Taco Spaghetti Casserole made with lean ground turkey & spaghetti combined with a low fat cheesy Mexican sauce makes the perfect weeknight meal.
I love scouring Pinterest for new ideas and recently came across a recipe for Taco Spaghetti from Plain Chicken. It looked so good that I shared it on my Facebook page. One reader commented that though the recipe did look good, he wished that it was made a little healthier and without so many processed ingredients.
Knowing me as you all do, I set out to make a healthier, less processed version of this recipe and came up with this low fat version because who doesn't love a new, tasty weeknight casserole to serve the family!
The original recipe called for ground beef, taco seasoning, cream of chicken soup, Velveeta and cheddar cheese. I opted to use ground turkey and taco seasoning; then I made my own cheese sauce using 2% Mexican cheese blend and chicken stock.
This recipe takes about 20 minutes to prepare; then another 20 minutes to cook through.
How do you make Taco Spaghetti Casserole?
To make this casserole, start by cooking the spaghetti according to package directions; then drain the water once done. While your spaghetti is cooking, brown your ground turkey in a non stick skillet coated with cooking spray. I used extra lean turkey; which is 99% fat free.
Once the meat is cooked through and no longer pink add the taco seasoning and a bit of water; simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Next, it's time to make the sauce. You can do this while the pasta is cooking and the turkey is browning. Melt butter in a small saucepan; then add flour to form a roux. Add chicken stock, milk and shredded cheese and cook over medium heat until the cheese has melted and the sauce thickens.
Finally, add the turkey, cheese sauce and a can of diced tomatoes with green chilies to the pasta and mix well. Place in a 9x13 casserole dish, sprinkle some more cheese on top; then bake in a 350° F oven for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted.
How did this recipe change the nutritional information?
- Lowered the calories from 467 to 260
- Lowered the fat from 25g to 8g
- Lowered the cholesterol from 98g to 47g
- Lowered the sodium from 1060mg to 552mg
Do you like your food on the spicier side? Then I suggest using the hot chilies and tomatoes, but for us the mild worked just fine. We enjoyed this casserole and even froze some for our daughter to try when she comes home from college for Spring break in a couple of weeks; I hope your family will like it too. ~Enjoy!
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Low Fat Taco Spaghetti Casserole
Ingredients
- ½ lb. Spaghetti
- 1 lb. Extra Lean Ground Turkey
- Cooking Spray
- 1- 1(ounce) Package Taco Seasoning
- ½ c. Water
- 2 tbsp. Butter
- 2 tbsp. All Purpose Flour
- 1 c. Fat Free Chicken Broth
- ½ c. 2% Milk
- 1 ½ c. 2% Shredded 4 Cheese Mexican Blend, divided
- 1 (10-ounce) Can Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies, I used mild
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions, drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, spray a non stick pan with cooking spray and brown the turkey over medium high heat. Once browned and no longer pink, add the taco seasoning and water; simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat; then add the flour forming a roux. Next add the chicken stock, 1 cup of the cheese and milk and whisk over medium heat until the cheese melts and forms a sauce; approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the turkey, cheese sauce and the diced tomatoes to the pasta and mix well. Place in a 9x13 casserole dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and casserole is hot and bubbly.
Nutrition
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Maria says
Hello, can you tell me your serving size for your nutritional values? I tried to see if it was in MyFitnessPal but I did not see it.
Thank you!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
I don't have an actual measurement, but I used a 9"x13" casserole dish and cut it into 8 portions. I hope that helps!
Debors says
What can I sub for the milk?
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
Besides using half & half or heavy cream; I'm not quite sure. You can try to use almond milk or just increase the chicken broth, but I'm not sure that will help to thicken the sauce.
Patty says
I love this dish , Thank you so much for sharing , I make it once a week now !!!!!
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
That's awesome, I'm so glad you enjoy the recipe! Thanks for letting me know, I really appreciate that!
Anna says
Do you drain the can of tomatoes? Wasn’t sure if the extra liquid would make this runny.
Carrie's Experimental Kitchen says
No, I leave the juices in there. Enjoy!