Cheesy Ground Turkey Taco Skillet
This ground turkey taco skillet has so much going for it! It’s incredibly tasty – we’ve got classic taco flavors, a healthy dose of cheese, and even a few veggies thrown in there. It’s a 15-minute meal, making this easy taco skillet dinner a great option for busy weeknights. AND! It is a nutritious meal that is a great source of protein, fiber, and veggies.
You can read more about my nutrition philosophy here, but to sum it up – I love adding nutrition INTO meals, but it has to be in a delicious way. This meal does just that with a hefty dose of protein, fiber, and vegetables – all in a delicious, cheesy way. If you find yourself with any leftovers, stuff them into crispy baked quesadillas for a delicious meal with a double dose of cheese.
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
What You’ll Love About Cheesy Taco Skillet
- DIY, customizable meal perfect for families
- Filling and satisfying meal with so much flavor
- Nutritious and healthy dinner
- Super delicious with cheesy taco flavors
- Good source of protein and fiber
- Just 8 minutes prep time
- Just 15 minutes total time
Ingredients
- Onion – A white onion works well, but you can use a yellow onion or red onion if you prefer.
- Pepper – Use your favorite peppers! I used red bell pepper, but you can also use yellow or green bell pepper as well. Or if you are using mini bell peppers for scooping, just use a few of those and use a few different colors.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic for the best flavor or frozen garlic cubes or even garlic powder for a quick shortcut.
- Ground turkey – Ground turkey is delicious, but you could also use ground chicken, ground beef, ground pork, or your favorite ground meat alternative. Make sure to buy the lean ground turkey with a bit of fat in it, NOT the 99% fat-free turkey, unless you really like it! I find it to be really dry.
- Taco seasoning – I’ve used a pre-made taco seasoning to save time, but you can make your own taco seasoning (sea salt, cumin, chili powder, and cayenne pepper are typical ingredients) if you prefer.
- Black beans – We are big fans of black beans so that’s what we used, but pinto beans would also be delicious. You can make your own from scratch or use canned beans for an easy shortcut.
- Corn – I used frozen corn, but you could also use drained and rinsed canned corn, or even fresh corn if you prefer.
- Cheese – I recommend shredded cheddar for the quickest cooking time and best flavor, but any shredded cheese that would melt works. Monterey jack, pepper jack, or white cheddar would all be delicious. Shred your own if you prefer, or buy it pre-shredded to save time.
- Oil – Use a neutral, cooking oil like avocado oil, olive oil, or your preferred vegetable oil.
- For serving – Fresh cilantro, green onions, diced or sliced avocado, diced tomatoes, jalapenos, salsa, sour cream, hot sauce, or any of your other favorite toppings and tortilla chips and mini bell peppers for scooping.
Emily’s Tip
For the best flavor, look for lean ground turkey, but not 99% fat-free ground turkey, unless you need it or prefer it. The little bit of fat helps keep the turkey juicy and delicious and I find it absolutely necessary!
How to Make Ground Turkey Taco Skillet
This is an overview, the detailed instructions can be found below in the recipe card.
- Saute veggies and meat. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, pepper, ground turkey, and taco seasoning to skillet and cook to brown ground turkey. Stir occasionally, for a few minutes.
- Add remaining skillet ingredients. Stir garlic, beans, and corn into the turkey mixture. Cover and simmer for another few minutes.
- Finish skillet. Remove from heat and stir cheese into turkey mixture until it has melted.
- Serve. Serve the taco skillet with plenty of toppings along with tortilla chips and mini bell peppers for serving.
FAQs
Yes, you can make this taco skillet recipe with virtually any ground meat. I’ve tried it with ground beef and confirm it’s delicious. You could also try it with ground chicken, ground pork, and even your favorite ground meat alternative for a vegetarian option.
Storage
Store any leftover taco turkey skillet in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
How to reheat
Reheat the turkey mixture in the microwave or a hot skillet until warmed through.
Can you freeze this skillet taco recipe?
You can freeze leftovers in an airtight container for 1-2 months.
How to prep ahead
- Cut up onions and peppers that will be cooked
- Or cook the mixture up until adding the cheese, then you can simply reheat and stir in cheese
What to Serve with Healthy Taco Skillet
I love scooping this skillet meal up as a hearty dip with extra veggies, but you can also stuff it into quesadillas or taco shells (also delicious!):
- Tortilla chips
- Mini bell peppers
- Celery sticks
- Cucumber slices
- White rice, brown rice, or cauliflower rice
- Warm tortillas
- Cheese quesadillas
More Ground Turkey Recipes
If you like this easy turkey taco skillet, you might also like some of these other ground turkey recipes:
Want More?
Read more about my nutrition philosophy here and follow Emily on Instagram or TikTok for family dinner recipe videos and tips for feeding kids.
Ground Turkey Taco Skillet
- Prep Time: 6 minutes
- Cook Time: 8 minutes
- Total Time: 14 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Skillet
- Cuisine: Tex Mex
Description
This ground turkey taco skillet dinner has all of the cheesy taco flavors you love in a fun, scoop-able meal that the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 1/2 white onion
- 1/2 cup minced red bell pepper
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 oz. packet taco seasoning
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
For Serving:
- cilantro
- green onions
- avocado
- tomato
- sliced jalapenos (fresh or pickled)
- salsa or hot sauce
- sour cream
- tortilla chips
- mini bell peppers
Instructions
- Prepare ingredients:
Dice onion.
Dice bell pepper.
Mince garlic. - Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, pepper, ground turkey, and taco seasoning to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3-4 minutes.
- Add garlic, beans, and corn to skillet. Cover and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Meanwhile turkey skillet is cooking, prep any toppings and/or bell peppers for scooping.
- Stir cheese into turkey mixture until it melts and serve with tortilla chips, bell peppers, and desired toppings.
Food styling and photography by Loren Runion.
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I guess I need to just ballpark the quantities of each ingredient since I didn’t see any listed here?
The exact amounts and directions are in the recipe card, at the bottom of the post! Scroll down and you should see it! 🙂
My family loves this and we love scooping it up with chips!
Same! So fun to eat. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
Are you suppose to drain the beans and corn?
Yes! Rinse beans and if you’re using canned corn, drain and rinse corn as well. If using frozen corn, you don’t need to drain.
Everyone loves this at our house! We typically serve with some rice and plenty of veggies and chips to dip.
My kind of meal. I LOVED it! Easy and Yummy 😋
Thank you !!!
Yay! Thanks Kathy!
Watched you make this on Twin Citites Live. This skillet dinner was delicious – It was quick and easy to make! Made it into a burrito for dinner – with chips for extra dipping 😋. Will definitely add to the dinner rotation, can use it so many ways!
Yay! Thanks Robin, appreciate you letting me know. I love leftovers in quesadillas. 🙂
I would caution against using the Trader Joe’s taco seasoning for this as the recipe was overly spicy. My son couldn’t eat it and my dad, who adds red pepper flakes to everything, said it was too much. I’ll try again with a milder taco seasoning or make my own. It was easy to throw together, and filling.
Hi Angela, great tip for others, thanks for sharing! I do recall that taco seasoning being surprisingly spicy!
You are only supposed to use half the package of the trader Joes Taco spice
Made this for the first time and it was a perfect comfort food! Not surprisingly, the two of us gobbled it up, all of it. (We forgot to put the sour cream on or use scoopers).
And it came together in 10 minutes ~ amazing. Thanks Em
HA! So glad you enjoyed it.