Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet
Ground turkey, quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes and Mexican spices all cooked together in just one skillet! This healthy and delicious Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet dinner will become your family’s favorite weeknight dinner.
If you love healthy and easy one pot meals, try Skillet Chicken Fajitas, Garlic Sesame Chicken Stir Fry or One Pot Tortellini Soup.
One pan Mexican quinoa
Hi everyone! Danae from Recipe Runner and I’m back to share this easy one pan Mexican quinoa skillet. This recipe cooks in one pan and is a healthy meal with ground turkey. It tastes delicious served on it’s own or in tacos to create an easy turkey taco recipe. We know that you’re going to love this turkey taco quinoa skillet recipe made with ground turkey.
How to make Ground Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet
This easy skillet dinner cooks in one pan in 30 minutes!
- First, cook the diced onion over medium heat in a skillet for about two minutes. Add the ground turkey and minced garlic. Once cooked, stir in the spices, chiles, black beans, corn, quinoa and other ingredients.
- Simmer for about 25 minutes then sprinkle with cheese and serve.
- Serve this quinoa dinner it in tortillas as tacos or on top of your favorite greens. The entire meal can be prepped in advance too!
Since I love Mexican food and am always looks for ways to jazz it up and keep it healthier, this Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet is a perfect option for me. Along with ground turkey and quinoa, you’ll also find a slew of Mexican spices, black beans, green chiles, corn, fire roasted tomatoes and of course it wouldn’t be complete without some melted cheese on top! It can be served as is, in tortillas for tacos or on top of your favorite greens like a taco salad. The skillet meal comes together in about 30 to 40 minutes making it a great weeknight dinner choice. Enjoy!
Healthy meals with ground turkey
We love adding ground turkey to any meal. You can often substitute ground beef for turkey. Below are a few of our favorite healthy recipes that use ground turkey.
- Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes (use ground turkey instead)
- Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Southwest Turkey Breakfast Skillet
- Turkey Enchiladas
- Italian Turkey Meatballs
Just because it’s January and many of us are trying to eat healthier doesn’t mean that we have to eat food that tastes like cardboard or lettuce all day every day. It also doesn’t have to use complicated expensive ingredients or take all day to prepare. Healthy eating can be delicious, colorful, full of flavor and easy to make. This Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet is a perfect example of a flavorful, healthy, one pan meal that everyone in the family is sure to enjoy!
Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground turkey (I use 99% lean)
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 ounce can diced green chilis
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, to taste
- 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/4 cup jarred salsa
- 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- cilantro, for garnish
Instructions
Spray a large skillet generously with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot add in the diced onion and cook for about 2 minutes until it starts to soften. Add in the ground turkey and minced garlic and cook until the meat is almost cooked through, breaking it up into crumbles with a spoon as it cooks. Stir in all the spices and the diced green chiles, cooking for another minute. Add in the black beans, corn, fire roasted tomatoes, salsa and quinoa, stirring until everything is combined.
When the mixture starts to bubble add in the water, cover the skillet with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked, it should still have a slight bite to it, but not be hard and crunchy.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and cover with the lid cooking until the cheese is melted. Serve as is, in tortillas for tacos, or on top of your favorite greens.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Leftovers may be frozen for a later use.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 245, Fat: 6.6g, Saturated Fat: 3.4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 33.5mg, Sodium: 475.9mg, Potassium: 323.8mg, Carbohydrates: 28.5g, Fiber: 6.5g, Sugar: 2.5g, Protein: 19.3g, Vitamin A: 390%, Vitamin C: 6.1%, Calcium: 36%, Iron: 3.1%*Nutritional information is an estimate. Please consult a doctor or nutritionist for the most accurate nutritional info.
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Delicious!!
If using pre-cooked quinoa, do you still recommend adding in the half cup of water, and then simmering for less time? Or adding the quinoa with no water, cooking until heated through, and moving to the next step?
If you use precooked quinoa, we recommend adding it with no water, cooking until heated through and moving to the next step. Enjoy!
You need to be more specific with the quinoa. I followed your cooking instructions and added raw quinoa to the dish when it prompted but I feel like pre-cooked quinoa would have been more suitable for this dish, i have now been simmering this dish trying to fully cook the quinoa for about 45 min now, only way to make it edible at this point.
Thanks for your feedback, Josh! I’ve used a variety of types of quinoa and have never had an issue with this recipe. While some brands may require a longer cook time, you might also need to adjust the cook time down if you’re using precooked quinoa.
This would be perfect for meal planning. Adding the ingredients to my shopping list to try it this weekend!
I love how this recipe can get the whole family happily eating quinoa and black beans! I also love adding it to a soft shell taco to turn it into a wrap.
Made this for the first time tonight. Instead of doing tacos I scooped it into bowls and topped it with crumbled tortilla chips. It was a huge hit. I have two boys under age 10, and I can’t believe I got them to eat quinoa and black beans! My 9 year old actually gave an audible “mmmmm”!
Will definitely make again.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Brittney! This is one of our favorite recipes.
Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet –
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I have made this recipe several times on the stove top, but I was wondering if this could also be done in a slow cooker? I have a potluck get together this weekend and was thinking about taking this. Thanks so much! 🙂
We live this dish, thank you. I have a question, does it freeze and reheat well?
Hi Kym! I haven’t tried freezing this dish, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work well. Let us know if you try it. Enjoy!
This was SOO yummy! I was wondering how you would suggest reheating this meal if it is frozen. Baking? Stove top? I am wanting to make it for a freezer meal. Thanks!
Hi, Emilee! I think it would work well to reheat it either way – baking or stove top. Baking might be a little easier, but let us know if you try it.
Hi, i’m wondering if I made this using 1 lb ground turkey instead of 1/2 lb, would I need to double everything or could I keep the remaining ingredients the same?
Hi, Abi! You can double the turkey without doubling everything else. It will just be more turkey but taste just as good. Let us know what you think!
I made it and it was great!! Thanks for the recipe!
Hi. I’m Wondering if this would work with Lean Ground beef?
Hi, Alexis! Yes, you can use ground beef. Enjoy!
So delicious!
Made this tonight. It was super yummy. I doubled every except the black beans. The quinoa added a really nice texture. Served it taco salad style with tortilla chips, avocado, and some fresh cabbage “slaw”. Thank you!
Hi, Sheila! Thank you so much for your feedback. I love the idea of serving it taco salad style!