Bariatric Foodie Play with your food
This recipe is ubiquitous. (And, yes, I did use the word ubiquitous because I’ve been dying to use the word ubiquitous, thank you for noticing!)
Even though that’s not quite the right word.
Versatile? Mmmm…not really. Ok, so let me just say what it is I’m trying to say.
There are very few people who don’t like this recipe!
- New post-ops like it because it bakes up soft and has a burst of flavor
- Further-out post-ops like it because it’s filling and can be enjoyed without any extra carbs, like chips or tortillas
- Your family will love it because they can enjoy it with extra carbs, like chips and tortillas.
But then there’s also the fact that you can switch this up so many ways. Don’t like the veggies I used? Pick your favorites! Don’t like turkey? Use chicken, beef or even Boca crumbles!
This is a “do you” kind of casserole.
And Foodies have been “doing” this casserole for quite some time. Check out one of the very first reader submitted photos I ever got of this casserole. It was so good, I hired the photographer to come work with me! (Kidding…but that photo was taken by Shannon, our indefatigueable community manager on Facebook.)
So if this is your first time seeing this recipe, welcome. And prepare to be obsessed!
And be sure to share the recipe with others! Because true Foodies never keep a good thing to themselves!
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1 small yellow onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 pkg taco seasoning
- 10 oz black beans drained and rinsed
- 8 oz fat-free refried beans canned
- 8 oz tomatoes & chiles canned
- 2 c Mexican blend cheese
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Spray a pan with non-stick cooking spray, set it over medium heat and allow it to get hot. saute veggies with garlic until they are softened. Drain any excess liquid and transfer to a bowl.
- Brown ground meat, drain and then transfer to the same bowl and mix with canned beans and tomatoes and chiles.
- Mix in taco seasoning thoroughly and then transfer mixture to a 13x9 casserole dish.
- Evenly spread out fat free refried beans on top (this may be easier if you heat them in a microwave safe bowl for a minute or so.
- Top with cheese and then bake in a 350 oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is oozy, melty and slightly browned.
- Cool 10-15 minutes before slicing and serving.
left out the vegies, but this was/is superb!!!! I shared your page with tons of WLS folks and regulars too!! Thanks for the recipes.
Just made this for lunch and it was fanastic! My son loved it, too!
Keeping it fancy, Nik! Shelly Smith from FB
Hello do you know the nutrition info on this. I'm interested in the carbs the most.
If you go to verywell fit which I did and enter the ingredients of any recipe it will calculate the nutrition information for you. It said 1 serving is 384 calories. Good news it has 30.8 g of protein per serving!! 6.5 g of Fiber. All in all not to bad Plus it tastes great!
You are absolutely right! And I’d encourage everyone to run their stats because the stats for me may be different from the stats for you and someone else still might use different ingredients so it’s important to just run those numbers and make sure you are ok with how it shakes out. I’m glad you enjoyed!
I do know, however, I don't typically give nutritional information on my recipes. Here's a link explaining why and how you can figure up the stats for recipes you try. http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/2010/10/why-we-dont-provide-stats.html
hey nik, do you think this recipe can be frozen?
I have frozen it successfully! These days I use my Food Saver machine but even before it froze nicely in a freezer safe bag.
This is just amazing…me and my fiance both loved it! Thank you so much for bringing some taste and enjoyment back to my food.
Melanie K
Made this tonight; it was delicious and super easy to make! Even my 3yr old loved it!!
I see that you drain the beans. Do you drain the tomatoes and chilis, too? I just made this for the first time tonight, and the flavor was awesome, but it was a bit runny. (Even after I let it sit for 30 minutes before cutting into it.)
Dr. M,
I usually don't but you can. You'll find when you refrigerate, the liquid gels up a little bit. When you reheat in the microwave it helps the casserole stay moist and the ground meat will stay pretty tender (because it's essentially steaming in the juices on the reheat). But I don't like all that sodium that comes with the beans! Ugh!
Ah, that makes sense! Better a little runny now than dry later. Thanks for the quick reply.
Cooked it today and it is fabulous! Thanks for the recipe. Didn't have zucchini in the house, so substituted some cubanella peppers and mushrooms, it tastes great!
What is protein and calories count on this recipe.
