This healthy Turkey Taco Skillet takes all of the flavors that we love in tacos and incorporates them into a delicious and satisfying skillet meal. It’s the perfect budget-friendly weeknight dinner, and it comes together in under 30 minutes!
Looking for a quick and easy weeknight dinner? Then, look no further than this delicious turkey 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.
And 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!
So grab your skillet and get ready to whip up this tasty dish that's sure to become a family favorite!
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Why You'll Love This Dish
- Easy to make- all the flavors of tacos in a simple skillet dish
- Packed with flavor- a delicious blend of Mexican spices
- Healthy and satisfying- made with nutritious ingredients that will fill you up and satisfy you
- Easy on your wallet- made with budget-friendly ingredients
- Kid-friendly- both kids and adults will love this dish
Doctor's Tip
- 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.
How To Make Turkey Taco Skillet
To make this turkey taco skillet, first I sauté ground turkey in a cast iron skillet. Then, I add Mexican spices like chili powder and cumin.
Then I stir in canned fire roasted tomatoes, black beans, frozen corn and frozen riced cauliflower. No need to even defrost the veggies- just toss them right into the skillet and simmer away!
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.
Chef's Tips
- I like to use my own spices like garlic, chili powder, and cumin but you can also substitute store-bought taco seasoning.
- If you're following a low-carb or keto diet, you can leave out the black beans and corn.
- If you want some extra heat, you can add a chopped up jalapeño pepper when you're sautéing the onions and garlic.
- Instead of turkey, you can substitute ground chicken, lean ground beef, or even plant-based ground "meat."
- Make a double batch and transform the leftovers into tacos, quesadillas, nachos and salads the next day (see "How To Serve This Dish" section below).
How To Serve This Dish
This dish is a satisfying meal by itself with a good combination of protein, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats.
You can serve it 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 leftovers the next day into tacos or quesadillas. 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.
You can also pile the leftovers on top of tortilla chips along with salsa and cheese and bake it in the oven to make nachos.
You can even make a delicious taco salad. Serve the leftovers on a bed of iceberg lettuce and topping it with your favorite ingredients like cheese, tomatoes, and crushed tortilla chips. The possibilities are endless!
More Mexican-Inspired Dishes
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Recipe
Turkey Taco Skillet
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced fire roasted tomatoes
- ½ cup water
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 package (10 ounces) frozen riced cauliflower
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 1 can (15.5 ounces) black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 ounces cheddar cheese, grated
- Optional toppings: sliced avocado, cilantro, sour cream or Greek yogurt
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the onions and sauté a few minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic and cook another minute until fragrant. Add the ground turkey and season it with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the turkey until browned, breaking it up with a spatula as it cooks.
- Add the tomato paste and mix it into the turkey. Cook 1-2 minutes and then add the fire roasted tomatoes, water, chili powder, cumin, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine. Stir in the frozen riced cauliflower and corn (no need to defrost them). Cook 6-7 minutes until the vegetables are cooked. Stir in the black beans and about half of the grated cheese. Simmer another minute until cheese is melted.
- Sprinkle the remaining half of the cheese evenly over the skillet and cover with a lid for a minute until melted. Uncover and garnish with avocado slices and cilantro. Serve with sour cream or Greek yogurt, if desired.
Notes
- I like to use my own spices like garlic, chili powder, and cumin but you can also substitute store-bought taco seasoning.
- If you're following a low-carb or keto diet, you can leave out the black beans and corn.
- If you want some extra heat, you can add a chopped up jalapeño pepper when you're sautéing the onions and garlic.
- Make a double batch and transform the leftovers into tacos, quesadillas, nachos and salads the next day (see "How To Serve This Dish" section in blog post).
url says
A nice and easy recipe. I have all ingredients except avacados.
Thank you for the recipe, Sonali.