In honor of Cinco de Mayo this week AND my never-ending love of tacos, I want to share a super easy recipe for simply seasoned turkey taco meat. If you’re someone who has never ventured outside of the taco seasoning packets from the store, you’ll be amazed at how easy it is to make your own delicious taco meat. 

Make your own ground turkey taco meat with this recipe. www.lillieeatsandtells.com

What You Need for Delicious Taco Meat

I could eat tacos all the time. I love fish tacos, chicken tacos, carnitas, carne asada, veggie, shrimp… I love it ALL. Put it in a corn tortilla with some avocado and fixings and I love it. But simple ground turkey tacos are by far the family favorite over here. And it doesn’t really get any easier. Just a handful of spices and a few minutes in a pan! In this recipe I combine chili powder, kosher salt, dried oregano, paprika, garlic powder, cumin, and black pepper.

When I know I have a busy week ahead of me, this is one recipe I know I can double or triple and use all week without getting tired of it. I’ve talked before about my love for salads, and this simple ground turkey taco meat gets thrown into my salads regularly! Besides salads, this meat is perfect for taco bowls, tacos, enchiladas, or anything else you want to add some protein to. And EVEN MY BOYS love it. An easy kid-pleaser.

You won't believe my secret ingredient in this taco meat. www.lillieeatsandtells.com

Why I love Ground Turkey for My Taco Meat

I chose ground turkey for this recipe because it’s low in fat, and I like the flavor better than the super lean ground beef. I normally grab the 93/7 organic Fulton Farms ground turkey packs from Costco and the macros reflect this. If you use a more traditional 93/7 ground turkey you’ll need to be aware that your macros for each serving of cooked taco meat will change by +4 fat, and – 2.5 protein. 

I do love a little hit of a something special though. One of my favorite additions to lots of Mexican meals. Green enchilada sauce! This adds a little moisture and a lot of flavor. But it’s not a deal breaker, so if you’re not a fan of green enchilada sauce, or don’t keep it on hand, just sub a little salsa or even water.

I love to double this recipe. www.lillieeatsandtells.com

Time to Get Cooking

When it comes time to cook the simple ground turkey taco meat, grab your favorite heavy bottomed pan and heat it over medium-high heat. I love to use my enamel cast iron pan for just about everything, including this recipe! But I recently used my brand new, beautiful Caraway pan and that worked great too! I was amazed at how easy it was to clean.

Mist your pan with olive oil and let it heat up for a few seconds. Make sure you’re using one without propellants if you’re using a nice pan! Then add your ground turkey and break it apart into pieces. Let it sit in the pan for a couple of minutes to get some color and then continue to break it apart. Once it’s no longer pink, add all of your dry seasonings and the enchilada sauce (or water). Stir it to combine. Cook a few more minutes until it’s cooked through. Don’t forget to break apart the larger chunks of ground turkey as it cooks. You want your finished taco meat to fit nicely in your taco shells!

It's so easy to make this taco meat! www.lillieeatsandtells.com

After the taco meat is cooked through, you’re ready to enjoy it for your Cinco de Mayo celebration! I’m pretty sure it’s a law that you have to serve Mexican food on May 5th. However you serve this simply seasoned ground turkey taco meat, be sure to account for any toppings you add if you count your macros of course. But to make it easy, I’ve added this recipe to My Fitness Pal. Just search- Lillie Eats and Tells Simply Seasoned Taco Meat 

And for more recipes and how I track my macros on the daily, follow me on Instagram @lillieeatsandtells.

You won't believe my secret ingredient in this taco meat. www.lillieeatsandtells.com

Simple Ground Turkey Taco Meat

Get your taste buds ready for this simple and quick turkey taco meat! You won’t believe how easy it is to make your own taco meat seasoning. 
5 from 2 votes
Author Lillie
Course Protein
Cuisine Mexican
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings 5 servings
Calories 165 kcal

Ingredients

  • 1.5 lb 93/7 organic Fulton Farms ground turkey one pack from Costco -671 g
  • 1 Tbsp garlic powder
  • 1 Tbsp cumin
  • 1 Tbsp chili powder
  • 1 Tbsp oregano
  • 1 tsp kosher salt more to taste
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • ½ tsp pepper
  • 3 Tbsp 45 g green enchilada sauce

Instructions

  • Heat a heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat.  (I love my enamel cast iron.) Add a mist of 100% olive oil spray and let it heat up for a few seconds. Add the ground turkey, breaking it apart into pieces. Let it sit for a couple of minutes to get some color, then continue to break apart. Add all of your seasonings and enchilada sauce (or water)  and combine well.  Cook and crumble for a few more minutes until it’s cooked through.
  • Use in tacos, bowls, salads etc! I love it as an easy prepped protein to throw in my salads all week!

Notes

  • If you use a more traditional 93/7 ground turkey, they’re usually going to be about 8 fat/4 oz. This will change the macros per serving of cooked taco meat by +4 fat, – 2.5 protein. 
  • MFP: Lillie Eats and Tells Simply Seasoned Turkey Taco Meat

Nutrition

Serving: 117gCalories: 165kcalCarbohydrates: 1.3gProtein: 28gFat: 5.9gFiber: 1g
Keywords ground turkey, mexican, taco meat, tacos

Tried this recipe?

Tag @LillieEatsAndTells on Instagram with #LillieEatsandTells! We’d love to see your creations!

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About the Author

Hello. My name is Lillie. I’m not a registered dietitian, or a macro coach, or a public figure or culinary genius. I’m a mommy of four who FOUND macro-counting and fell in love with this balanced approach to food...

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Comments

  1. I wish I would have read the comments before I made this. If you make this, omit the salt!!! We ended up having to throw this out bc it was SO salty.

    1. I’m so so sorry! I wish I could say it was a typo. I’ve learned I like things saltier than most, so I need to keep that in mind! Just edited the recipe to say 1 tsp. Should have done that a while ago now that I’m seeing these comments. So sorry Lauren!

  2. I love Lillie’s recipes and the fact that they are on My Fitness Pal. However, I made this recipe and it was VERY salty. It calls for 1 TBSP of salt. I think it must be a typo. I’m not sure if you even need salt with all of the other spices.

  3. 5 stars
    I LOVE this recipe- it’s the perfect taco meat. You’d never guess it’s Turkey! I do wonder should the salt be one teaspoon instead of a tablespoon?

  4. 5 stars
    Loved it! Even my super picky husband loved it after raising an eyebrow to turkey tacos. Only thing I changed was added some chicken broth just to change the consistency a little. 🤤