Easy ground turkey spaghetti squash casserole made with sauteed onion and oozing with melted cheese! This healthy turkey casserole is creamy, chunky, packed full of protein, and a cherished ONE meal for the entire family (with a dairy-free option)!
It is gluten-free and paleo friendly, and dinner is on the table in less than an hour if you prep the squash in advance. Learn how to roast, microwave and cook a spaghetti squash here first, or roast it the day before.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 10 minutes, plus cooking the spaghetti squash
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 40 minutes baked at 350 degrees F
- ⏳ Total Time: under an hour with the squash cooked ahead
- 🍽️ Serving: 4
- ⚡ Calories: 475kcal per serving, with 41g protein
- 🥣 Ingredients: 10 (spaghetti squash, butter or ghee, lean ground turkey, paprika, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, cheese, milk)
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Creamy, cheesy and savory with paprika, garlic and onion
- ✋ Difficulty: Cook squash, brown turkey, layer, bake
Quick Answer
Cook 1 spaghetti squash and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Scrape the noodles into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Brown 1 lb lean ground turkey in 1 tablespoon butter for about 10 minutes, breaking it into fine pieces, then add 1 more tablespoon butter with 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ cup chopped onion, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper and cook 5 minutes until soft. Top the squash with 1 cup shredded cheese, then the turkey mixture, pour 1 cup milk over it and mix gently, and top with the remaining ½ cup cheese. Bake 40 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned. It serves 4 at 475 calories each.
Jump to:
- Quick Look
- Quick Answer
- Why This Turkey Casserole Works
- Why You'll Love This Casserole
- Key Ingredients
- Can I Substitute the Ground Turkey?
- How to Make Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Casserole
- Expert Tips
- More Healthy Family Dinners
- Ground Turkey Casserole FAQs
- More Ground Turkey Recipes
- Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Casserole
TWO of the hardest pain points as a parent are getting kids to eat vegetables AND making a meal that everyone enjoys. My boys for sure "eat with the seasons", so to say. I feel like in the winter months all they want are carbs. That is where zoodles and squash come in.
Spaghetti squash is great in place of noodles and fantastic for adding extra nutrients. Mix it with melted creamy cheese and sauteed ground turkey and it is a simple meal for the whole family. Plus, the leftovers are just as terrific!
Why This Turkey Casserole Works
Click to see why it works
- Spaghetti squash replaces noodles. It is packed full of fiber and soaks up the cheesy sauce.
- Lean turkey keeps it light. I like 99% lean ground turkey for lower fat, and it still delivers 41g protein per serving.
- Chop the turkey fine. Breaking it into small pieces as it browns spreads it evenly through every bite.
- Milk makes it creamy. Poured over the layers and mixed gently, it melts with the cheese into a sauce.
- Cheese in layers. Cheese under the turkey and on top means melty cheese all the way through.
- Paprika, garlic and onion. Simple seasoning, like a VERY healthy version of a hamburger helper.
Why You'll Love This Casserole
- One meal everyone eats, kids included.
- Gluten-free and paleo friendly, with a dairy-free option.
- High protein, with 41g per serving.
- Under an hour when the squash is cooked ahead.
- Leftovers are just as terrific the next day.
Key Ingredients
- Spaghetti squash - packed full of fiber and a great alternative to noodles.
- Ground turkey - I like 99% lean for lower fat.
- Garlic and yellow onion - chopped and sauteed in butter.
- Butter, ghee or dairy-free butter - for sauteing, and it gives great flavor. I use dairy-free butter or organic ghee.
- Cheese - shredded cheddar, mozzarella or dairy-free cheese. My favorite dairy-free cheese is Trader Joe's shredded almond cheese; it is very mild and my 5 year old loves it too.
- Milk - preferably organic, or a dairy-free milk such as almond or cashew milk.
- Seasoning - salt, pepper and paprika, that's it! Fresh thyme and parsley make delicious garnishes.
See recipe card for quantities.
Can I Substitute the Ground Turkey?
Yes! You can use rotisserie chicken, shredded chicken or even ground beef in this simple casserole. Whichever you choose, I always suggest organic, which contains no hormones or antibiotics. Read my ButcherBox review; ButcherBox is where we buy most of our meat.
Love ground turkey dinners? My family's favorites include ground turkey stuffed peppers, healthy turkey sweet potato chili and healthy paleo Italian turkey burgers.
How to Make Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Casserole
1Cook the squash. Cook the spaghetti squash (here are 4 ways to cook spaghetti squash) and let it cool enough to handle. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2Fill the dish. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Scrape the squash noodles into the dish with a spoon.
3Brown the turkey. In a large pan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and the ground turkey. Chop it into fine pieces with a wooden spatula and cook about 10 minutes, chopping and mixing as it cooks.
4Add the aromatics. Just before the turkey is cooked through, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the pan and add the garlic, paprika, salt, pepper and onion. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
5Cheese layer. Top the spaghetti squash noodles evenly with 1 cup of cheese.
6Turkey layer. Spread the cooked turkey and onion mixture evenly over the cheese.
7Add the milk. Pour the milk evenly over the top, then mix together gently with a fork to coat. Top with the remaining ½ cup of cheese.
8Bake and garnish. Bake 40 minutes, until bubbly and the top is lightly browned. Garnish with fresh thyme and parsley and serve right away.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Cook the squash ahead to have dinner on the table in under an hour.
