How To Make Turkey Taco Pasta
Making a big pan of my Ground Turkey Taco Pasta couldnt be easier! You just need a few ingredients that you probably already have on hand.
Storing Stuffed Taco Peppers
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container
Can I freeze taco meat stuffed peppers? You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. We like these Souper Cubes containers for freezing code CLEANEATING10 works to save $$ on our favorite silicone molds!
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave, toaster oven, oven, or on the stove.
Simple Ways To Make Your Turkey Tacos Better
You don’t need to add anything to ground turkey to make it moist, you just need to buy the right kind and cook it correctly. If you buy ground turkey with little-to-no fat content, it will likely be dry by the time it finishes its stint in the skillet. The best turkey to buy for tacos is 85/15 ground turkey.
The other thing to keep in mind is, because ground turkey is so lean, it cannot go into the skillet dry the same way ground beef can. You need to add oil to the pan before cooking the turkey. Avocado oil is a great choice for this, as it is a healthy, flavorless oil.
Crazy for Tex-Mex? Try our Easy Taco Salad next!
Don’t Miss: Best Keto Slow Cooker Recipes
What You Need For Delicious Taco Meat
I could eat tacos all the time. I love fish tacos, chicken tacos, carnitas, carne asada, veggie, shrimp I love it ALL. Put it in a corn tortilla with some avocado and fixings and I love it. But simple ground turkey tacos are by far the family favorite over here. And it doesnt really get any easier. Just a handful of spices and a few minutes in a pan! In this recipe I combine chili powder, kosher salt, dried oregano, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper.
When I know I have a busy week ahead of me, this is one recipe I know I can double or triple and use all week without getting tired of it. Ive talked before about my love for salads, and this simple ground turkey taco meat gets thrown into my salads regularly! Besides salads, this meat is perfect for taco bowls, tacos, enchiladas, or anything else you want to add some protein to. And EVEN MY BOYS love it. An easy kid-pleaser.
Healthy Tacos With Ground Turkey
We often go with ground turkey for our tacos. Get the 85/15% ratio its much juicier than the extra lean. If you cant find that, or you are looking to cut back even further on fat, get the 93/7%, but avoid the 99% fat free, extra lean versions, which dont have a lot of flavor, and can be a bit dry.
You May Like: Chicken And Rice Dog Food Recipe For Upset Stomach
Ground Turkey For Tacos
So easy to make, this mouthwatering ground turkey taco meat is made by cooking lean ground turkey with taco seasoning and pureed tomatoes. Ready in less than 20 minutes, use it to make tacos, or add it to taco salads, taco soup, or cheesy taco pasta.
And while ground turkey taco meat may be lighter than ground beef taco meat, it is just as flavorful, delicious, and juicy.
I usually double this recipe. The leftovers are delicious for at least 3-4 days and are perfect for meal prepping easy, high-protein lunches and dinners.
How To Make Turkey Tacos
The descriptions below correlate to the photo collage above.
Don’t Miss: Vegetarian Salad Recipes With Protein
Why I Love Ground Turkey For My Taco Meat
I chose ground turkey for this recipe because its low in fat, and I like the flavor better than the super lean ground beef. I normally grab the 93/7 organic Fulton Farms ground turkey packs from Costco and the macros reflect this. If you use a more traditional 93/7 ground turkey youll need to be aware that your macros for each serving of cooked taco meat will change by +4 fat, and 2.5 protein.
I do love a little hit of a something special though. One of my favorite additions to lots of Mexican meals. Green enchilada sauce! This adds a little moisture and a lot of flavor. But its not a deal breaker, so if youre not a fan of green enchilada sauce, or dont keep it on hand, just sub a little salsa or even water.
How Do You Cook Turkey Meat For Tacos
Making ground Turkey Tacos takes minutes literally!
Recommended Reading: Easy Bake Oven Recipes Cookies
More Taco Recipes Youll Love
- Easy Instant Pot Shredded Beef Tacos
- Shrimp Tacos With Creamy Avocado Slaw
- Blackened Rockfish Tacos with Mango Salsa
Love a recipe youve tried? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card and a comment below! Thatll make my day!Lets be friends! Follow me on social media @ , . Give me a tag @apeachyplate when you try out a recipe!
