I was eating tacos at a local joint and there was an item on the menu with quinoa. My dining partner didn’t think he’d tried it before until I reminded him of this quinoa enchilada skillet, some of which he definitely ate a few months back. In his defense, the quinoa in that is fairly hidden as a backdrop for all the enchilada sauce, corn, beans, cheese, and other deliciousness.
This particular quinoa salad at the taco place was great and it made me think that another Southwest-inspired skillet was long overdue. Enter this one pot easy cheesy turkey taco skillet.
My goal with this turkey taco skillet was to keep it as healthy as possible, low carb, pile in as many veggies as I could (since they’ll be smooshed in alongside cheese and spices!), and make it take just one skillet.
One pot dishes are rad for easy clean-up. I used my fave pre-seasoned Lodge 10-inch cast iron skillet. It heats up so hot and sizzly.
Jonesing to buy this skillet!
I used ground 93% lean ground turkey to keep the calories on the lower side, but feel free to substitute any kind of meat or meat-alternative you like. I’ve had great luck with Trader Joe’s Beef-less ground crumbles, which turn out quite beef-like, in my opinion. Or fry up some real beef, spicy sausage… whatever you like.
My secret favorite part of this taco skillet is the hidden greens. Like with a green smoothie, you can use a TON of high nutrition value greens and they wilt down to almost nothing in no time. It’s perfect for people like yours truly who sometimes want to hide greens in my food. Or for kids. 😉 I used three cups of spinach, but any greens mixture works: kale, arugula, spinach, romaine, etc.
Animated assembly all in one pot!
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Ingredients
- 1 lb lean ground turkey (or meat/meat-alternative of your choice, I used 93% lean ground turkey)
- 1 large yellow onion, diced
- 1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 2 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 3 cups greens of your choice (I used spinach, but any spinach/kale/etc. mix will work)
- 1½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 Tbsp high heat oil like avocado or canola oil
- 1 tsp lime juice
- 2 Tbsp green onions, chopped for garnish
Instructions
- In a large pan with a small amount of oil, lightly brown ground turkey on medium heat, mixing often and breaking into small crumbles.
- Drain excess fat from the pan.
- Turn heat down to medium-low and add diced onions, and cook until onions start to get translucent, stirring often.
- Add tomatoes and taco seasoning and mix well.
- Add greens and let wilt as you stir them into the mixture.
- Cover mixture with shredded cheese until mostly melted.
- Garnish with chopped green onions and drizzle with lime juice.
- Serve hot on its own or with flat bread, in a burrito, or in flour or corn tortillas.
If you make this recipe, share a photo and hashtag it #BIJOUXANDBITS. I’d love to see what you’re cooking!
Catherine Clark is a Chicago native sharing noteworthy things she sees and attempts to make in the world. She's a geek, cat lady, designer and editor by day, and noob chef by night.
Looks yummy!
Thanks, Kathy! It was so easy, too. <3
Delicious!!! I made this recipe and added rice. We ate it on tortilla shells and added the spinach after. The kids and husband enjoyed! Definitely make it again!
Yum!! I’m making that tomorrow for taco Tuesday!
YES, good call!
Love one pot meals! Definitely a heart dish perfect for the weather here in Australia right now, we’re in Autumn and its getting cold!
Yes! Great for cool weather. It’s still cold here, so I’m right there with you. 🙂
Made this today, and a fairly fussy eating 5 year old is a big fan! Healthy, tasty and simple cooking – thanks.
Hi, Paul, so rad! I love when you can hide a bunch of veggies in meals for kids. They usually love it. 🙂
How many servings does this make?
This makes about 6 cups after its cooked, so I’d say about 6-8 servings. 🙂
Looks amazing! Do you think you could add some quinoa to it as well?
Thanks! You absolutely could. It’s super flexible with pretty much any kind of grain.
Just tried it. Added some red peppers to it and kale. Delight! Thanks!
Ooh, red peppers and kale would make this amazing! Thanks for trying it out! 🙂
Hi, do you have the nutritional values for this recipe?
How many calories does this have ?
Where’s the Quinoa? You start your post talking about quinoa but there’s none in this recipe. I felt confused
I referenced a different recipe in the intro, this quinoa enchilada skillet. It’s a separate recipe featured here: https://www.bijouxandbits.com/2015/09/enchilada-skillet-recipe/
This was amazing! I sauteed a bit of diced garlic in with the onions and topped with some sliced avocado. So good. Will definitely make this again!
Sounds amazing!! So glad you liked it! 🙂
Incredible. Great taste, texture and flavor. Will make again. Thanks for the recipe, Catherine.
I’m so glad you liked it, Jeff!
Any idea of the calories in this? Made it tonight and it was delicious <3
Can you share the nutritional values? Calories? Carbs?
Made this for the first time today. So flavorful, easy to make, and can’t believe it’s that healthy! Definitely great for leftovers! Added a little cilantro garnishment and that did the trick!
Cilantro sounds amazing!!
This was FANTASTIC! I made it tonight, and my husband, who sometimes has a child-like aversion to vegetables, gobbled it right up! Thank you for this great recipe, I will definitely be making this again!
It’s very sneaky with the veggies. So glad you both loved it!!
This was so easy and so awesome! All 4 of us inhaled it…which is highly unusual in this house! Thank you!
So glad to hear that, Susan! Thanks so much for trying it out. 🙂
This recipe is my go-to! Low-carb, and packs in a ton of veggies without even being noticeable! I’m a die-hard fan of Mexican food but have been looking for healthier options, and this recipe is perfect for that. Thank you!
Thanks for trying it, Cameron! I just made it again two nights ago and still love it as well. 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight. Unfortunately I had to leave the spinach out because someone in my family saw green & said nope so, put it went. I had some mushrooms that needed attention so I they went. Served it as tacos & I loved the flavour. Will definitely make this again.
Haha yep, the spinach is sometimes controversial. But I’m glad it turned out well. Thank you for trying it out! 🙂
HAs anyone used with spinach and frozen for meal preps?
I sure have! This one is heavily in lunch rotation. I freeze it ahead of time in individual portions (almost always with spinach) and it holds up really well all week for lunch or dinner.
Made this tonight and loved it!! Delicious and a healthier version of tacos. Added more taco seasoning than called for and also added cheese once mixture in soft taco tortilla. Also added a bit of sour cream. Will definitely make again!!
What meat could I use in place of the turkey?
This one is really adaptable. I’ve used it with ground beef, ground chicken, sofritas, chorizo, chopped grilled chicken, ground pork… almost anything works with this base! 🙂
Your TURKEY TACO SKILLET recipe was the bomb! It was just what we needed. We are ‘keto era’ and this recipe made us so happy – we had to double check that it was keto! It was just a bit watery so I just used a hokey spoon to help drain it abit .
I give it 5 stars!
I’m so glad you loved it! I definitely find it useful when I’m doing low carb, and you can easily add in rice or tortillas if you’re not. Thanks so much for giving it a go! 🙂
Valuable information. Fortunate me I discovered your website by chance, and I’m shocked why this twist of fate did not took place earlier! I bookmarked it.
I made this twice already. It is easy and very tasty. I even stepped up and made my own taco seasoning. Thanks for a great recipe Catherine.
This was awesome! Perfect quick meal for the whole family. Thank you for the great recipe!
Yummy! Easy to make!
Amazing flavor. I skipped the canned tomatoes because We didn’t have any and served with fresh diced tomatoes on top. Even better as lunch the next day.