This recipe for turkey tacos is made with simple ingredients and takes just 15 minutes to make. It will quickly become your new 'go to' for Taco Tuesday!
So, tell me, are you team taco or team taco salad? Or do you prefer taco meat burrito bowl style?
How about tortillas? Do some of your family members ask for flour tortillas and the others want corn? Hard or soft shell? lol! Please don't let taco night stress you out. I've got you!
The good news is that these ground turkey tacos can pretty much transform into whatever 'taco' meal you like. In fact, I've gotten to the point where I provide the options and my family makes their own taco creations 😉 I'm happy, they're happy. It's a "win win."
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Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Easy recipe The most complicated step is chopping the onion, which is made easy by using a good food chopper 😉
- 15-Minute recipe Just like my simple pasta with tuna and air-fryer BBQ chicken recipes, these tacos only take 15 minutes to make!
- Kid-approved Who doesn't love a good taco?
- Can be made with store bought or homemade taco seasoning
- Higher in fiber than most other taco recipes
Ingredient Notes
- Ground turkey Good source of protein.
- Black beans Good source of plant-based protein, fiber, and other bioactive compounds which have anti-inflammatory properties.
- Taco seasoning I love to make my own taco seasoning, but store bought will work, too.
- Arrowroot powder Mix with water to add moisture to the taco meat. Cornstarch can be used in place of arrowroot powder.
How to Make Ground Turkey Tacos
This recipe starts with making the ground turkey mixture. Then, all you have to do is assemble the tacos. I'll give you a little more detail here, but for the complete list of ingredients and full instructions, scroll down to the recipe.
How to Cook Taco Meat
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic to the pan and sauté for about three minutes, until the onions begin to soften.
- Add the ground turkey to the onion and garlic mixture, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook until meat is browned. Use a wooden spatula or meat masher to break apart chunks of turkey meat as it cooks.
- Stir in one can of black beans that have been drained and rinsed.
- Stir taco seasoning into the meat and bean mixture.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and, in a separate small bowl, stir the arrowroot powder and water together. Then, pour the arrowroot powder with water mixture into the meat mixture. Stir for about one to two minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
How to Make Tacos with Taco Meat
There are various ways to assemble a taco. Here's how I do it:
- Put the taco meat in the center of a taco shell (hard or soft shell, you choose:)
- Top the taco meat with your favorite taco toppings. Ideas include, shredded cabbage, shredded cheese, avocado or guacamole, salsa, sour cream or Greek yogurt, taco sauce or hot sauce, and cilantro.
Dietitian Tips
With a mom of three kids, I've learned that I can't please everyone. But what I can do is serve foods in a way that allows my kids to have a say in how the food will be served.
For instance, when we have taco night, if I don't have both corn and flour tortillas to offer, I will serve extra lettuce and tortilla chips on the side. This is because I know those in my family who do not like corn tortillas would prefer to make a taco salad.
I've also discovered that taco holders help with taco assembly. My youngest enjoy tacos more when she can use a fun taco shell holder to assemble her taco and my husband prefers to use a taco holder that holds two to three tacos to help keep the tacos together. Whatever works!
Recipe Variations
- Ground beef or ground chicken can be used in place of ground turkey.
- Add cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes to add spice to this taco meat.
- To make this vegetarian, textured vegetable protein can be used in place of the turkey meat.
- Chopped bell pepper or mushrooms can be added with the onion to help 'extend' the meat and add even more nutritional value to the meal.
- Chopped walnuts can be added in place of the black beans or in addition to black beans. The texture will blend right in. Just be sure to add the chopped walnuts with the onion so it has plenty of time to cook and soften.
- Turn these tacos into a taco salad by topping salad greens with the taco meat and all of your favorite toppings.
- Try adding the taco meat and your favorite toppings to the center of a large flour tortilla or flatbread and roll it up to make a wrap.
What to Serve with Turkey Tacos
- Guacamole Homemade guacamole is actually very easy to make.
- Tortilla chips I like to make my own tortilla chips in an air fryer.
- Cheese quesadillas
- A small side salad
- Pineapple mango salsa
- Cilantro lime rice
- Black beans
- Sliced mango and kiwi or a fresh fruit salad with pineapple and berries.
