole recipe.
I had some shredded turkey left over from Thanksgiving, and wanted to try a new way to use it besides SOUP (which I already made). This recipe was so easy to make, and while it baked I made the rest of our dinner. Chicken would be a perfect substitute, by the way, if you don’t have any cooked turkey on hand.
The turkey fiesta casserole tastes delicious, especially if you enjoy Mexican-style seasoned dishes! YUM! Layers of crushed corn chips, refried beans, salsa, cheese, and shredded turkey (or can substitute chicken). The results are delicious! Here’s how to make it:
Scroll Down for A Printable Recipe Card At The Bottom Of The Page
Ingredients For Turkey Fiesta Casserole Are Layered In Baking Dish
The first ingredient is crushed corn chips or tortilla chips. Place the crushed corn chips in the bottom of a greased (or sprayed) baking dish.
In a saucepan, stir and cook the refried beans until smooth and heated through. If they are really thick, simply add about a Tablespoon of water. Once heated through, remove the pan from the heat.
Immediately add 1 cup of grated jack cheese and the salsa. NOTE: Remember to only use 1 cup of cheese and reserve the rest for later!) Stir together, and then spoon and spread this bean mixture over the entire surface of the tortilla chips in the baking dish. Spread carefully, to cover.
Time For A Layer of Seasoned Turkey!
Place the shredded turkey in a bowl, and add taco seasoning (or Mexican spice mix). Stir to incorporate the spices into the meat. Spread this mixture over the refried bean layer in the dish.
Final Step Before Baking
The last layer is the Monterey jack cheese and green onions. Sprinkle grated jack cheese over the turkey layer, and then sprinkle with sliced green onions. Bake the turkey fiesta casserole uncovered, on the middle shelf in a preheated 400° F oven. The casserole needs to bake for 25 minutes OR until the cheese on top is completely melted.
Once the casserole is finished baking, remove it from the oven. Immediately sprinkle chopped tomatoes over the top. Let the HOT casserole sit for just a couple minutes before cutting into it, for serving.
Serve The Turkey Fiesta Casserole!
When ready to cut and serve this dish, place a portion onto each serving plate, and garnish with a dollop of sour cream and/or chopped cilantro, if desired. Serve hot, and enjoy this tasty casserole. See- it wasn’t too hard to make after all, right? We enjoyed it served it with a spinach salad, and Pistachio Pineapple Fluff Salad (leftover from Thanksgiving!).
I really hope you will consider trying this easy to prepare turkey fiesta casserole, and hope you like it. We sure did, and enjoyed the leftovers, too! All in all, we got 5 servings from this recipe. The leftovers are good reheated in the microwave, also! Have a good day, friends.
Looking For More CASSEROLE Recipes?
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Original recipe source: Taste of Home Magazine, Dec/Jan 2005, page 48, published by Reiman Media Group Inc.
↓↓ PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW ↓↓
Turkey Fiesta Casserole is a great way to use up cooked turkey (or chicken). This easy Mexican-style dish has turkey, corn chips, refried beans, cheese & salsa!
- 2 cups coarsely crushed corn chips
- 16 ounces refried beans (1 can)
- 2 cups grated Monterey Jack cheese , divided use
- 1 cup salsa
- 2 cups shredded cooked turkey (can substitute chicken)
- 1 teaspoon taco seasoning
- 1 green onion (scallion) , sliced (stem and bulb)
- 1 medium tomato , chopped
- sour cream and/or cilantro for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray a 2.5 quart baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
Spread crushed corn chips on the bottom of the greased dish. Cook refried beans in a saucepan until smooth/heated through. If really thick, add a Tablespoon of water. Once heated through, remove pan from heat. Immediately add 1 cup of grated jack cheese and salsa. NOTE: Remember to only use 1 cup of cheese and reserve the rest for later!) Stir to combine; spoon and spread bean mixture over tortilla chips. Place the shredded turkey in a bowl, and add taco seasoning (or Mexican spice mix). Stir to combine. Distribute seasoned turkey over refried bean layer. Sprinkle reserved jack cheese over turkey, and then sprinkle with sliced green onions.
Bake casserole uncovered, on the middle shelf in preheated 400° F oven. Bake for 25 minutes OR until the cheese on top is completely melted. Remove from oven. and immediately sprinkle chopped tomatoes over the top. Let the HOT casserole sit for just a couple minutes before serving. When ready to serve, garnish each portion with a dollop of sour cream and/or chopped cilantro, if desired. Enjoy!
Note: to lower caloric calculation per serving, try using fat free refried beans and/or low-fat cheese.
Here’s one more to pin on your Pinterest boards!