Baked Crispy Ground Turkey Tacos with Quick Slaw
Crispy Ground Turkey Tacos with Quick Slaw are perfect for busy weeknights. Easy to prep, fast to make, and a wonderfully appetizing twist on the classic taco.
Crispy Turkey Taco Recipe is Healthy + Delicious
Taco night just got a healthy upgrade with this delicious and nutritious twist on a classic. Baked Crispy Ground Turkey Tacos with Quick Slaw is easy, flavorful and will become a family favorite.
With the combination of perfectly seasoned ground turkey, melty cheese, tangy slaw made with fresh ingredients, and a bright lime crema, you’ll get a meal that’s as good for you as it is yummy. Plus, it only takes about 35 minutes to make!
So, round up the troops and give everyone a new reason to celebrate Taco Tuesday with these tacos that are savory, fresh, crispy and popping with all kinds of flavors and textures!
Gather Your Ingredients for Healthy Turkey Tacos
- Lean ground turkey — 94% lean has just enough fat content to keep these moist and flavorful.
- Taco seasoning — I use my Low Sodium Homemade Taco Seasoning (a blend of chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin, oregano + a touch of sugar), but store-bought is fine.
- Diced green chiles — mild or spicy, your choice. This boosts the flavor of the ground turkey meat.
- White corn tortillas — I like these because they seem to be more tender and pliable; a helpful quality when folding them.
- Monterey Jack cheese — feel free to use pepper jack, cheddar, or any other cheese that melts well. This will act as a glue between the tortillas and taco meat to help them stay folded while baking.
- Cole slaw mix — a convenient ingredient, bagged slaw reduces the amount of prep. Feel free to shred your own blend of cabbage and carrots if you like.
- Fresh cilantro + green onions — for additional layers of flavor in the slaw.
- Lime juice + apple cider vinegar — lime is used in the crema and along with the vinegar to make a dressing for the slaw.
- Light sour cream — combined with lime juice and some of the taco seasoning, this turns into a crema for your tacos.
How To Make Crispy Turkey Tacos
- Cook the ground turkey — brown the meat in a touch of avocado oil (olive oil or vegetable oil is fine, too) in a large skillet set over medium-high heat using a wooden spoon to break the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the taco seasoning, green chiles and some water. Simmer until cooked through and the most of the water has evaporated.
- Make the crema — while the ground turkey taco meat is simmering, whisk together the ingredients for the crema.
- Warm the tortillas — Brush one side of the tortillas lightly with oil and space them out on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for a couple of minutes just to soften.
- Fill the tortillas — Remove the tortillas from the oven and sprinkle with cheese, then add the taco meat. Fold each tortilla in half, then return the sheet pan to the oven to crisp up and melt the cheese.
- Make the slaw — while the tacos bake, combine all the slaw ingredients in a medium bowl, seasoning with salt + pepper to taste.
- Finish assembly — Allow the tacos to cool for a minute or two, then gently stuff each with some slaw and a drizzle of crema!
Substitutions to Customize Your Tacos
Make ground chicken or ground beef tacos (lean, grass-fed ground beef would be scrummy).
Use an equal amount of your favorite fresh salsa or tomato sauce, or 2 tbsp of tomato paste. You could also brown some diced onions in the skillet along with the meat.
Swap in a quarter cup chicken broth (I recommend a low-sodium variety).
Use flour tortillas for a pillowy, crispy shell.
Use greek yogurt for a similarly refreshing crema.
Storing + Reheating Leftover Tacos
Only add slaw to the tacos you intend to enjoy right away. To save leftovers, place tacos, slaw + crema in separate airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Reheat tacos in a 350°F oven or toaster oven until warmed through and crispy again.
What to Serve With Your Tasty Ground Turkey Tacos
Include even more of your favorite toppings as garnishes, like hot sauce, pico de gallo, fresh cilantro, and provide a few wedges of lime.
Side dishes that are perfect for these tacos include Mexican Black Beans, Easy Refried Beans, or Cilantro Lime Brown Rice.
What to Sip with Dinner
There are so many excellent choices! How about a classic lime or frozen margarita? Or, try a Paloma cocktail for a different take on tequila. A light and crisp Mexican beer would hit the spot, too.
Wanna go alcohol-free? Blueberry Hibiscus Lemonade or an agua fresca bring fruity and refreshing flavors to the party!
When to Make This Recipe
This quick recipe is perfect for an easy weeknight dinner! But, double the recipe and you’ve got a great way to feed guests on game day, Cinco de Mayo, or anytime you need a fun last minute meal for entertaining.
More Ground Turkey Recipes To Try!
- Tachos (potato tot nachos)
- Spicy White Bean Turkey Pumpkin Chili
- Fall Harvest Turkey Burgers with Figgy Dijonnaise
- Cast Iron Meatballs
- Vietnamese Meatball Appetizer
Baked Crispy Ground Turkey Tacos with Quick Slaw
Equipment
Ingredients
For the tacos:
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil, (or olive or vegetable oil) plus a little extra for brushing on tortillas
- 1 pound 94% lean ground turkey
- 2½ tablespoon Homemade Low Sodium Taco Seasoning, or store-bought (see note 1)
- 4 ounce diced green chiles, (1 small can)
- ¼ cup water, or low-sodium chicken broth (this will change the nutrition facts)
- 10 white corn tortillas
- 4 ounce monterey jack cheese, shredded off the block
For the crema:
- 6 tablespoon light sour cream
- 1 tablespoon lime juice, (see note 2)
- 1½ teaspoon Homemade Low Sodium Taco Seasoning, or store-bought
For the Slaw:
- 3 cups cole slaw mix
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 tablespoon green onions, sliced
- kosher salt + fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425°F.
- Heat 1 tsp of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey to brown. Break it up with a spoon as it cooks. When there is just a little pink is left, turn the heat down to medium-low. Add the taco seasoning, diced green chiles, and 1/4 cup of water. Simmer, uncovered, for about 5 minutes, until most of the water has evaporate, but the meat still looks moist.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the crema ingredients in a small bowl and refrigerate until it's time to serve.
- Brush one side of the corn tortillas with a light coating of oil and place them oiled-side down on a parchment lined sheet pan. Pop them in the oven for 2 minutes to soften. Take them out and distribute the cheese across the tortillas, then top with taco meat. Fold the tortillas in half and return them to the oven for another 15 minutes. (Feel free to flip them over halfway through for even crisping.)
- While the tacos bake, combine the slaw ingredients in a medium bowl, seasoning with salt + pepper to taste.
- Stuff each taco with slaw and drizzle with crema.
Notes
- If using store-bought taco seasoning packets, you will need (1) 1-oz. envelope.
- You’ll need (1) juicy lime to get the 2 tbsp of lime juice needed for the entire recipe. Add another lime if you want to serve lime wedges on the side.
- Storing + reheating: only add slaw to the tacos you intend to enjoy right away. To save leftovers, place tacos, slaw + crema in separate airtight containers and store in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat tacos in a 350°F oven or toaster oven until warmed through and crispy again.
- Please reference the full blog post for ingredient substitutions.
Nutrition
Pin for Later! Baked Crispy Ground Turkey Tacos
