These turkey and black bean tacos are perfect any night of the week! Ready in under 30 minutes, this turkey taco recipe is a great alternative to beef tacos and has become one of our family’s most requested meals. Plus, making a large batch of this turkey taco filling is also great for those who love to meal prep!
As someone who’s developed over 60 main dish recipes for this website, I know that looming feeling that comes on mid-afternoon at work where you ask yourself “what’s for dinner?”. Taco night has always been a favorite in our house because it’s easy, delicious, and everyone can tailor their meal to their preferences. I originally developed this turkey and black bean taco recipe when my daughter was a toddler because I needed an easy, high protein, high fiber option that she would actually eat (and be a taco filling that’s flavorful and satisfying for the adults too). It was a hit from the first bite, and she devours it every time we make it!
What I love about this recipe is how versatile it is. Making a big batch is wonderful for meal prep since it lasts for several days in the fridge and the filling is freezer friendly so you can save some for another day. I also appreciate that this is a lighter taco option than classic ground beef tacos. Filling out your taco meat with black beans is a great way to add plant based protein and fiber to your diet while also extending the filling and reducing the overall cost of your dinner. That’s a win all around for me!
If you’re looking for more taco recipes, be sure to try my cornmeal crusted fish tacos and sheet pan vegetarian tacos with chimichurri too!
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Why You’ll Love this Ground Turkey Taco Recipe
Quick and easy! This recipe is so darn easy to whip together that you’ll be eating in less than 30 minutes. The perfect dinner recipe for busy nights!
Classic taco flavor, lightened up. These ground turkey tacos with black beans taste very similar to ground beef tacos! A nice way to reduce fat, and mix up the proteins you’re feeding your family.
Great for meal prep! We love to make up a big batch of this filling to use throughout the week!
Ground Turkey Taco Ingredients
- Lean ground turkey. We like to use a mix of 99% lean and 93% lean, but use whatever lean ground turkey your family prefers.
- Canned black beans. Drain and rinse your favorite brand of canned black beans for this quick and easy taco recipe! The black beans are a great way to extend the filling, and add a good source of plant-based protein to your meal.
- Taco seasoning packets. Using a seasoning packet makes your life easy. If you’d prefer homemade, not a problem at all. There are 2 tablespoons of seasoning in a taco packet.
- Water. Used to help your taco seasoning disperse among the filling ingredients after you drain off the fat.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
How to Cook Ground Turkey for Tacos
Brown the turkey: In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground turkey until heated through (it is cooked at 165°F). Drain off the fat/liquid and return the skillet with browned turkey to the stove.
Stir in the black beans: Add in the black beans and stir to combine with the meat.
Add taco seasoning: Add taco seasoning and water to the skillet and stir to evenly distribute and coat the ground turkey and black beans.
Serve and enjoy! Serve on taco shells or tortillas with your favorite toppings.
Store leftovers: Store leftover taco filling (that’s fully cooled) in an air-tight container in the fridge (or freeze if you’d prefer to keep for later).
Serving Suggestions
Pick a Good Tortilla or Taco Shell
It may sound simple, but choosing a good tortilla or hard taco shell makes a big difference! This turkey taco recipe is great served on corn tortillas, flour tortillas, and crunchy hard shells.
Have a Variety of Taco Toppings
One of the beauties of making homemade tacos is that you can put on whatever toppings you like! Here are some topping suggestions for your ground turkey tacos:
- Shredded cheese: cheddar, colby-jack, taco, or Mexican blends…they’re all good!
- Shredded lettuce:- shredded leaf lettuce or shredded romaine are both good options.
- Diced tomatoes: you can dice a roma tomato or halve cherry tomatoes.
- Black olives: this is controversial in our house…but if you like olives, give it a try!
- Diced raw onion: not for me personally, but a classic taco topping.
- Salsa: I love using a fresh red salsa, salsa verde, or pico de galo on these.
- Avocado: I mean, avocado on tacos is always a hit.
- Sour cream or plain greek yogurt: a great creamy taco topping.
