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Leftover turkey rice casserole with crispy bread topping in large shallow pan.
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Mexican Turkey Rice Casserole

This Mexican inspired turkey rice casserole turns holiday leftovers into a delicious, easy to make one-pot meal everyone will love. It’s spicy, flavourful, nutritious and comes together in under 30 minutes!
Course Dinner
Cuisine International
Prep Time 7 minutes
Cook Time 23 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 409kcal
Author Monika Dabrowski

Equipment

  • Large shallow pan with lid suitable for all heat sources

Ingredients

  • 2 cups leftover turkey (8.82 oz) chopped
  • ½ cup+1tbsp rice (3.88 oz) uncooked, rinsed
  • 1 onion finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1-2 green chili peppers with seeds, finely chopped
  • 1 red bell pepper roughly chopped
  • ⅔ cup canned corn kernels (3.88 oz) drained
  • 1x14.11oz can black beans drained
  • 1x14.11oz can chopped tomatoes
  • 3 tablespoons tomato puree
  • 1½ tablespoons sweet chili sauce
  • 2 cups vegetable/chicken or turkey stock hot
  • 2 tablespoons vegetable/olive oil
  • 1¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 teaspoon paprika sweet or smoked
  • ⅔ teaspoon ground cumin
  • 6 tablespoons cilantro/fresh coriander finely chopped

For the bread topping

  • 2 slices soft bread white or whole wheat
  • 4-5 tablespoons cheddar or another strong hard cheese, finely grated
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable/olive oil
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 450 F/ 230 C/ gas mark 8. Break the bread into small pieces (you can do this in a food processor), add 1 tablespoon of oil and the cheese and toss together to combine. Set aside.
  • In a large, shallow casserole dish heat up 2 tablespoons of oil, add the onion, garlic and chilies and gently fry for 3 minutes until softened. Add the rice and red pepper, stir and cook for another minute or so.
  • Add ⅔ of the stock, tomatoes, tomato puree, spices, sweet chili sauce, stir, cover and bring to the boil then simmer for 6 minutes stirring occasionally.
  • Remove from the heat, add the turkey, beans, corn, cilantro, the rest of the stock and stir.
  • Scatter the bread mixture over the top and bake in the upper part of the oven for 13 minutes or until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Notes

  • This recipe will also work with leftover chicken.
  • I recommend using white long grain rice rather than whole grain rice (which takes longer to cook and requires different amounts of moisture).
  • Taste the mixture before covering with the bread topping and adjust the seasoning if needed.
  • Use soft bread for the top to ensure it stays light and crispy.
  • It is important to bake the casserole in the upper part of the oven so the top can be as crispy as possible.
  • You can use chipotle sauce instead of the sweet chili sauce (if you do make this swap use sweet paprika rather than smoked).
  • Use either white or whole wheat bread.
  • Best served immediately.
  • Refrigerate leftover casserole for up to 2 days (as you are using already cooked leftover meat I do not recommend refrigerating this casserole for very long).
  • Freeze for up to 3 months.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 409kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 61mg | Sodium: 941mg | Potassium: 672mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1431IU | Vitamin C: 43mg | Calcium: 130mg | Iron: 4mg