Ground Turkey, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, and Eggplant Casserole (Gluten-Free)
Ground Turkey, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, and Eggplant Casserole recipe. A delicious casserole made with layers of ground turkey paprika meat sauce, eggplant, zucchini, and bell peppers.
This casserole is an older recipe of mine, but a goodie! It is naturally grain-free and full of veggies and made by alternating layers of sliced eggplant, bell pepper, and zucchini with scrumptious smokey paprika ground turkey meat sauce in-between each layer.
It is a yummy lasagna alternative and can easily be made dairy-free, Whole30, and Paleo ( by omitting the cheese!) .
Note: this recipe was originally published in January 2016, and the photos and post were updated in April 2021.
This casserole has an Italian and a Mediterranean feel to it.
When it cooks in the oven, the eggplant softens, the peppers roast, and the zucchini melts. It reminds me of a meat sauce ratatouille, now that I think about it.
So maybe this dish has a French feel to it too?
Ingredients needed to make this Ground Turkey, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, and Eggplant Casserole:
- eggplant
- bell pepper
- zucchini
- onion
- garlic
- olive oil
- ground turkey
- salt
- pepper
- oregano
- paprika
- dried basil
- tomato paste
- strained tomatoes
- water
I love that this Ground Turkey, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, and Eggplant Casserole is a healthy lasagna alternative.
It is naturally grain-free, as it has no pasta inside. And it is made with ground turkey, which I find to be lighter than ground beef.
Plus I really like the flavor of ground turkey… there is a light sweetness to it that I find so satisfying.
How to make this ground turkey eggplant casserole:
This casserole comes together in steps.
Step 1: make the eggplant sweat
Once you slice your eggplant, place it on paper towels and sprinkle them with salt.
The salt will help to remove the excess moisture from the eggplant, which is important so that your dish isn’t too watery and so your eggplant cooks better.
This step is crucial and needs to be done first.
Step 2: make the meat sauce
To do this, start by cooking the onion and garlic.
Then add your ground turkey, season it, and cook until it is browned.
I like to season the meat while it browns so that the meat is extra flavorful. You add paprika, basil, oregano, salt and pepper here.
Add your tomato paste and strained tomatoes and let everything cook until thickened.
Step 3: layer
This step is my favorite!
It’s fun to see how each layer looks and I also enjoy pouring the meat sauce.
This is the order of the layers:
- meat sauce layer
- eggplant layer
- meat sauce layer
- bell pepper layer
- meat sauce
- zucchini layer
- cheese layer
Step 4 bake!
Easy enough!
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as my family does!
Other healthy casseroles you may enjoy:
Creamy Mustard Tomato Chicken Casserole (Paleo, Whole30, GF)
Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Spiralized Potato Casserole (Whole30, Paleo)
Other recipes with zucchini you may enjoy:
These Zucchini Boats by Cooktoria are made with Mexican seasoning and look delicious!
These Vegan Zucchini Fries from Running to The Kitchen are crunchy and baked and look amazing!
This Zucchini Casserole by Tessa the Domestic Diva is full of rice and sausage for a flavorful zucchini dish!
Ground Turkey, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, and Eggplant Casserole (Gluten-Free)
Ingredients
- 1 eggplant sliced longways ( about 1/4 inch thick)
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 zucchini sliced
- 1/2 cup diced white onion
- 1 Tbs diced garlic
- 1 Tbs olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1.5 tsp salt divided
- 1 tsp ground black pepper divided
- 1 tsp oregano divided
- 1.5-2 tsp sweet paprika divided
- 1 tsp dried basil divided
- a scant 1/4 cup tomato paste
- 3 cups strained tomatoes (Pomi is my favorite)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 cup shredded cheese of choice ( optional, omit for Paleo or Whole30 compliance)
Instructions
- Slice the eggplant longways. Place the sliced eggplant onto a tray or cookie sheet and generously sprinkle salt onto the eggplant slices. Let the eggplant sit and “sweat” for 25 minutes.
- While the eggplant is set aside, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and start making the meat sauce.
- Put the onion, garlic, and 1 Tbs of olive oil into a large pan and heat over medium heat for about 3 minutes, mixing every so often.
