This one pan taco skillet is made with ground turkey, bell peppers, green chiles, corn, black beans, salsa, homemade taco seasoning and an irresistible cheesy tortilla chip topping that ties everything together. It’s a hearty and healthy dinner everyone will love!
Looking for more recipes for taco night? Try my ground chicken taco bowls and turkey taco quinoa skillet.
Why You’ll Love This Taco Skillet
One pan dinner – One pan dinners are my favorite because they’re fast and the cleanup is easy. They’re perfect for weeknights!
High protein and fiber – If you’re looking for a delicious protein packed dinner that also has a good amount of fiber, this is for you! There are 38 grams of protein and 10 grams of fiber per serving in this recipe.
Meal prep – If you meal prep lunches or dinners, add this taco skillet into your rotation. The leftovers hold up well for 4 days.
Ingredient Notes
Onion – I used yellow onion, but white onion works or 2-3 sliced green onions for a milder onion flavor.
Red bell pepper – You can use any color bell pepper.
Ground turkey – Lean ground turkey, 93/7% works best. I avoid extra lean because it lacks flavor and moisture.
Chili powder, ground cumin, garlic powder, smoked paprika, salt – My homemade taco seasoning blend.
Canned diced green chiles – You can use mild or hot and if you’re extra sensitive to spicy food you can omit them. However, mild green chiles really aren’t spicy at all.
Black beans – Low sodium is best and be sure to rinse and drain them before adding them in.
Corn – Frozen sweet corn works great. For extra flavor I prefer to use frozen fire roasted corn.
Cilantro – A classic fresh herb used in Southwest and Mexican cooking. Omit if you don’t like cilantro.
Salsa – I used regular tomato based salsa, but salsa verde is great too.
Cheese – Grate the cheese from the block so that it melts well, the flavor is better too. Colby jack, cheddar, or monterey jack cheese are all good options.
Chips tortilla – Add them to the top whole or crush them with your hands and sprinkle them on top.
Tips for Making Turkey Taco Skillet
- Skip the extra lean (99%) ground turkey. It’s dry and has virtually no flavor.
- Salsa is used for the recipe, however I’ve made it with both red and green enchilada sauce and it turns out great.
- Use a large enough skillet so that it’s easy to stir everything together. I recommed a 12 inch skillet.
- You can use any type of ground meat for this taco skillet. I sometimes swap ground turkey and make a beef taco skillet. Ground bison is great if you’re looking for an option with more iron.
- Add toppings. Chunks of avocado, shredded lettuce, tomatoes, Greek yogurt or sour cream, black olives, and extra salsa are all highly encouraged!
Substitution and Variations
- Use any type of ground meat such as ground beef or ground chicken.
- Use different veggies. Zucchini, tomatoes or a couple handfuls of baby spinach.
- Black beans can be replaced with pinto beans.
- Make it creamy. Stir in a 1/4 cup of plain Greek yogurt (low fat or full fat) or sour cream.
- If you want to add rice, try making my Southwest turkey and rice skillet instead.
Serving Suggestions
This taco skillet is hearty enough to be eaten on it’s own, but I like to serve it with a side of cilantro lime rice or sweet and spicy roasted butternut squash.
If you want to add extra toppings, this green chile guacamole is delicious or a dollop of Greek yogurt or sour cream. And I always suggest having a skinny margarita, because why not?
Storage and Reheating
Storage – The leftovers will keep for up to 4 days in an airtight container. The chips will soften once refrigerated, but you can add fresh ones to the top when you reheat it.
Reheating – You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave or in a skillet on the stove. If you prefer to reheat it in the oven, heat the oven to 350° F. and heat it for 15 minutes or until warmed through. I like to add fresh cheese and chips to the top.
Freezing – This is a great meal to freeze and will keep for 2-3 months. I recommend leaving the chips off the top or they will be soggy once you defrost it. You can add the chips and cheese to the top during reheating.
More Skillet Recipes
If you love easy and healthy skillet dinners you’re in the right place! They’re my favorite kind of meal to make and share with all of you.
Stir fry is always a good option for a quick and healthy dinner. Try my beef stir fry and ground turkey stir fry.
In the mood for Italian? Make this pesto baked chicken with tomatoes or sausage and peppers pasta.
If you love southwest and Mexican flavored meals as much as I do, then I’m sure you’ll love this Mexican ground beef and potato skillet, green chile chicken enchilada skillet, and skillet chicken fajitas.
Did you make this taco skillet? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
Preheat oven to broil.
Heat a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add in the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the ground turkey to the skillet and crumble it.
Push the turkey to one side of the skillet and add in the peppers and onions. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and the dried spices on top. Saute the veggies and continue to cook and crumble the turkey until it’s cooked through.
Pour in the black beans, corn, green chiles cilantro, and salsa. Stir everything together until it’s combined and heated through.
Top the mixture with the tortilla chips and cheese then place it in the oven under the broiler.
Broil until the cheese is melted and lightly browned. Garnish with cilantro and serve.
Calories: 562kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 38gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 115mgSodium: 2044mgPotassium: 1065mgFiber: 10gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 2488IUVitamin C: 58mgCalcium: 322mgIron: 5mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