Helpful Tips
- Any kind of ground turkey can be used in the recipe. "99% lean ground turkey" will be drier than "93% lean" ground turkey, so you will have to break it into pieces more than less lean ground turkey in order for it to resemble ground meat.
- Make sure the black beans are drained before adding it to the meat mixture.
- Corn starch can be used in place of arrowroot powder.
- Time saving tip #1 Get all of the taco toppings out and ready while the turkey meat cooks. This way, when the meat is finished cooking, tacos can be assembled right away.
- Time saving tip #2 Leave the onion out. While it does add flavor and texture, it also takes a few minutes to chop. If you are in a pinch for time or don't have onion on hand, you can make this recipe without it.
- Time saving tip #3: Double this recipe and freeze half of it for later use.
Questions You May Have
Yes, ground turkey is great for making tacos because the texture is similar to ground beef, and it takes on the flavor of the taco seasoning.
It depends on your budget and taste preferences. Ground turkey that is higher in fat is less expensive and is the most similar to ground beef. But, because it is higher in saturated fat, I either use lean ground turkey or a mixture of lean and regular ground turkey to make turkey tacos.
Ground turkey meat for tacos is usually seasoned with a blend of spices that can include chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. I prefer to use taco seasoning made with Tajin because it has a taste of lime.
Yes. Let the taco meat cool completely. Then place it in an freezer-safe resealable bag and store flat in the freezer. To defrost, either place in the refrigerator overnight or reheat it from frozen on the stove.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
- Turkey Chili
- Turkey Burgers made with spinach and feta cheese
- Turkey Sloppy Joe's loaded with veggies
- Homemade lasagna
More Easy Dinner Ideas
Do you love this ground turkey taco recipe as much as I do? Please leave a 5-star review or comment down below to let me know!
And remember to follow me on Instagram @carrots.and.cookies for more easy recipes and helpful tips!
📖 Recipe
Easy Ground Turkey Tacos
Equipment
- 1 Food masher or spatula
- 1 Food Chopper to make chopping the onion easy
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 can black beans rinsed and drained
- 1 yellow onion chopped into small pieces
- 2 cloves garlic minced or chopped
- 3 tablespoon taco seasoning Store bought or homemade. Can add more if you prefer your taco meat heavily seasoned.
- ½ teaspoon arrowroot powder can use corn starch instead
- ¼ cup water
- 8 corn tortillas Slightly warmed on a skillet (warming is optional). Flour tortillas can be used instead.
Instructions
- Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add chopped onions and garlic to the pan and sauté for about three minutes, until the onions begin to soften.
- Add the ground turkey to the onion and garlic mixture, increase the heat to medium-high, and continue to cook until meat is browned. Use a wooden spatula or meat masher to break apart chunks of turkey meat as it cooks.
- Stir in one can of black beans that have been drained and rinsed.
- Stir taco seasoning into the meat and bean mixture.
- Reduce heat to medium-low and, in a separate small bowl, stir the arrowroot powder and water together. Then, pour the arrowroot powder with water mixture into the meat mixture. Stir for about one to two minutes.
Assembling Turkey Tacos
- Place cooked ground meat and bean mixture in the center of the tortilla or taco shell.
- Add taco toppings. I like to put the cheese on last so that it doesn't melt as it wound if I placed it right on top of the meat.
Notes
- Any kind of ground turkey can be used in the recipe. 99% lean ground turkey has less moisture than 93% lean ground turkey because it has less fat, so it might take a little more work to break it into pieces using a food masher.
- Make sure the black beans are drained before adding it to the meat mixture.
- Corn starch can be used in place of arrowroot powder.
- If you don't want the cheese to melt before you eat it, sprinkle the cheese on last.
- Time saving tip #1 Get all of the taco toppings out and ready while the turkey meat cooks. This way, when the meat is finished cooking, tacos can be assembled right away.
- Time saving tip #2 Leave the onion out. While it does add flavor and texture, it also takes a few minutes to chop. If you are in a pinch for time or don't have onion on hand, you can make this recipe without it.
- Time saving tip #3: Double this recipe and freeze half of it for later use.
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