- Cilantro: adds a nice herby punch to your tacos.
- Taco Sauce: this is my husband’s go-to… it’s easy and delicious.
Add a Few Side Dishes to Round Out the Meal
Here are a few side dish ideas to help you round out your meal:
- Corn: grilled corn, our easy Mexican street corn salad, or even a ‘steamers’ bag of frozen corn are all great options.
- Refried beans: even though this taco recipe has black beans mixed in with the taco meat, a side of refried black beans or pinto beans is still a great option! Top the refried beans with cheese if desired.
- Chips and salsa: a classic taco night appetizer and/or side. Grab your favorite jar of salsa, or try our fresh peach salsa for a fun twist!
- Guacamole: you can never go wrong with guacamole. Enjoy with chips or on your taco.
- Grilled or roasted vegetables: I know, I know, I’m a vegetable pusher… but adding a side of veggies to your meal is a great way to create a balanced meal. Added grilled or roasted bell peppers or zucchini with onions is a great side for tacos.
- Side salad: keep it simple or go elaborate, but having a crunchy side salad alongside your ground turkey and black bean tacos is a nice addition to your meal!
Other Ways to Use this Turkey Taco Meat with Black Beans
This is a great recipe for meal prepping! You can use this taco filling for all kinds of meals, like:
- In quesadillas
- On a taco salad
- In a burrito
- On sheet pan nachos
- In lettuce wraps
Turkey Taco Recipe FAQs
To keep this meal healthier, we generally purchase lean ground turkey for this recipe. This is usually in the ballpark of being 93% lean, 7% fat (every brand is a little different). We have found this lean-to-fat ratio makes great turkey taco meat.
Leftover cooked taco meat is good in the fridge for 3-4 days after you make it.
Yes! This is a great option for those who like to meal prep. To freeze, place cooked and cooled taco meat into a freezer-safe container or zip-top bag. Label the container with the date cooked, and freeze for up to 3 months (up to 6 months in a deep freezer). When you’re ready to eat the frozen taco meat, pull it out of the freezer and allow it to thaw in the fridge overnight (if you remember to pull it out the night before). Then reheat as you normally would.
You can reheat taco meat on the stovetop or in the microwave.
To reheat on the stove: warm the cooked meat over medium heat until heated through. If doing this from the fridge, adding a little water (about 1 teaspoon) will help it from drying out. If cooking from frozen, putting a lid over the pan while your taco meat reheats will help to keep it moist.
To reheat in the microwave: place the cooked meat on a microwave-safe plate with a few splashes of water. Cover loosely and cook for 1 minute. Stir and cook for another minute or so until heated through.
*Note: You want to reheat your cooked ground turkey taco filling to 165°F.
The secret to flavorful taco meat is making sure you drain off the excess fat and liquid after browning the turkey, then adding the taco seasoning with a little bit of water. That water helps the seasoning evenly coat all of the meat and black beans rather than having clumps of seasoning in some spots and none in others. Another tip is to let the mixture simmer for a minute or two after adding the seasoning so the flavors have time to meld together. Using a high-quality taco seasoning that you enjoy also makes a big difference. While I recommend seasoning packets for convenience, if you make your own homemade taco seasoning with fresh spices, it can take the flavor to the next level.
Love This Recipe? You May Also Enjoy
Black Bean and Ground Turkey Taco Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lbs lean ground turkey
- 2, 15 oz cans black beans
- 2, taco seasoning packets 4 Tbsp
- ¼ C water
- Tortillas or Taco Shells for serving
- Your favorite taco toppings for serving
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown the ground turkey until heated through (it is cooked at 165°F), approximately 15 minutes. Drain off the fat/liquid and return the skillet with browned turkey to the stove.
- Add in the black beans and stir to combine with the meat.
- Add taco seasoning and water to the skillet and stir to evenly distribute and coat the ground turkey and black beans.
- Serve on taco shells or tortillas with your favorite taco toppings.
- Store leftover taco filling (that’s fully cooled) in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days (or freeze if you’d prefer to keep for later).
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