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Ground turkey, quinoa, black beans, corn, tomatoes and Mexican spices all cooked together in just one skillet! This healthy and delicious Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet dinner will become your family’s favorite weeknight dinner.
Mexican Quinoa
This recipe is one of the most popular meals on this site. Danae from Recipe Runner shares this recipe for an easy one pot meal made with ground turkey. It tastes delicious served on it’s own or in tacos to create an easy turkey taco recipe. We know that you’re going to love this easy healthy meal!
This skillet dinner comes together in 30 to 40 minutes, making it a great weeknight dinner option. Combine a few spices and ingredients to create an easy Mexican quinoa skillet in one pan.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground Turkey: You can substitute with ground chicken or beef, if desired.
- Seasonings: Onion, garlic, diced green chilis, chili powder, cumin, salt and pepper add the perfect amount of Mexican flavors.
- Black Beans: You can omit or substitute with another type of bean.
- Tomatoes: Use fire roasted tomatoes for best flavor. Standard diced tomatoes work too.
- Corn: Use frozen or fresh corn kernels.
- Salsa: Fresh or jarred salsa adds flavor. Use hot salsa for additional heat.
- Quinoa: Use uncooked rinsed quinoa. Any variety works.
- Cheese: Use a mixture of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheese. You can omit the cheese to make this dairy free.
- Optional: Serve in taco shells and garnish with cilantro and sour cream.
How to Make Ground Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet
This easy skillet dinner cooks in one pan in 30 minutes!
- Cook the diced onion over medium heat in a skillet for about two minutes.
- Add the ground turkey and minced garlic.
- Once cooked, stir in the spices and green chiles and cook for one minute.
- Add the black beans, corn, quinoa and other ingredients.
- Simmer for about 25 minutes then sprinkle with cheese and serve.
- Serve this quinoa dinner it in tortillas as tacos or on top of your favorite greens. The entire meal can be prepped in advance too!
Make Ahead: This meal can be prepped in advance and works great as meal prep. Reheat leftovers just prior to serving.
Variations
- To make it dairy free, omit the cheese or use dairy free cheese.
- Serve it in tortillas for tacos or on top of your favorite greens like a taco salad.
- Add sautéed onions or mushrooms for additional texture and flavor.
- Add a squeeze of fresh lime juice for additional flavor.
- Serve with your favorite toppings like chopped avocado, diced cilantro, sour cream and fresh salsa.
Storing and Freezing
- Storing: Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: Store in a sealed air tight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw before reheating.
- Reheating: Warm leftovers in a skillet on a stove or microwave until warm. You can add a splash of water or vegetable broth when reheating.
Healthy Meals with Ground Turkey
We love adding ground turkey to any meal. You can often substitute ground beef for turkey. Below are a few of our favorite healthy recipes that use ground turkey.
- Seasoned Ground Turkey (for tacos and more!)
- Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes (use ground turkey instead)
- Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers
- Southwest Turkey Breakfast Skillet
- Turkey Enchiladas
- Italian Turkey Meatballs
- Turkey Sweet Potato Chili
We know you’re going to love this Mexican Quinoa skillet with ground turkey and simple seasonings. It’s been tried and reviewed thousands of times and we hope you love it too.
Turkey Taco Quinoa Skillet
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound lean ground turkey, (I use 99% lean)
- 1/2 yellow onion,, diced
- 2 cloves garlic,, minced
- 4 ounce can diced green chilis
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- black pepper, , to taste
- 1 (15 ounce) can of black beans,, rinsed and drained
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can of diced fire roasted tomatoes
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1/4 cup jarred salsa
- 1/2 cup rinsed quinoa
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- cilantro, , for garnish
Instructions
- Spray a large skillet generously with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot add in the diced onion and cook for about 2 minutes until it starts to soften. Add in the ground turkey and minced garlic and cook until the meat is almost cooked through, breaking it up into crumbles with a spoon as it cooks. Stir in all the spices and the diced green chiles, cooking for another minute. Add in the black beans, corn, fire roasted tomatoes, salsa and quinoa, stirring until everything is combined.
- When the mixture starts to bubble add in the water, cover the skillet with a lid and lower the heat to medium-low. Simmer for about 20-25 minutes or until the quinoa is cooked, it should still have a slight bite to it, but not be hard and crunchy.
- Sprinkle the shredded cheese on top and cover with the lid cooking until the cheese is melted. Serve as is, in tortillas for tacos, or on top of your favorite greens.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published by Danae of Recipe Runner in January 2016. It was updated with new process photos and tips in April 2021.
Add a bit of lime juice and a bit more chilli mix! Omg so great!! Would’ve been amazing without the lime juice, but I have a citrus obsession!
Made this for my husband tonight, he absolutely loved it! This is one of our go to’s for sure now, thanks so much for sharing this awesome recipe!!
Hi, Abby! I’m so glad to hear that you loved it.
I just made this tonight for dinner. It was awesome. I’m not a fan of tomatoes so I didn’t put as much as the recipe called for and I sliced some avocado so flavorful and filing. Loved it thanks can’t wait to try more of your recipes
I’m so glad to hear you loved it!
I am thinking of making for a friend (in a meal train) but need to drop off a day early for them. If you froze in a dish, how long/what temp would you use to reheat all the way through? THANKS! p.s. I have made before for my family, delish!! I didn’t have cilantro and it was still great, and I used pinto beans instead of black. Yum!
Hello! Great recipe! Quick question, do we add the quinoa cooked or uncooked?? Thanks!
Uncooked.
For the fireroasted tomatoes do we drain them or just pour it in as? Thank you
Hi, Ashleigh! You can just pour the tomatoes into the pan, no need to drain. Enjoy!
I just made this tonight and it was a HIT! Not only with my husband, but with both kids! Granted, I left the cheese out for the kids (because they “hate” it ugh) but otherwise, with the cheese it’s divine! It really was filling and although there was not much meat, it was a mouthful of goodness. Thanks for this new recipe which will be a staple in our house. I already told my husband I will make it for his mom when she visits in a couple weeks.
Hi, Jennifer! I am so glad to hear that you loved this recipe. It is a staple in our house too. I hope your mother-in-law loves it. Thanks for stopping by!
Is it just me, or is there no indication of when to add the salsa listed in the ingredients?
Hi, Lauren! Salsa is added in step 5. I fixed the recipe 🙂
Thanks! 🙂
Love this dish!!!
Do you know how many calories per serving by chance?
Made this for dinner tonight, but it wasn’t super flavorful so I added some of my own Mexican spices to it. Great concept though! Thanks for the recipe!