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Tex-Mex Turkey Mole Pie

Ground turkey in a gravy of mole sauce is the rich base of this Tex-Mex style dish. Topped with a cheesy crust of mashed roasted yam, this recipe is sure to become a family favorite!
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: brunch, dinner, lunch
Cuisine: southwestern, tex mex
Keyword: ground turkey, mashed yam, mole, mole sauce, roast yam, turkey, yam
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • 1 frying pan
  • 1 casserole dish
  • 1 cookie sheet or roasting pan

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs ground turkey
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 1 pkg ready to serve mole, 9.5 oz.
  • 1 tbsp powdered chicken bouillon
  • 6 oz tomato paste
  • 1 lb frozen mixed vegetables
  • 2 cups grated cheddar cheese
  • 2-3 tbsp cooking oil
  • 4-6 yams
  • salt for seasoning

Garnish

  • sour cream
  • diced scallions
  • cilantro
  • avocado
  • lime

Instructions

Roast Yams

  • Preheat oven to 350°.
  • Peel and slice yams into quarters.
  • Toss with oil and season with salt.
  • Place yams onto a cooking sheet or in a roasting pan. Roast for approximately 30 minutes or until yams are soft and slightly caramelized.
  • Let cool and then mash. Set aside until ready to add to casserole.
  • Note: While yams are roasting, prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Cook Turkey Meat

  • Preheat oven to 350°
  • Grease a casserole dish and set aside.
  • Add oil to the frying pan.
  • Set burner to a medium setting.
  • Placed diced onion in the pan and cook until transparent.
  • Season ground turkey with powdered chicken bouillon. Add ground turkey to pan and cook thoroughly.
  • Stir in mole and tomato paste.
  • Add frozen mixed vegetables.

Assemble and Bake

  • Place ground turkey mixture in the prepared casserole dish.
  • Top with mashed roasted yam and cheddar cheese.
  • Bake until the casserole is heated through and the cheese forms a crust.

Notes

Tex-Mex Turkey Mole Pie with Roasted Yam Crust
Is my recipe a pie or a casserole? A casserole is a cooking vessel with a lid or a category of food. A pie is a sweet or savory baked dish with a pastry dough lining or covering.  Like Shepherd's or Cottage Pie, my "pie" recipe is also a savory casserole. A mashed cooked tuber vegetable acts as a lid or crust. The mash seals in the juices just like a traditional pie crust.  
According to my trusty dictionary app, casserole and pie have poetic language origins and are perfectly interchangeable. The word casserole is of 18th Century French origin. It is a diminutive of casse, ‘spoon-like container’. The word pie originates in Middle English. It is a reference to various combinations of ingredients compared to objects randomly collected by a magpie (pie) - a long tailed bird with a raucous voice. Thus, a collection of food ingredients cooked in a container can be a casserole or pie. So, I declare, one spoonful from a container of my Tex-Mex Turkey Mole Pie will make your tastebuds scream with raucous delight!
For more information about this recipe and all my blog posts, visit mollyskitchen.net!