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!
Hi everyone! Danae from Recipe Runner and I’m back with my first guest post for 2016. I hope you guys had a wonderful holiday season and that the New Year has started out great for you. While I love the holiday season it’s nice to get back to my normal routine and eating habits. My body can only take so many cookies and chocolates before it starts to turn on me and let me know it’s had enough. By the first week in January it had definitely had enough. I’m excited to share this turkey taco quinoa skillet recipe made with ground turkey!
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!
Skillet meals are one of my favorite things to make for a couple of reasons. I love that there are far less dishes to wash since washing dishes is one of my least favorite things to do along with emptying the dishwasher. I also love that there are so many options when it comes to making skillet/one pot dinners. You can make them with or without meat, pasta, rice and in this case quinoa, then it’s just a mater of adding in your favorite spices and vegetables.
Since I love Mexican food and am always looks for ways to jazz it up and keep it healthier, this Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet was a perfect option for me. Along with ground turkey and quinoa being in this skillet meal 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!
How to make Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet
Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet cooks in one pan. 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 it in tortillas as tacos or on top of your favorite greens. The entire meal can be prepped in advance too!
What dishes can you make 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 recipes that use ground turkey.
- Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes (use ground turkey instead)
- Moroccan Turkey and Chickpea Skillet
- Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet
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
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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SHOP THE RECIPE TOOLS & INGREDIENTS
More Skillet and One Pot Meals
Skillet Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
One Pot Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta with Baby Kale
Lightened Up Skillet Chicken Parmesan
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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!
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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!
I love this recipe! I’ve made it a few times now and it’s always a hit. My boyfriend and I make a batch and eat the leftovers for a few days. It’s just as great heated back up. Ground turkey and quinoa is one of my favorite combinations, so I was excited to add this to my meal rotation! Thank you for sharing!
Hi, Lindsay! Thanks so much for your comment! I am so glad to hear you love this recipe as much as we do. It’s such a great choice for lunch or dinner.
Hmmmm hmm yum! What a super easy dish for the family. This is going into my easy dinner recipe pile. The Chicken Fajitas was so easy to make and it took less time than what it said.
We loved this dish! My only edit was I used my homemade taco seasoning instead of individual spices. Adding this to our dinner rotation especially since it is full of flavor and reheats well!
This dish was amazing!!! I have no pics to share because we ate it all up!!! Thanks for sharing❤️
Hi, Crystal! I’m so glad to hear that you loved this dish as much as we do. It’s perfect for any day of the week! Thanks so much for your comment.
Made this for dinner last night. I doubled the recipe because I had a 1lb package of turkey in the freezer. I used a green salsa, because it needed to be used! I did not double the cheese, and we were very satisfied. I froze the leftovers for later meals. This was very tasty and I would definitely make again. Thank you for a great recipe!
Hi, Sharon! I’m so happy to hear you loved it. Thanks for your comment!
This is insanely delicious! I’ve made it twice in two weeks.
Our family loves this dish. I add finely chopped mushrooms.
Loved this recipe!! Some easy and so yummy
I’m drawing a blank. Any side dish ideas if making for a crowd? Since quinoa and beans are in there I’m just not coming up with any thoughts.
Hi, Tammy! This dish works well as an entire meal. You can serve it in taco shells or over a bed of greens to make it more filling. Or perhaps serve it with a side of pineapple, tortilla chips or another vegetable, like baked sweet potatoes. Enjoy!
I love this recipe. It’s so great to make tacos with, and then taco salad (leftovers) for the next day. I have been making this for years and everyone loves it. The best part is that you can improvise on quantities/ingredients and it’s always flavorful. Thank you!!
Love the idea of using it for taco salad! So glad you love it, Nikki!
Yummmmmmm. I didn’t have any green chili but used a can of Chipotle in adobo sauce (that I ALWAYS have on hand for salsas) and so doubled the whole recipe…didn’t have regular corn or black beans so I used kidney and creamed corn (just cuz I had them) and I used smoked curry powder instead of regular and regular diced tomatoes as I didn’t have fancy roasted ones but even with all the changes omg it was SOOOOOO GOOOD. Definitely will be making this again mmm mmm
This looks delicious! Do you think it would work okay without the turkey?
I made this recipe last week and it was just as delicious as it looks! I used a full pound of lean ground beef since my boys are carnivores. NO leftovers! It’s on my meal rotation for this week again. 🙂
Hi, Annie! I am so glad to hear that you and your boys loved it.
Looks delish! I am going to make this tomorrow for the whole family…. but bit sure 1/2 lb turkey is enough for 6??? Maybe we are just big eaters!
Hi, Diana! If you don’t plan to serve the skillet in taco shells or want to make more, then you can always try adding more meat. This dish reheats well as leftovers so it can’t hurt to make more 🙂
This one looks so good with the flavors you selection. This is a have to try.
Add a bit of lime juice and a bit more chilli mix! Omg so great!! Would’ve been amazing without the lime juice, but I have a citrus obsession!