Ground Turkey Taco Salad is a simple and delicious weeknight dinner that’s fun to make and guaranteed to please. This easy taco salad comes together in 20 minutes and is made with a creamy avocado dressing!
Say hello to your new taco night favorite with this healthy turkey taco salad recipe! Seasoned lean ground turkey gets tossed together with all of your taco fixings favorites to make a delicious and fun dinner salad that everyone will love!
For more Mexican-inspired meals, try my Smothered Green Chili Chicken Burritos or this Ground Turkey Enchilada Casserole. Use your extra ground turkey to make Turkey Sausage Meatballs or Turkey Ricotta Meatballs. If you love hearty pasta salads, try my Kale Caesar Pasta Salad recipe!
Easy Ground Turkey Taco Salad
This simple and delicious ground turkey taco salad is everything you want in a meal. It’s simple to make and has so much flavor!
You can make the salad in the time it takes to cook the ground turkey. All you need to do is chop a few ingredients and blend the dressing.
The dressing is a simple mix of avocado, sour cream, and lime juice and may be the best part of this salad. Blend it for a smooth and delicious sauce that’s adds so much flavor to the meal.
I love to make this on busy weeknights because it comes together fast and my whole family loves it. Serve with a side of tortilla chips and it makes the perfect meal.
You’re going to love this easy and healthy taco salad recipe with avocado dressing! Give it a try!
Ingredients
- Ground Turkey: use lean ground turkey meat, I like the 93/7 blend. You can also make this with lean ground beef or ground chicken.
- Taco Seasoning: you can find taco seasoning in the spice section of the grocery store.
- Veggies: I like to use a variety of veggies in my turkey taco salad. You’ll need lettuce, chopped red onion, tomatoes, and frozen defrosted corn kernels. You could also add in diced bell peppers, jalapeños, or green onion.
- Beans: use canned black beans that have been drained and rinsed.
- Avocado: a large fresh avocado is needed to make the creamy avocado dressing.
- Sour Cream: add a bit of sour cream to the dressing. You can also use greek yogurt if you’d like.
- Lime: fresh lime juice will help keep the dressing from browning and add a fresh and bright flavor.
- Herbs: use fresh cilantro if your tastebuds allow it. My family prefers I use parsley instead.
- Cheese: shredded cheddar cheese is essential in my opinion! You could use whatever mild cheese you like.
How to Make Ground Turkey Taco Salad
Ground turkey taco salad comes together quick and is the perfect weeknight dinner. Plus it’s so much fun to make and eat! Serve with tortilla strips for extra crunch.
Make the Avocado Dressing
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In a small blender or food processor fitted with the blade attachment, combine the avocado, sour cream, water, garlic, lime juice, cilantro and salt. Blend on high until the mixture is smooth.
You can make the dressing ahead of time and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cook the Turkey Taco Meat
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil then ground turkey meat. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks.
When the meat is nearly done cooking, add in the taco seasoning and stir well to combine. Cook until the ground meat is no longer pink and set aside to cool slightly to nearly room temperature.
Assemble the Salad
In a very large bowl, combine the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, beans, corn, and shredded cheese. Add on the ground taco meat and dressing, and toss to combine.
This is a beautiful salad to assemble and then toss right before serving. Serve with extra dressing and tortilla chips on the side.
Recipe Tips
- Use a large non-stick skillet to cook the meat. Use a ground turkey with some fat in it like a 93/7 blend.
- The dressing is commonly made with cilantro, but if you don’t like cilantro you can use parsley instead.
- If making this for meal prep, store the dressing and meat separate from the salad. Once the salad is tossed, it is best eaten immediately.
More Hearty Salad Recipes!
Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Avocado Dressing
Ingredients
Avocado Dressing
- 1 large avocado
- ½ cup sour cream (or greek yogurt)
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (or parsley depending on preference)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
For the Salad
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons taco seasoning
- 1 head romaine lettuce (washed and chopped)
- 15 ounces canned black beans (drained and rinsed)
- 1 cup corn kernels (defrosted if using frozen)
- 1 cup diced tomato
- ½ cup diced red onion
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- crushed tortilla chips for serving (optional)
Instructions
- To make the dressing, in a blender combine the avocado, sour cream, water, lime juice, garlic, cilantro and salt. Blend until smooth adding more water if needed. Refrigerate until ready to use.
- Cook the ground turkey. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the ground turkey and break up the meat with a spoon. Sprinkle on the taco seasoning and continue cooking until the meat is cooked through and no longer pink; about 6-7 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large serving bowl, combine the romaine lettuce, black beans, corn, diced tomato, red onion, and cheddar cheese. Add in the cooked ground turkey and drizzle on the dressing; toss to combine. Serve immediately with crushed tortilla chips, if desired.
Notes
- Use a large non-stick skillet to cook the meat. Use a ground turkey with some fat in it like a 93/7 blend.
- The dressing is commonly made with cilantro, but if you don’t like cilantro you can use parsley instead.
- If making this for meal prep, store the dressing and meat separate from the salad. Once the salad is tossed, it is best eaten immediately
