Hello my friends, it has been too long but the accidental hiatus is (hopefully) over.
Although I have not posted in quite some time (you can thank nursing school for that*into my final year this fall*), I have still been in the kitchen experimenting with some deliciously healthy food alternatives, great for diets and meal preps.
Lettuce wraps have always been an absolute favorite of mine, so when my friend Rose was helping me brain storm ideas for a dinner that can rival the Mexican heat of my Florida vacation, she mentioned lettuce wraps and the rest was history.
I did my usual pinspiration searches and saw a ranch seasoning packet for a random crockpot recipe and the serious cravings for some Doritos Locos began. However, due to my clean eating as of late, I decided to give it a go and put my own spin on a taco casserole.
This recipe is by far, one of the tastiest (and slimmest) creations I have made and I can’t wait to get back to DC and bring it to the next potluck a friend of mine throws/ just make it for myself for the rest of my life.
(Boyfriend approved too)
Servings – 15+(tacos) Perfect to eat all week!
Ingredients
Two 1 lb packages of 99% lean ground Turkey
3 Bell Peppers
1/2 Yellow Onion
1 Packet of Ranch dressing seasoning
1 Packet of Taco Seasoning
1 14.5 ox can of roasted diced tomatoes
2 small cans of “Mexicorn”(11 oz cans)
1 15oz can of black beans (the only source of fat in this recipe!!)
Minced Garlic (Atleast two bulbs)
Romaine Hearts for an alternative to taco shells
Green Chiles (tiny can in the foreign good aisle)
Salsa ( I just chose a basic store brand heat-medium)
Fat free cheddar cheese
Directions
1. Slice the peppers and onion, on low heat, sauté with 1/3 cup salsa, 1/2 TBSP garlic and 1 tsp of the taco seasoning until soft. Once done place in the bottom of a large casserole dish.
2. In the same skillet, put the heat on a range between medium to high, add the turkey and season with the taco seasoning, ranch seasoning, 1/4 cup salsa and 2 TBSP garlic. Mix it all in as it cooks. Break up the turkey as it browns, giving it that cooked ground beef taco look. Once it all looks cooked, give it an extra five minutes, flipping it over frequently to make sure it is fully cooked. Preheat oven to 300*.
3. In a separate bowl while the turkey browns you can begin the next layer of the casserole. In a strainer, drain and rinse the black beans and add to a mixing bowl, along with the corn, green chiles – stir. Place half of this mixture evenly on the grilled veggies in the casserole dish.
4. Once the turkey is done, add it to the casserole dish in an even layer. (It is so delicious, try a taste, mmm) add the can of roasted tomatoes and the rest of the salsa on top in an even layer on top. The rest of the corn/bean mixture can be evenly added to this.
5. Sprinkle as much of the cheese as your heart desires. I am not a huge cheese fan so I made my side very light and my boyfriend’s heavier.
6. Put the casserole in the oven for 30 minutes so the flavors can make sweet love and cheese can melt.
7. While you’re waiting, you can make my low fat guacamole that is an excellent topping for these tacos. (Recipe coming soon) or my Sriracha Crema Sauce!
8. Cut the bottoms of the Romaine hearts and rinse. When the casserole is done, load it on up and enjoy!
jawpy cooks 