How To Make Turkey Taco Skillet Step By Step Photos
First, make your homemade taco seasoning . In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp chili powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp cumin, ¼ tsp cayenne , ½ tsp dried oregano, ½ tsp salt, and about ¼ tsp freshly cracked pepper. I skipped the cayenne this day because I wanted a less spicy turkey taco skillet.
Add 1 Tbsp cooking oil and 1 lb. ground turkey to a large skillet. Cook over medium heat, breaking up the ground turkey as you stir. While the turkey is cooking, dice one yellow onion, then add it to the skillet and continue to cook with the turkey until the onion is soft.
Add the taco seasoning to the skillet with the ground turkey and onion. Continue to cook and stir for 1-2 minutes more.
Drain one 15oz. can of black beans, then add them to the skillet with one 10oz. can of diced tomatoes with green chiles, and 1 cup frozen corn . Stir to combine, then heat through over medium, stirring occasionally.
While the skillet is heating through, slice half a bunch of green onions . Add the green onions just before serving and stir to combine.
Look how colorful and delicious that is!!
Dinner is served!
Read Also: Cuisinart Automatic Bread Maker Recipes
Ground Turkey Greek Taco Meat:
The meat is seasoned with oregano and garlic, then tomato paste and red wine vinegar are added in.
I cooked the meat with a minced red onion and the flavor combination was perfect. The meat mixture only takes about 15 minutes to cook from start to finish.
The two toppings relish and tzatziki are condiments that make this dish amazing. The great thing is that if you are short on time, these items can be prepped up to 2 days in advance.
Can You Freeze Leftover Taco Meat
Sometimes I will make a double batch of the taco meat and yes, it freezes beautifully! Just scoop out the portion you plan to freeze to a separate bowl and let it cool completely. Then transfer it to a freezer bag, label it and freeze for up to 6 months. To thaw, place frozen taco meat in the refrigerator overnight.
Also Check: Philadelphia Cream Cheese Log Recipes
Make Extra Turkey Taco Meat And Freeze A Batch
My family loves this turkey taco meat so much that Ive made an extra batch the last few times and frozen it for an even-quicker meal another day. So heres how you do it:
- Cook the turkey according to the recipe and let it cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the meat to a freezer-safe plastic bag. Press out all the air, seal, and flatten the bag.
- Freeze up to 2-3 months and then thaw overnight in the fridge.
- Remove meat from the freezer bag and reheat in a skillet over medium heat. Add a little additional tomato sauce as needed.
Turkey Tacos Recipe Ingredients And Possible Substitutes
- Olive oil: Vegetable oil will work fine too.
- Lean ground turkey: I use 93% lean but 85 or 90% will be fine too. Just drain of excess fat as needed.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper: Start light and add more later when you can taste it once the meat is cooked.
- Garlic: In a pinch, 1/2 tsp garlic powder will work here too, just add with the other spices.
- Chili powder: Use mild chili powder.
- Ancho chili powder: If preferred, you can use more regular chili powder. Keep in mind sometimes ancho chili powder can be a little spicy.
- Cumin: If you are out, try using ground coriander as a replacement, it also has a nice earthy flavor.
- Paprika: This is optional just to cut back on ingredients if you dont have it. You can use smoked or the standard sweet paprika.
- Fresh salsa: You can usually buy this in the produce section or you can make it homemade. Just be aware they usually come in different heat intensities so check the package label.
- Cilantro: This isnt critical to the recipe since there should be some in the salsa, so if you dont have any on hand you can omit.
- Tortillas: Corn or flour tortillas can be used. I recommend corn and Ive listed how to heat the corn tortillas in the recipe below.
- Toppings: I use tomatoes, cheese, lettuce and Mexican hot sauce.
Recommended Reading: Margarita Recipe Using Grand Marnier
Ground Turkey Taco Seasoning
· Modified: Jul 4, 2022 by Kaylie This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Make these simple and perfectly seasoned ground turkey tacos for taco nightwith a quick and delicious seasoning, perfect for a pound of ground turkey meat. The homemade seasoning uses common spices like paprika, cumin, oregano, chili, and garlic powder. Get dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes with these affordable and tasty ground turkey tacos!
