Taco, taco and more tacos!! Why don’t we ever get enough of this fun, hand held meal, which is so easy to whip up in no time? Today our tacos get a tad bit healthier (but do we really care when it comes to tacos??), and a lot leaner. Why? Cos it gets loaded with leanest meat out there.
These Ground Turkey Tacos are absolutely delicious, loaded with flavors. It’s all in the seasonings and plenty of toppings!! Try this luscious, juicy ground turkey meat in between your favorite tacos, and make a very healthy, light meal out of your tacos. All this under in 20 minutes. Really? Read on…
Our taco love is quite apparent here on GypsyPlate. We have quite an array of tacos to choose from here. From unique Tacos Gobernador to famous Birria Tacos, from Baja Fish Tacos to Steak Tacos and plenty others… these taco nights are our beloved family fun dinner nights.
There is something about those meals when you bring your meats along with tacos and plenty of toppings to the table, and each person gets to make their own tacos, with whatever toppings they desire.
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Why Ground Turkey for Tacos Today
1. Ground turkey is a lighter and leaner meat compared to ground beef and ground pork, and lower in saturated fat, resulting in overall fewer calories. We use 93% lean, but you can use 85% or 90% as well, just drain of the excess fat.
2. Though it is leaner, it doesn’t turn out dry, as we cook it in tomato sauce. The meat is loaded with flavors from homemade taco seasoning.
3. Ground turkey cooks very fast, making it a 20 minute meal option ready for busy weeknight dinners.
4. These tacos are fun, as you can load them with a variety of topping ideas, which are mentioned below.
5. This recipe can lead to other great secondary taco meals like ground turkey taco bowls, ground turkey lettuce wraps, ground turkey quesadillas, and so forth. So it’s a great meal prep option. Double or triple the ground turkey taco meat, and use it in different ways throughout the week.
Ingredients
I have included exact amounts in the recipe card at the end of this post. Here are the main things you will need:
- Ground Turkey – We use 93% lean ground turkey meat. Feel free to use any available.
- Tortillas – We love white or yellow corn tortillas for these ground turkey tacos.
- Taco seasoning – You might have made your tacos in the past with store bought taco seasoning, but please don’t. Making your own taco seasoning is so simple, and can be done in minutes. It’s a secret for delicious taco meat. All you need is chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper.
- Garlic – Freshly minced.
- Tomato sauce – For flavor and moisture.
Topping Ideas
You can really get creative here. These are some of our favorites:
- Shredded Cheese
- Diced Tomato
- Shredded Lettuce
- Diced Avocado
- Cilantro
- Sliced Jalapeño
- Chopped Onion
- Sliced Black Olives
- Pico de Gallo
- Salsa
- Mexican Street Corn Salsa
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
How to Make the Best Ground Turkey Tacos
1. Make homemade taco seasoning: Start by making the taco seasoning by mixing all taco seasoning ingredients together in a bowl.
2. Brown the meat: Heat up oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the ground turkey, and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Let it cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, then give it a stir.
Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the ground turkey is no longer raw. We like to keep the meat on the chunkier side. Discard most of the liquid, if any, leaving behind a little to keep the meat moist.
3. Add the flavor: Stir in garlic, taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Mix everything well and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Cooking it a bit longer builds up all the flavors.
4. Warm the tortillas: Heat an ungreased non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once it’s hot, cook the tortillas about 10 seconds per side, just until some brown spots start to appear.
5. Assemble tacos: Scoop a generous portion of the ground turkey filling into each tortilla and fill with your favorite toppings. Voila… you are ready for amazing tasting ground turkey tacos!! Serve with a side of refried beans.
Variations and Customizations
- Add beans into the taco mixture. Black beans and pinto beans are great options.
- Add more veggies to the mix. You can add bell peppers, corn or zucchini.
- Replace the tomato sauce with tomato salsa or even Salsa Verde for a different flavor profile.
- Give them more kick by adding chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, cayenne or your favorite hot sauce.
- Make the ground meat mixture a little creamier by adding a dash of sour cream.
- Make the same recipe with other ground meats like ground beef, ground chicken and ground pork.
- Think beyond tacos (though they’re tough to beat). Use the ground turkey mixture with lettuce wraps, serve it on top of cilantro lime rice, or in taco salad. You can make burritos, quesadillas and enchiladas with leftover meat.
Leftovers and Storage
You can refrigerate leftover taco meat in an airtight container for 3-4 days. When reheating, add a tablespoon or so of water.
This ground turkey taco meat also freezes beautifully! Go ahead and make a giant batch, as it’s a great meal prep option. Cool the taco meat completely, then store it in a freezer friendly bag. Press flat to gently squeeze out the air from the bag before sealing
To thaw, defrost the meat in the fridge overnight. Then reheat in a skillet with a dash of water. You can also microwave it until heated through.
Well there you go, one more taco recipe down. Never let a week go by without having a taco.
Try these super tasty and super easy ground turkey tacos, and give your family one healthy meal that’s brimming with the usual amazing taco flavors. When thinking what to cook with ground turkey… think tacos!! Brilliant!!!
Ground Turkey Tacos, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other great taco recipes!
Street Style Chicken Tacos
Chili Lime Shrimp Tacos
Korean Beef Tacos
Big Mac Smash Tacos
Blackened Salmon Tacos
Breakfast Tacos
Recipe Video
Ground Turkey Tacos
These Ground Turkey Tacos are a fun, easy, and healthy weeknight dinner the whole family will love. You won’t even want to wait till Tuesday!
Ingredients
Taco Seasoning
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- ½ tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika (we use smoked)
- ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Taco Meat
- 1.5 Tbsp cooking oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- Taco seasoning
- 8oz tomato sauce
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
Tacos
- 8 corn tortillas
Desired Toppings
- Shredded Cheese
- Diced Tomato
- Diced Avocado
- Cilantro
- Sliced Jalapeño
- Chopped Onion
- Sliced Black Olives
- Pico de Gallo
- Guacamole
- Sour Cream
Instructions
1. Mix all taco seasoning ingredients in a bowl.
2. Heat up oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add in the ground turkey and break it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Let it cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes, then give it a stir. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until ground turkey is no longer raw.
3. Stir in garlic, taco seasoning and tomato sauce. Mix everything well and simmer for 8-10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, heat an ungreased non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Once it’s hot, cook the tortillas about 10 seconds per side, just until some brown spots start to appear.
5. Scoop a generous portion of the ground turkey filling into each tortilla, and fill with your favorite toppings.
Notes
- You can use the same recipe for other ground meats like ground beef or ground chicken.
- Try the taco meat in various other recipes like lettuce wraps, taco bowls and burritos.
- You can refrigerate leftover taco meat in an airtight container for 3-4 days. When reheating, add a tablespoon or so of water.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 629Total Fat 39gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 26gCholesterol 129mgSodium 1293mgCarbohydrates 39gFiber 10gSugar 6gProtein 36g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former worldwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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