Hi Anonymous,
Because the calories in ingredients can vary so much from person to person I don't list nutritional information for my recipes. But you can click here to learn how to figure out the nutritional information for the recipe using your ingredients: http://bariatricfoodie.blogspot.com/2012/01/bf-basics-how-to-figure-out-recipes.html
Wow oh Wow! Me & My Hubby made this tonight! AAAAmazing!!! Our son even liked it!! Thank you for this wonderful recipe!!! 🙂
This is the second time I made it and this time I did it in wide mouth half pint (8oz) mason jars. Individual serving size sadly frozen thawed and microwaved for simple dinners and fast school/work lunches! Thank you!
made this for dinner tonight… O.M.G.!!!
thank you 🙂
I am not a veggie lover. Can you actually taste them?
If you don't like veggies, you can simply leave them out. But, yes, as the recipe is written you can taste them!
I think this dish is great!!! I serve it with avocados, sour cream and sopes. I also like to serve it with crushed pineapple -it adds a great sweetness. I also add pineapple and/or mango to my burritos. I know it sounds crazy but it’s good!
That sounds delicious!
Made it today as my first meal post op 2 months out. It was amazing. When I calculated the calories I was scared how much I would eat, for me it came out to a whopping 1.8K in the whole dish. Turns out I can only eat 1/12 of the thing and I'm flat out stuffed. 🙂 150~ish calories and SO good. Successful first dish and I have two weeks of dinner for around 20 bucks. Not bad.
Made it tonight for the family using Boca crumbles, probably used more zucchini and squash than the original recipe but it turned out great. The 3 year old had seconds and the 5 year old asked for thirds! Any recipe where we get them to eat veggies without negotiations is a hit in my book.
Made this today and it was so great will definitely make this again and again. Thanks
This sounds delicious! I am going to add it to next weeks menu plan. I love it when I can cook dinner for the whole family instead of two separate dinners for us.
I made it tonight and my whole family loved it! The kids ate it with nacho chips and I have 3 servings left over 🙂 Can't beat that! Thank you so much for recommending it!
Can't wait to make this!!!! Looks yummy
Loved this recipie and so easy. Thanks for this great blogs here
Thanks so much for sharing this. I have it saved to try for one of my first post op surgery dishes. I am on the liquid stage post surgery about a week. 🙂
How about making this with tofu? Anyone done that? If so – how was it?
I’ve made this with Boca Crumbles and it turned out great. They make Southwest Boca Crumbles. Give those a try and see how you like it!
casserole looks nasty but i love this food.. thanks for the recipe..simple and easy
Um…thanks…I think?
This was AAAAMAZING!!! My husband raved about it and my 2 year old daughter said “Yum.” I couldn’t taste the zucchini but that made me happy. I also hate chunks of tomatoes so I puréed the tomatoes and green chilis. I’m freezing it for lunches this week!! Thanks!!!
Way to go! You played with your food and made the recipe YOURS. Excellent! 🙂
Has anyone figured out the nutritional values for this recipe, protein, carbs, etc?
Hey there! Most folks do them on their own since Bariatric Foodie doesn’t provide that info (by intention). Here’s a link to why and how you can get that info using the ingredients you got at your local store: https://www.bariatricfoodie.com/bf-basics-how-to-figure-out-recipes/
Hope that helps!
My Fitness Pal will allow you to fill in all the ingredients and save the recipe for logging and will show all nutrition info.
OMG Mexican shepherds pie!!!
I love you!
Do you drain the liquid from the canned tomatoes and chilies?
Thanks!
Patty Poston
Good question! I usually don’t just because I use super low-fat turkey and the extra liquid helps with the seasonings. For the beans, I do drain and rinse them though. Hope that helps!
OMG!!! Made this for dinner tonight. Followed recipe to a T. AMAZING!! THANK YOU NIK!
Just made it…again and we really love this. My wife has not had bariatric surgery but loves the protein and veggies. I put a dollop of Daisy on a slice and I’m ready for a game. BTW, this is also perfect for tailgating!! Let’s Go Mountaineers!!
I really want to try this recipe, but my husband, who LOVES beans, will not eat black beans. Can another type of bean be substituted without hurting the taste?
You can leave them out! It will taste just fine. Enjoy!