Taco Bake + a freezer meal!

Taco Bake + a freezer meal!

Win the dinner debate with this quick and simple Taco Bake that makes an extra freezer meal for later! Whether it’s cooking in the crockpot, making a sheet pan dinner or pulling out a prepped freezer meal, finding ways to serve my family as many healthy homemade meals as possible, despite the fact that we have the typical “crazy busy” schedule ranks super high on my priority list. And this recipe is a perfect fit.

If healthy weeknight meals seem impossible to figure out, just give this one a try. It’s perfect for a busy family or anyone looking for that quick and easy kid friendly dinner AND it leaves you with a freezer meal. I mean talk about killing 2 birds with one stone!

I make this recipe at least every other month (meaning it’s on the menu quite a bit at our house!) And until I hear complaints from the family it’s going to stay that way….so far it is still one of their and my favorites!

This Taco Bake is a classic and couldn’t be simpler to throw together and you will love the fact that there is a whole zucchini cooked right into the ground turkey that no one needs to know about. I don’t know about you but I’m always looking for ways to get more veggies into the tummies of my littles and this one is completely undetectable.

You will want to plan ahead for the brown rice. This recipe calls for cooked brown rice (which takes about 45 -55 min), so if you know you will be short on time you could cook it ahead of time or just buy pre-cooked brown rice.

Make this Taco Bake tonight and dinner is done – times 2!!!

Taco Bake + a freezer meal!

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 zucchini – shredded
• 1 small onion – chopped
• 2 cans diced tomatoes with green chilies (rotel)
• 1 can pinto beans – drained & rinsed
• 1 can black beans – drained & rinsed
• 1-2 packages of taco seasoning
• 4 cups cooked brown rice
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 2 – 9×13 inch pans

Instructions:

1. Brown ground turkey adding in the chopped onions and shredded zucchini until the meat is cooked through and veggies are soft. Drain off fat.
2. Stir in taco seasoning, tomatoes and beans. Feel free to add a splash or two of water if the consistency is too thick.

To assemble:

1. Spray the 2 9×13 inch pans with nonstick cooking spray
2. Spoon 2 cups of the cooked brown rice evenly across the bottom of each pan.
3. Divide the meat mixture in half and layer on top of the rice.
4. Top each pan with 1 cup of shredded cheese.

At this point you can bake or freeze.

To bake it:

Cover with foil and bake at 375° for about 30 minutes or until heated through.

To freeze it:

Cover with foil and label. When ready to eat, let thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Then bake covered with foil at 375° for about 45 minutes or until heated through.