- Let the squash cool enough to handle before scraping out the noodles.
- Chop the turkey finely as it browns so it layers evenly.
- Mix the milk in gently with a fork so the layers stay intact.
- Going dairy-free? Use dairy-free butter, a mild dairy-free cheese and almond or cashew milk.
More Healthy Family Dinners
This is by far one of our FAVORITE healthy family recipes! For another spaghetti squash dinner, try my baked spaghetti squash pizza casserole or barbecue chicken baked spaghetti squash.
More delicious healthy recipes: Tuna Stuffed Yellow Summer Squash, Thai Peanut Ground Turkey and Cabbage Bowls, Turkey Meatloaf Recipe Packed with Veggies, Roasted Butternut Squash Apple Soup, Spaghetti Squash Pasta With Butternut Squash Sauce and Healthy Oven-Baked Turkey Meatballs.
Ground Turkey Casserole FAQs
Yes. Cook the squash ahead and store the noodles in the fridge. It makes this casserole even more of a breeze and gets dinner on the table in under an hour.
Yes. Rotisserie chicken, shredded chicken or ground beef all work in this casserole.
Use dairy-free butter or ghee, a dairy-free shredded cheese such as almond cheese, and almond or cashew milk.
A 9 by 13 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.
Each of the 4 servings has 41g of protein and 475 calories, per the recipe card.
Bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes, until bubbly and the top is lightly browned.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
Keep dinner easy with How To Cook Spaghetti Squash, Spaghetti Squash Pizza Casserole, Oven-Baked Turkey Meatballs and Turkey Sweet Potato Chili. I hope your family loves this ground turkey casserole! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Ground Turkey Spaghetti Squash Casserole
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Ingredients
- 1 spaghetti squash
- 2 tablespoons butter or ghee or dairy-free butter
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ cup onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups cheese shredded (cheddar, or dairy-free mozzarella or cheddar)
- 1 cup milk skim, full fat or dairy-free milk
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti squash. Let it cool enough to handle. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
How To Cook Spaghetti Squash
- 1. ROASTEDRoasting spaghetti squash is my favorite way to cook spaghetti squash, acorn squash and butternut squash because it brings out a natural sweetness from the fruit (crazy it is a fruit, right?!). To roast, preheat the oven 400 degrees F. Slice the squash in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and toss in a bit of olive oil then place on a large baking sheet face down. Pour a dash of water on the baking sheet. Roast for 35-45 minutes until it is soft when poked with a fork. Let the spaghetti squash cool slightly before handling and flip over and with a fork “fluff” and scrape gently out the noodles.2. MICROWAVEPlace the spaghetti squash on a microwaveable dish whole (poked first with a knife for air) or as halves and cook on high for 9-12 minutes (for halves) and about 12-15 minutes (for a whole squash) until the large center is soft when poked with a knife. Remove and let it cool slightly until it is able to be handled then cut the squash in half (if it is not already) and remove the seeds with a spoon. With a fork “fluff” and scrape (gently) out the noodles.3. SLOW COOKERPlace the spaghetti squash whole in the slow cooker with about 1-2 inches of water. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours. Remove and slice in half then gently remove the seeds. Using a fork “fluff” the edges scraping down to break up the noodles.4. GRILLING TIPS AND TIMEHeat the grill on medium-high. Slice the spaghetti squash in half and toss in a bit of olive oil. Wrap it in foil and heat for about 35-45 minutes (or until soft) continuously flipping to prevent burning.
Make The Ground Turkey Casserole
- Spray a 9x13 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Using a spoon, scrape out the “noodles” into a casserole dish. Set aside until ready to use.
- Cook the ground turkey meat. In a large saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of butter and ground turkey meat. Chop it up with a wooden spatula into fine pieces. Cook until heated through, about 10 minutes, and while cooking continue to chop it and mix it.
- Slightly before the meat is cooked through, melt remaining 1 tablespoon of butter in the same pan with the meat and add the garlic, paprika, salt, pepper and onion. Cook until soft (5 minutes). Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Top the spaghetti squash noodles that are in the casserole dish evenly with 1 cup cheese.
- Top with cooked onion and ground turkey mixture evenly on top of the cheese.
- Pour milk on top evenly then mix together gently with a fork to coat.
- Top with remaining ½ cup of cheese.
- Put in the oven and bake for 40 minutes or until bubbly and the top is browned slightly.
- Garnish with fresh thyme and parsley. Serve right away.
Karen says
This was really good, I followed the recipe exactly. I don't like to cook, but this recipe was surprisingly easy. I cooked the spaghetti squash in the crockpot the day before making the casserole. The casserole turned out delicious! Thanks for sharing this 🙂
Danielle Fahrenkrug, Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach says
Hi Karen! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for your comment - xx
David says
what do you mean when you say add milk and gently mix in with a fork
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Hi Dave! Thank you for reaching out. I mean to fluff the spaghetti squash with a fork, just to coat it. Does that make sense?
Jeanne says
Suprisingly delicious! I didn't have fresh thyme so I put a pinch of dried thyme in the turkey/onion mixture. For cheeses, I used what I have which was provolone slices (unsmoked) in the middle and cotija on top.
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Yumm! I love how you tweaked the recipe. So glad you enjoyed!