Seasoned ground turkey, black beans, diced tomatoes & chiles are simmered together then topped with melty cheese & your favorite taco toppings! This cheesy turkey taco skillet is an easy one pot meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes!
One pot + wholesome ingredients + Mexican-ish food?! Sign me up! This cheesy turkey taco skillet has been my go-to meal lately and it couldn’t be any easier! Loaded with lean protein, veggies, a layer of melty cheddar cheese – it’s got it all!
Tacos have always been my love language! So the fact that I can get all my favorite taco components packed into a healthy and nutritious one pot meal in less than 30 minutes sounds like heaven to me! It’s quick, easy and a tasty meal your whole family will love!
Ingredients For Your Taco Skillet
- Ground turkey: You’ll need 1 – 1½ lbs. of ground turkey for this recipe. (Ground beef or ground chicken can be used as a replacement.)
- Black beans: The recipe calls for 1 cup of black beans but you can add as little or as much as you want. (Charlie doesn’t usually like a lot of beans so I add around a ¾ cup for ours.)
- Diced tomatoes: Use fire roasted diced tomatoes if you can find them. (They add a slight smokey flavor that’s so good with the rest of your ingredients.)
- Canned diced green chiles: Use hot or mild depending on the spice level you want. (We love spicy food so we always use hot green chiles.)
- Onion: White or yellow onion works the best for this recipe.
- Cilantro: A handful of cilantro goes into your skillet and we’ll usually cut some extra to sprinkle over the top later.
- Cheddar cheese: I use extra sharp cheddar cheese for ours. (I just love it’s bold flavor for anything taco related.) But any type of cheddar cheese, Monterray jack or a Mexican cheese blend would be delicious too!
- Black olives: Optional – we love the extra flavor they add!
- Spices: Chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper are needed to season your taco skillet!
How To Make A Turkey Taco Skillet
1. Saute your onion. Heat a large oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, add some olive oil and your onions and cook until tender. (About 1-2 minutes)
2. Cook the ground turkey. Then add your ground turkey and seasonings and continue to cook until the turkey is cooked all the way through. (About 4-5 minutes)
3. Simmer. Stir in your diced tomatoes (not drained) and green chiles (drained) and let your turkey mixture simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. (About 10 minutes)
4. Finish the skillet. Stir in your black beans and cilantro and sprinkle cheddar cheese and black olives (if using) over the top.
5. Bake or broil! Place your skillet in the oven and bakeat 400 degrees until the cheese is melty and bubbling. (Alternatively, you can broil the skillet for a few minutes instead.)
6. Serve. Serve immediately with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
Topping Ideas!
Make this taco skillet your own by adding your favorite taco toppings! Here are a few of our favorites to help get your started:
- Sliced or mashed avocado
- Guacamole (A must in my book!😉)
- Your favorite hot sauce or salsa!
- Pico de gallo
- Sour cream
- Sliced green onion
- Chopped cilantro
Serving Suggestions
My favorite thing about this meal is there’s so many different ways to serve it! Keep it simple for a quick and easy weeknight dinner or add some bulk and serve it for a group! Any way you make it – it’s delicious!
- Scoop it into bowls and serve it with tortilla chips!
- Spoon it over white rice or spanish rice!
- Make it low carb and spoon it over cauliflower rice!
- Scoop it into a baked sweet potato!
- Turn it into actual tacos! Stuff corn tortilla with your skillet mixture and add your favorite toppings!
Why you’ll love this turkey taco skillet recipe!
- Healthy & satisfying! Loaded with lean protein, veggies & healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied!
- A one pot meal! Everything is cooked in one pan making clean up so easy!
- Under 30 minutes! This taco skillet takes less than 30 minutes from start to finish making it perfect for those busy weeknights!
- Wholesome ingredients! Most of these ingredients are pantry staples & I bet you already have a few of them at home!
More taco recipes you might like:
- Taco Stuffed Sweet Potatoes
- Crispy Chicken Carnitas Tacos with Avocado Cilantro Lime Sauce
- Crispy Shrimp & Poblano Tacos
- Chipotle Shredded Beef Tacos
[Made one of my recipes? Tag my Instagram @kalefornia_kravings & leave a review in the comments – I love seeing what you create!]
Cheesy Turkey Taco Skillet
Ingredients
- 1-1½ lbs. ground turkey
- ½ of a white onion, diced
- 14 oz. canned diced tomatoes, not drained (fire roasted)
- 1 cup black beans, drained & rinsed
- 2 Tbsp cilantro, chopped (leaves & stems are ok)
- 4 oz. canned diced green chiles, drained (hot or mild)
- 1 Tbsp chili powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- Shredded cheddar cheese, for the top
- Sliced black olives, for the top (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Once it's hot, add some olive oil and your onions and cook until tender. (About 1-2 minutes)
- Next add your ground turkey, chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper and continue to cook until the turkey is cooked through. (About 3-4 minutes)
- Then stir in your diced tomatoes (not drained) and green chiles (drained) and let your turkey mixture simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally. (About 10 minutes)
- Then stir in your black beans and cilantro and sprinkle your cheddar cheese and black olives (if using) over the top.
- Place your skillet in the oven to bake at 400 degrees until the cheese is melty and bubbling. (Alternatively, you can broil the skillet for a few minutes instead.)
- Serve immediately with your favorite taco toppings and enjoy!
