Turkey Taco Salad

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Delicious Turkey Taco Salad is packed with veggies and a delicious creamy cilantro dressing! Cook ground turkey with veggies, taco seasonings, and salsa to create moist, flavor-packed taco meat. That meat is added to a bed of lettuce, topped with your favorite taco salad toppings, and coated in a creamy flavorful dressing.

Course Dinner, lunch, Salad

Cuisine Healthy

Keyword Turkey Taco Salad

Prep Time 35 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings -6 large salads

Calories 359kcal

Author Chelsea Lords

Cost $6.12

Ingredients

Salad

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup (70g) yellow onion, diced (~1/2 large onion) (See Note 1)
1 cup (126g) diced sweet bell peppers, (2 small or 1 large)
2 teaspooons minced garlic
1 package (16 ounces) lean ground turkey
1 packet taco seasoning (See Note 2)
1 cup (235g) salsa or picante sauce
1 can (15 ounces; 432g) chili beans in mild sauce, black beans or kidney beans (leave chili beans undrained; kidney/black beans need to be rinsed and drained)
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 cups chopped romaine lettuce, washed & dried completely
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
Optional toppings: 1 cup chopped or halved cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese, fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, 1 large ripe avocado (chopped or thinly sliced), 1/4th of 1 red onion thinly sliced, and tortilla strips

Dressing (See Note 3)

1 large lime (1/2 teaspoon zest and 2 and 1/2 tablespoons juice)
2 tablespoons traditional ranch seasoning mix (not prepared)
1/2 - 1 teaspoon minced garlic (1 garlic clove)
1 (~1/2 cup; 60g) tomatillo, husk removed and coarsely chopped
1/2 of 1 bunch (15g; tightly packed 1/2 cup) fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped jalapeño
1/2 cup (95g) regular mayo
1/2 cup (113g) low-fat buttermilk
Salt and pepper

Instructions

DRESSING: Zest and juice the lime. Add to the blender along with the DRY ranch seasoning mix, minced garlic, chopped tomatillo, and cilantro (I take a large bunch, separate it in half, and twist to rip out half -- add that (stems are fine!), jalapeno, mayo, and buttermilk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust to personal preference (more lime, cilantro, garlic, salt/pepper). Chill in the fridge to allow flavors to meld and intensify while making the salad.
TURKEY TACO MEAT: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is shimmering, add in the diced onion, diced pepper, and garlic. Stir occasionally for 5-7 minutes or until tender; reduce the heat if anything is burning. Add in the ground turkey and taco seasoning and cook another 5-7 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink breaking up turkey into crumbles as you cook. Stir in the salsa or picante sauce and the kidney, black or chili beans, and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and remove from the heat.
SALAD: Divide the lettuce evenly among four to six plates or bowls or one large salad plate or platter. Add the fresh cilantro. Top with the taco turkey mixture and add your favorite toppings! I suggest freshly grated Cheddar cheese, avocado, lime, chopped tomatoes, and tortilla strips. Drizzle the dressing (see step 1) over the salads and enjoy immediately. Do not assemble any salads that won't be enjoyed immediately; if you want leftovers, store the lettuce, taco meat, and toppings all separately.

Video

Notes

Note 1: Onion: If you like raw red onion in a taco salad, use red onion instead of the yellow onion called for in the recipe. Use half of the red onion in the ground turkey mixture (instead of using the yellow onion) and use the rest to top the salad.

Note 2: Taco seasoning: To make your own taco seasoning combine the following spices:

1 tablespoon ground chili powder
1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper
1/2 tablespoon beef bouillon powder (optional)

Note 3: Dressing: This dressing is likely more than you'll use on the salad (unless you're a huge dressing lover). While you can halve the recipe, I like to always have more just in case. Add dressing to salad plates slowly and to personal preference. Leftover dressing will stay in the fridge for up to a week and goes well with veggies or on other salads.

Nutrition information for this salad varies widely, depending on what you top the salad with, the amount of toppings, how much dressing, etc. I recommend adding your customized salad to My Fitness Pal®. The nutrition label I've included is only for the base salad ingredients and does not include any additional toppings.

Nutrition