Ground turkey, brown rice, salsa, cheese, and all the best seasonings come together to make this easy Ground Turkey Taco Skillet ready in eat in less than 25 minutes! This will quickly become your favorite go-to family dinner.
This delicious Ground Turkey Taco Skillet is a healthy, delicious, ground turkey meal that’s packed with protein and delicious vegetables. You only need one pan so clean up is simple!
Think fixing a “healthy dinner” has to take a lot of times and use a lot of ingredients that you’ve never heard of before?
Nothing could be further from the truth!
Dinner doesn’t have to be bland or boring (I’m looking at you – cauliflower that seems to go in EVERYTHING now!) or even take a long time to prepare!
This Ground Turkey Taco Skillet recipe is one of our favorites at our house. My kids love it and it’s so incredibly easy to make!
My son actually dubbed this one “Taco Explosion” . . . which is basically what it is! Loaded with vegetables and ground turkey, this is an amazing dinner that even your picky eaters will love.
Like this recipe? Be sure to check out my 30 Day Healthy Menu Plan –
it’s loaded with over 100 healthy recipes just like this taco skillet!
Ground Beef vs. Ground Turkey
Is ground turkey better than ground beef? And what are the differences between them?
One of our favorite recipe hacks to make your favorite recipes healthier without sacrificing flavor is to use ground turkey instead of ground beef.
While ground turkey may have a a little more cholesterol and slightly more sodium, it’s got about half the saturated fat as ground beef. Ground turkey is also a great way to cut calories as well.
Here’s a great ounce-for-ounce comparison that the Food Network came out with…
GROUND TURKEY
A 4-ounce cooked turkey burger (made from a combo of dark and light meat) has 193 calories, 11 grams of fat, 3 grams of saturated fat and 22 grams of protein.
It’s an excellent source of niacin and selenium and a good source of vitamin B6, phosphorus and zinc.
Choosing ground turkey made from only breast will have 150 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, and 0 grams saturated fat.
Since it’s so lean, it can end up being too dry and not-so-tasty.
GROUND BEEF
You can definitely find lean cuts of ground beef on market shelves.
Look for ground sirloin or ground beef that is 90% lean.
For a 4-ounce cooked lean beef burger you’ll take in around 225 calories, 12 grams of fat, 5 gram of saturated fat and 27 grams of protein.
It’s an excellent source of niacin, vitamin B12, zinc and selenium and a good source of vitamin B6, iron and phosphorus.
Fattier ground beef is all over store shelves, so be sure to read labels carefully.
Looking for more delicious Ground Turkey dishes?
- Slow Cooker Ground Turkey Cowboy Supper
- Italian Ground Turkey Meatballs
- Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Skillet
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 (1.25 oz) packet taco seasoning mix (or homemade taco seasoning)
- 2 cups water
- 1 (16 oz) jar salsa
- 1 (15 oz) can corn, undrained
- 2 cups instant brown rice
- 1 (4 oz) can green chilis
- 1 cup shredded Mexican or taco cheese blend
- 2 cup(s) shredded lettuce
- 1 large tomato, chopped
- ½ cup reduced-fat sour cream
- Cook ground turkey and onion in a large nonstick skillet over high heat, stirring to break up meat, 5 minutes or until browned.
- Stir in seasoning mix, water, salsa and corn; bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Cover and remove from heat; let stand 12 to 15 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Add green chilis. Sprinkle with cheese; cover and let stand 1 to 2 minutes to melt cheese.
- On plates, top rice mixture with lettuce, tomato and sour cream.
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This was good, thanks 🙂 The recipe doesn’t say when to add the can of green chilies, I just tossed them in with the salsa and corn, etc.
Green chillies would be amazing in this, Amber! Definitely trying that our next time we make it. Thanks for the tip!
Jared
This is wonderful. thank you for sharing.
You bet, Balinda! So glad you like it!
Jared
Did you cook rice before mixing in?
Hi Jessica
Because the recipe calls for “instant brown rice” you do not need to cook it beforehand. It will cook in the heat and juices from the other ingredients.
Thank you!
Jared
I added black beans to the recipe, I used regular brown rice cooked separately & mixed it in. It was very good!
Oooo… black beans would be delicious! I’m trying that next time I cook this one! Thanks Gwen!
Can you double the recipe and freeze half?
I’ve never tried it, Jennifer, but there’s no reason why it wouldn’t work! The hardest part would be finding a skillet that would fit the entire recipe in it.
You’ll have to let me know how it goes if/when you try it!
Jared
Awesome and easy dish!! Great flavor!
This delicious recipe was so easy to make, but it makes so much. I ended making leftovers into a taco soup by just adding chicken stock. It turned out awesome!
Oh that’s an awesome idea, Kristen! Way to go! As a family of 6 we rarely have leftovers, but this is one that also freezes well, too. Thanks for sharing!
I cut the water and rice in half because I was worried it would make SO much, it still made a ton and still had a ton of excess liquid. My salsa was rather watery, but maybe drain the corn instead of undrained and use less water.
Great tips for a smaller number of servings; thanks so much for sharing, Ellen!
Yummmm… definitely will add this recipe to our meal rotation. Taste great, filling & so easy!
So glad you liked it, Tracy! Thanks so much!