These Veggie-Loaded Turkey Tacos are an easy and delicious dinner the whole family will love! A great way to get more vegetables into a meal, this healthy dinner recipe is quick to make, flavorful and done in under 30 minutes.
I was recently talking to a friend about recipes and we found ourselves comparing them to clothes. There are “little black dress” recipes that are special, dazzling, perhaps a little extra, but tend not to get daily use.
And there are “t-shirt and jean” recipes that you love to enjoy on the regular. Recipes that are easy, cozy and just make you feel good. Recipes that you reach for when you want something simple, delicious, and that doesn’t require a lot of thought or fuss.
These Veggie-Loaded Turkey Tacos are 💯 a t-shirt and jeans recipe. They are delicious, amazingly simple, and are always a welcomed sight at the dinner table. A lightened up and veggie-loaded twist on the classic taco, this recipe is packed with lean protein from ground turkey and serve up four different kinds of veggies: carrots, zucchini, spinach, and onions. Requiring no fancy kitchen gear beyond a box grater and skillet, this dinner recipe is done cooking in under 30 minutes and is the perfect for a kitchen newbie!
Bonus: It is naturally gluten free when served with gluten free tortillas or over rice. Is dairy-free when you skip cheese as a topping and can be Paleo and Whole30 friendly if served over cauliflower rice! The perfect recipe to make for a crowd.
Time saving hack! Use your food processor with the “S” blade attachment to quickly chop the veggies for this turkey taco recipe and save oodles of prep time!
Suggested Adaptations
- Don’t have ground turkey? Feel free to use whatever ground meat you like. Ground bison, beef, or chicken would all work well.
- Use whatever veggies you have on hand. Rice cauliflower, diced peppers, and minced mushrooms all go beautifully in these turkey tacos!
- Use a food processor to finely chop or shred the veggies to save time!
- Add beans. Add cooked black or pinto beans to the turkey taco mixture after the meat is cooked or stir them in at the end.
Do you have some some leftover spinach after making these tacos—and don’t want it to go to waste? Be sure to check out my tips and tricks for storing spinach so it stays fresh all week!
Other easy veggie-loaded dinners your family will love…
- Cauliflower Chicken Nuggets
- No-Boil Creamy Vegetable Pasta Bake
- Turkey Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie
- Healthier Hamburger Helper (with veggies!)
- Veggie-Loaded Turkey Lasagna
- Healthier Tater Tot Casserole (with veggies)
Did you make this taco recipe and now you are hungry for more?
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Veggie-Loaded Turkey Tacos
Equipment
- box grater
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ large yellow onion, finely diced or 1 small yellow onion
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 1 medium zucchini, grated
- 2 cups baby spinach, finely chopped
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken
- 15 ounces crushed or diced canned tomatoes
- 1 ½ teaspoon kosher or sea salt or to taste
- 8 taco shells
- grated cheddar cheese, diced avocado, fresh cilantro, and or other taco toppings
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add the grated/chopped veggies. Saute the veggies until they are softened, about 8 minutes.
- Add garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, and dried oregano. Cook for 30 seconds to combine flavors.
- Crumble the turkey meat into the skillet with the veggies and cook, breaking up the meat with the back of a wooden spoon until the veggies and meat are well combined and the meat in cooked through and no longer pink. About 7-10 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and salt and cook until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add additional salt if desired.
- Spoon turkey mixture into the taco shells right before eating and top with desired toppings. Enjoy warm!
- Allow leftover filling to cool completely before storing in an air-tight container in fridge for 1-2 days.
Nutrition
The nutritional information is provided as an estimate only and may vary based on the product type, servings and other factors. If you are following a diet, please consult with a professional nutritionist or your doctor. Stay healthy!
Comments
So good! After a long day at work yesterday I just wanted something quick and filling. The tacos were so easy to make and full of flavor. My fiancé and I both went back for seconds and we still had enough left over for me to have for my lunch today. 10/10 recommend 👌🏼
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review, Skye! I love all that! I am so glad this recipe could be everything you needed; easy, satisfying, and full of good stuff!
Out of curiosity, can this be made in the InstantPot? I’ve really enjoyed the three InstantPot recipes from here that I’ve made, and especially with the butternut squash chicken curry, am stunned at how much faster cooking can be.
I am so glad you have enjoyed some of my other IP recipes! I honestly haven’t tried this one in the IP and am not sure it would really work. They veggies need to cook off some of their moisture and then the meat needs to brown. Pressure cooking them would likely result in a mushy and wet taco filling.
Ah, good to know – thanks for taking the time to respond!
Great, flavorful recipe that used cheap veggies that I often have around. I used the food processor to chop the veggies which made it super fast and easy. First night, we ate them “walking taco” style- this means in a bowl, topped with lots of shredded lettuce, toppings, and crushed nacho cheese flavored chips. (Midwesterner here!) We mixed the leftover filling with rice for burrito bowls to take for lunch.
We had these for dinner last night too and also used the food processor to speed the prep up! So glad you enjoyed them, Sarah. Thanks for taking the time to leave a review!
This recipe is good . I like my tacos with a little more spice. Next time I’ll just add more spice like red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper . All in all a great recipe again .
Great call! Glad you enjoyed, Karen!