Ground Turkey Taco Meat is a simple, flavor-packed recipe that is ready to eat in 15 minutes or less! You'll love the tender turkey meat full of taco seasoning, lime, and salsa! Perfect for meal prepping and a myriad of recipes, this lighter meat option is a great base for all your taco favorites!
Ground Turkey Taco Meat is really a refrigerator/freezer staple at my house. Everyone loves the flavor, including the kids, and I love that it's easy to make a big batch and keep it on hand for a quick lunch or dinner. The problem with ground turkey is that it doesn't have much flavor in general, but this recipe kicks that problem to the curb with simple ingredients that you probably already have on hand! This flavorful taco meat is great when served over a big bowl of rice or even cauliflower rice. We also love it stuffed into crunchy or soft taco shells or even a burrito. It's also great with guacamole!
If you're looking for more recipes with ground turkey, be sure to try my Turkey Enchilada Soup! Or swap out the ground beef in my Best Rotel Dip or One Pot Mexican Rice Casserole recipes!
How to Make Turkey Taco Meat:
In just 15 minutes you’ll have a skillet of seasoned ground turkey perfect for any Mexican inspired dish! Fill taco shells, create a burrito bowl, use it in soup, the possibilities are endless!
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, minced garlic, and ground turkey. Cook and stir occasionally until the meat is broken up and cooked through.
- If necessary, drain any excess fat and return the meat to the pan. Typically with ground turkey you don’t have to do this step like you would with ground beef.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the black beans, taco seasoning, salsa, lime juice, hot sauce, and water.
- Let simmer, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes until warmed through and the “sauce” begins to thicken.
- Serve immediately with rice, cauliflower rice, or taco shells as desired. Enjoy!
Ground Turkey Taco Meat Recipe Notes and Tips
- This recipe purposely makes a lot of meat in order to meal prep or have leftovers. You can cut the recipe in half (except for the beans, add the full can) if desired.
- Once cooked and cooled you can store this meat in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Alternatively, you can place it into a sealable freezer bag and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before using. Reheat on the stove or in the microwave until warmed through.
- Playing with different types of salsa can really change up the flavor profiles in this recipe. Try a spicy pineapple salsa or a salsa verde if you’ve had enough of traditional salsa.
- Feel free to adjust the seasoning and spices to your preference. Ground turkey doesn’t have much flavor to begin with so I like to add quite a bit. You can easily amp this up or tone it down to your tastes.
Enjoy!
~Nichole
Ground Turkey Taco Meat
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
- 1 Small Onion, Diced
- 2 Cloves Garlic, Minced
- 2 Pounds Lean Ground Turkey
- 1 15 Ounce Can Black Beans, Drained and Rinsed
- 2 Packets Taco Seasoning
- 1 Cup Salsa
- Juice of 1 Lime, About 2 Tablespoons
- 1-2 Teaspoons Hot Sauce, Such as Cholula or Tabasco
- ¼ Cup Water
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the diced onion, minced garlic and ground turkey, cooking and stirring occasionally until meat is broken up and cooked through.
- If necessary, drain any excess fat and return the meat to the pan.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the black beans, taco seasoning, salsa, lime juice, hot sauce, and water.
- Cook, stirring constantly for 4-5 minutes until warmed through.
- Serve immediately with rice, cauliflower rice, or taco shells as desired.
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Notes
We loved this recipe. We paired it with cilantro rice. Yummy! My hubby said he could eat this weekly!
I made this the other night and it was super delicious!
I LOVE this recipe! Thank you so much. I didn’t put hot sauce and I didn’t have lime juice so I couldn’t add that. I also cut the recipe in half. This is going to be my favorite go to recipe. I’m a college student and this is cheap and still healthy. Awesome recipe!
This looks like my next dinner!
Looks absolutely awesome! So easy to make and incredibly delicious, can't wait to make this!
I love easy delicious weeknight dinner! Looks fabulous!
I am so trying this recipe! Everyone in my family loves turkey! So yummy!
Wow, so quick and easy! Perfect way to make a classic healthier.
We love taco night in our house! Love how easy this is to make.
I love how flavorful it is!