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This delicious and healthy Ground Turkey and Cauliflower Rice Taco Skillet has all the flavors of tacos in a simple and satisfying skillet meal. It’s the perfect budget-friendly weeknight dinner and comes together in under 30 minutes!

Turkey Taco Skillet garnished with slices of avocado in a cast iron skillet on a wooden board.

Looking for a quick and easy weeknight dinner that you can get on the table in under 30 minutes? Then, look no further than this delicious ground turkey and cauliflower rice taco skillet! This tasty skillet dish combines lean ground turkey, flavorful Mexican spices, and cauliflower rice to create a meal that's both satisfying and healthy.

Best of all, it comes together in one skillet in under 30 minutes! That makes this ground turkey taco skillet the perfect solution for busy nights when you don't have time to fuss over dinner.

This dish is made with simple, budget-friendly ingredients like cauliflower rice, corn, jarred salsa, and black beans. You can simply toss them into the skillet along with the ground turkey and let it all simmer away- no need to even anything first.

Instead of making this Mexican ground turkey skillet with white rice, I use cauliflower rice. Cauliflower rice is a nutritious and low-carb alternative to white rice that works perfectly in this dish. I also like to add it to my easy keto taco casserole for a boost of nutrients. It’s a great way to get your kids to eat more vegetables!

So grab your skillet and get ready to whip up this tasty dish that's sure to become a family favorite!

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Dish
Doctor's Tips
Ingredients
How To Make Ground Turkey and Cauliflower Rice Taco Skillet Step-By-Step
Chef's Tips
How To Serve Turkey Taco Skillet
More Mexican-Inspired Dishes
Recipe
Reviews

Why You'll Love This Dish

Quick & easy- a simple skillet dish that comes together in under 30 minutes!
Budget-friendly- made with inexpensive ingredients
Packed with flavor- a delicious blend of Mexican spices that you'll love
Healthy and satisfying- made with nutritious ingredients that will fill you up and satisfy you
Kid-friendly- both kids and adults will love this dish

Doctor's Tips

Cauliflower rice is a nutritious, low calorie, low carb substitute for higher starch carbs like traditional pasta and rice. One cup of chopped cauliflower has only 25 calories and 5 grams of carbohydrates (compared with 150 calories and 34 grams of carbs in a similar amount of white rice).
A member of the cruciferous vegetable group (like Brussels sprouts, kale and broccoli), cauliflower is packed with powerful phytochemicals (plant-based compounds) and antioxidants that help prevent disease.
It also has an impressive array of vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for your health including fiber, protein, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, B-complex vitamins, potassium, manganese and choline.

Ingredients

Ingredient notes and substitutions. See recipe card at the end of the post for full recipe details.

Ground turkey- I use 93% lean ground turkey; you can substitute lean ground beef, ground chicken or even plant-based ground beef
Spices- I use a combination of onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin and salt to season the dish
Salsa- instead of sautéing onions and garlic, I use a jar of salsa which has onions and garlic along with herbs, spices, and flavorings that add tons of flavor to the dish
Cauliflower rice- I use frozen cauliflower rice; you can also use bagged, riced cauliflower from the produce section of your grocery store or grind a head of cauliflower into rice using a food processor
Corn- I typically use frozen corn but you can use fresh or canned corn too
Black Beans- I use reduced-sodium beans to control the sodium in the dish; you can substitute other types of beans like kidney or pinto beans
Cheese- I used shredded cheese in the filling to make it creamy and also on top of the dish; you can use Mexican blend, cheddar, Monterey jack or even pepper jack cheese for a spicy twist

How To Make Ground Turkey and Cauliflower Rice Taco Skillet Step-By-Step

See recipe card at the end of the post for full recipe details.

Step 1- Brown ground turkey in a large skillet, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks. Season it with the dried spices.
Step 2- Stir in the salsa and water. Add frozen riced cauliflower and corn (no need to defrost them). Simmer a few minutes until vegetables are cooked.
Step 3- Stir in the black beans and half of the cheese.
Step 4- Sprinkle remaining cheese over the skillet and cover with a lid for a minute until melted. Uncover and garnish with optional garnishes like avocado slices and cilantro. Serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt and or tortilla chips for scooping, if desired.

While a traditional turkey taco casserole typically uses regular rice, I like to use cauliflower rice instead. It keeps the dish lighter and lower in carbs. It also adds a ton of nutrients. Plus, it’s a great way to get your kids to eat more vegetables!

To add richness to this ground turkey taco skillet, I stir some shredded cheddar cheese into the turkey mixture. It melts beautifully and immediately adds flavor and creaminess to the dish.

For the perfect finishing touch, I grate a little more cheese on top. It gives the finished dish a beautiful blanket of ooey, gooey, velvety cheese to top all of that deliciousness.

I like to garnish the dish with some avocado slices and cilantro. The, I serve it with sour cream or Greek yogurt on the side.

Cheesy Turkey and Cauliflower Rice Taco Skillet

Chef's Tips

I like to use my own spices like onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, and cumin but you can also substitute store-bought taco seasoning (use a low-sodium blend).
If you're following a low-carb or keto diet, you can leave out the black beans and corn and substitute vegetables like spinach, zucchini, mushrooms or bell peppers.
If you want some extra heat, you can add a chopped jalapeño pepper
Instead of turkey, you can substitute ground chicken, lean ground beef, or even plant-based ground beef.
I like to serve the dish with tortilla chips to scoop up bites with.
Make a double batch of this ground turkey taco skillet and transform the leftovers into tacos, quesadillas, and salads the next day (see "How To Serve This Dish" section below).

How To Serve Turkey Taco Skillet

This ground turkey and cauliflower rice taco skillet is a satisfying meal by itself with a good combination of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and healthy fats.

I like to top the dish with fresh cilantro, sliced avocado, and a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt. I also like to serve tortilla chips on the side to scoop up yummy bites of it.

You can serve the dish with a simple salad on the side. It's also delicious with my low-carb cauliflower cheesy bread. Wash it all down with a glass of my refreshing watermelon agua fresca.

You can transform any leftover turkey taco skillet into tacos, quesadillas or a salad the next day.

For tacos, just scoop some of the turkey mixture into hard or soft taco shells and add your favorite toppings.
To make quesadillas, simply layer the leftover turkey mixture and shredded cheese between soft tortillas and toast them in a skillet or air fryer.
To make a delicious taco salad, serve the leftovers on a bed of iceberg lettuce. Top it with your favorite ingredients like cheese, tomatoes, and crushed tortilla chips.