Ground turkey tacos
Juicy, well-seasoned turkey taco meat made from scratch in 20 minutes and tucked into warm corn tortillas with onion, cilantro and lime.
- 25 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 4
- About $2.21 a serving
- 420 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: I’d make this on a weeknight. It’s on the table in 25 minutes.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 white onion, finely chopped, divided
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 limes, 1 juiced, 1 cut in wedges
- 12 corn tortillas
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
- 1 avocado, sliced (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 1½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ¾ tsp salt
- ½ cup water
Each serving has about 420 calories, 27 g protein, 46 g carbs and 16 g fat, and costs about $2.21 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No ground turkey? Ground chicken works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
- No cilantro? Fresh parsley works.
- No avocados? Guacamole works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the onion and set half aside for topping.
Finely chop. Finely chopping means cutting food into small pieces, a little bigger than minced, about the size of a lentil. Small pieces spread their flavor through the dish and cook quickly.
How you’ll know: Nothing is bigger than a lentil, and the pile looks like confetti rather than paste.
Heat the oil in a large over medium-high. Add the other half of the onion and cook 3 minutes.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 3 min
Add the turkey, let it sit 2 minutes, then break it up into small and cook 5 minutes more, until no pink remains.
Crumble. Crumbling means breaking food into small, rough bits with your fingers or a spoon, like feta or ground meat in the pan. Small bits spread through the dish, so there’s some in every bite.
How you’ll know: The pieces are small and uneven, about pea-size, with no big clumps left.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Ground turkey is lean and sticks more than beef. Let it sit 2 minutes before you break it up so it browns instead of steaming.Food safety: Ground turkey and ground chicken are done at 165°F, with no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Add the garlic, chili powder, cumin, paprika, oregano, salt and tomato paste and 1 minute, until the spices .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Bloom. Blooming means warming spices in hot oil for a few seconds before the other ingredients go in. The heat wakes up their flavor, so the whole dish tastes fuller.
How you’ll know: They smell strong and toasty within 30 seconds; a dark color or bitter smell means they went too far.
Medium heat
Pour in the water and 3 to 4 minutes, until saucy but not wet. Squeeze in the juice of 1 lime.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min 30 sec
Warm the tortillas in a dry over medium heat, about 30 seconds per side, and stack them in a clean towel.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heat
Fill the tortillas with the turkey and top with the raw onion, cilantro and avocado. Serve with lime wedges.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
