EASY MACRO FRIENDLY MEXICAN CASSEROLE

I love Mexican food but going out for it usually means eating way more than I plan. This delicious and extremely easy recipe satisfies my craving and checks all of the macro boxes. We have had this casserole every week for well over a year. I thought it was time to share the goodness. 
 
Ingredients
1 lb. 99% lean ground turkey
1 16 oz. can black refried beans
3 Tbsp taco seasoning
½ cup salsa
½ cup reduced fat Mexican cheese blend
 
Directions

1. Preheat oven 375 degrees.
2. Lightly spray an 8x8 baking dish.
3. Use an olive oil cooking spray for your skillet. Dump the meat and let it set for a few minutes to brown. This will give it a little more flavor.
4. Flip the meat and let it set again for a couple of minutes. Break it up and sprinkle it with 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning.
5. Keep breaking the meat down to smaller pieces and make sure the seasoning is worked through. 
6. Once it is entirely cooked (no longer pink inside), dump into the baking dish.
7. Spread the meat out and firmly press it down.
8. Place refried beans into a small mixing bowl with 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning. Mix thoroughly.
9. Scoop beans on top of the meat mixture and slowly smooth it over, so it covers all of the meat. 
10. Pour salsa and spread over top.
11. Cheese it up.
12. Bake for 25 minutes.

 
Makes 4 total servings.
1 serving=268 Calories
​35.4 Protein
18.3 Carbohydrates
5.3 Fat

You can make so many substitutions for this casserole. Ground beef instead of turkey. Refried pinto beans. Any variation of taco seasoning. Absolutely any salsa will work. I used green chile salsa this past week because that’s what I had in the fridge. Any kind of cheese. It all works! Just remember that it will change the macro/calorie count. It also works great as a dip and leftovers are awesome.
 
A small side salad is a nice touch and makes this a well-balanced meal. I usually have half of an avocado on my serving with ONE serving of tortilla chips. You don’t have to quit eating what you like, you just usually need to eat less.