Truth be told, when I run out of dinner ideas on busy weeknights, I always go for easy recipes that use ground beef or turkey, like my ground turkey teriyaki rice bowl. Turkey is a bit healthier and cooks up in less than 10 minutes. Making ground turkey tacos is one of my go-to meals, especially when all the spices are pantry staples. The meat comes out so juicy and flavorful, its a real crowd-pleaser that your whole family will enjoy!
How Do You Make Ground Turkey Tacos Taste Like Beef
When making ground turkey tacos, you want the turkey to still be juicy and flavorful instead of dry and bland.
Many cooks shy away from using ground turkey in anything but sauces, soups, and casseroles where its flavor isnt as prevalent or relevant. In tacos, however, the ground turkey is front and center and more often than not, it is disappointing.
When I was making ground turkey tacos one night, Patrick suggested I add beef bouillon to the turkey. It was an ah-ha, why didnt I think of that?!!! moment that total delivered!
From that day forward, I have used 2 teaspoons beef bouillon for every one pound of ground turkey to infuse it with flavorful beefy goodness whether in tacos, soups, sauces etc. I cant wait for you to try it you will be amazed at the results!
You will want to omit the salt in your ground turkey tacos and other recipes you are adding beef bouillon to because the bouillon probably has all the salt you need so please DONT add salt until youve tasted your ground turkey.
Also Check: Recipes Using Sunflower Seed Butter
Is Ground Turkey Better Than Ground Beef
This is a huge debate, but overall it really depends on the lean-to-fat meat ratio that you use. Lean ground turkey meat will typically always be leaner than dark turkey meat and ground beef. I recommend a 93-to-7 ratio of ground turkey for these tacos. Heres a thorough ground-turkey-versus-ground-beef comparison of calories, protein content, and macro-nutrients.
Some people are concerned that using a lean ground turkey will make for dry and flavorless meat. Below I share how we keep this turkey taco meat ultra moist and add flavor!
This Is The Bestground Turkey Taco Meat Its Made With Two Secret Ingredients That Make It Taste Amazing Youll Love This Way Of Cooking Ground Turkey
Im obsessed with this ground turkey taco meat, and I promise that as soon as you try it, you will be too.
The reason this ground turkey tastes so incredible is because it has two secret ingredients.
The first is strained tomatoes. The strained tomatoes add an amazing layer of flavor and help keep the turkey from tasting dry. Readers have told me that tomato soup also works well!
The second ingredient is bouillon. My favorite bouillon to use in this recipe is beef bouillon, but chicken and vegetable bouillon also work.
The addition of strained tomatoes and bouillon makes the best turkey seasoning. It adds so much flavor! You wont believe how good ground turkey tacos made with this recipe are.
Read Also: Vanilla Ice Cream Recipe For Ice Cream Maker
How To Make The Best Ground Turkey Tacos
Is Ground Turkey Better For You Than Ground Beef
This is a huge debate but in the end, it really depends on the lean meat to fatty meat ratio you choose. Ground turkey is available in several lean to fat ratios that determine its nutritional content, some of which contain more dark meat and therefore are not as lean as the leanest ground beef.
If you choose the leanest ground beef which is about 93 percent lean, and choose the leanest ground turkey which is also 93 percent lean, you might be surprised to learn they come up pretty even in protein, and fat. When it comes to saturated fat, however, turkey wins.
So if you are purchasing ground turkey to cut calories, be sure to check the Nutritional Label or you could be defeating the purpose.
Don’t Miss: Lipton Onion Soup Chicken Recipes
Super Simple Turkey Tacos
Taco technology has come a long way but until they can make themselves, this Super Simple Turkey Tacos recipe is as simple as it gets! Ground turkey, shredded cheese and veggies at under 500 calories per serving.
Total Time
package JENNIE-O® Lean Taco Seasoned Ground Turkey
hard taco shells, heated as specified on package
1 1/2
cups LA VICTORIA® SUPREMA® Salsa
Spray a skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Preheat skillet over medium-high heat.
Add ground turkey to hot skillet. Stir to crumble, approximately 14 to 16 minutes. Always cook to well-done, 165°F. as measured by a meat thermometer.
Divide turkey, lettuce and cheese among taco shells. Serve topped with salsa, avocado and sour cream, if desired.