- Add the ground turkey to the pan, and try to break it up into smaller pieces with a rubber spatula. Put 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1 tsp of paprika, and 1/2 tsp of basil onto the meat, and mix it all together. Let the meat cook for 7-8 minutes, until browned.
- Add the tomato paste to the meat, and mix. Let the mixture cook for another minute.
- Then, add the strained tomatoes and water to the dish, and mix. Top the sauce with 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ground black pepper, 1/2 tsp oregano, 1/2 tsp of basil, and 1/2 tsp paprika (you could add 1 tsp of paprika here, but make sure you taste the sauce to see if you want more smokiness or not). Mix and let the mixture cook for 5 minutes.
- Then take paper towels and remove the liquid from the eggplant.
- Put 2 cups of meat sauce into an 11x 9 inch baking dish. Then layer the eggplant across the top of the sauce. Cover the eggplant in 1.5 cups of the meat sauce, and spread it around with a spatula, then layer all of the slices of bell pepper onto the surface of the sauce. Cover the pepper with 1.5 cups of the meat sauce, spread it around with a spatula, and then layer the zucchini slices on top of the sauce. (You should have used up all of the meat sauce and veggies at this point)
- If you are using dairy, sprinkle the top with mozzarella or parmesan ( or both).
- Bake for 40 minutes, or until you can easily stick a knife into the casserole and the veggies are all soft.
Nutrition
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19 Comments on “Ground Turkey, Bell Pepper, Zucchini, and Eggplant Casserole (Gluten-Free)”
This recipe was amazing! The only thing I added (for my husband) is 1 diced jalapeño without seeds (sautéed with the onions and garlic). I have already sent it to a few family members to try.
Ooohhhh what a good idea to add jalapeño for some heat. Glad you guys loved it!
This was so good. Loved it! Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Thank you!!
sorry just saw this now can i use mushrooms instead as am a vegan can i skip bell pepper as am not a big fan of it i love eggplant soooooooooooooo much perfect for my after office meals will dm you if i make this and let you know how it goes Thanks Ramya
If you make a sauce with mushrooms to use instead of meat, I don’t see why it can’t work! You can also skip the bellpepper as well. Let me know how it works out!
Wonderful recipe! I added feta on top and it was delicious and easy.
Feta on top is a great idea!
Loved loved this recipe, thank you for sharing, was able to get a crispy top with the way I laid the zucchini and had fresh mozzarella to sprinkle. Thanks for the inspiration
Sounds great! Especially with the added mozzarella and crispy top!
I’m trying this recipe tonight and I can’t wait! After you let the eggplant “sweat”, did you rinse it off? I don’t want the dish to taste too salty.
yes! You can take a paper towel and take it off with that. Sorry if I responded a day too late! I went to sleep early last night 🙂
If made exactly as listed above, approximately what is the calorie/nutritional value in your opinion? I made this last night and it was AMAZING but i have no idea how to log it in my fitness pal!
Your comment inspired me to add a nutrition label to this post. 🙂 Basically if this dish is divided into 4 servings, each serving is 325 calories. And if it’s divided into 6 servings, each serving is 217 calories. I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
You’re so right, Dominique, this recipe is so tasty! Made it last night and can’ t wait to have the leftovers today! I doubled your recipe and used two large organic peppers- 1 yellow & 1 red. This recipe is so easy to make with all organic ingredients, including the ground turkey. I wanted to make it look & taste like a veggie lasagna so I sprinkled a half bag of Daiya-brand dairy free shredded mozzarella on top; it browned slightly and made for a beautiful dish! (My wife & I can’t handle lactose and casein, so this cheese substitute is an excellent alternative. Buy it @ Whole Foods ). We froze enough for another meal so our grand kids can enjoy it, too. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thanks so much for the comment! I will have to try adding some Daiya mozzarella on top the next time that I make it, that sounds delicious! 🙂
Hi! This looks tasty, but the directions state to slice the eggplant longways. The pictures appear to have rounded slices. Which way or does it actually matter??
I cut the eggplant longways and put them into the casserole first, and I cut the zucchini in round slices and topped the casserole with them. 🙂 I’m sure cutting them in either direction would work, I just found it easier to do it that way.
looks fantastic. really cool plate where did you get it?