Turkey Taco Salad

Turkey Taco Salad features ground turkey cooked with veggies, taco seasoning, and salsa, served over lettuce, topped with taco salad favorites, and drizzled with a creamy cilantro dressing.

Love cooking with ground turkey? Try these Green Chile Ground Turkey, Ground Turkey Bowls, or this Asian Ground Turkey next!

Nutritious Turkey Taco Salad

Mix ground turkey with tons of healthy ingredients — plenty of vegetables, seasonings, beans, and salsa– and you’ve created an unforgettable salad. Add in your other taco salad favorites (mine are Cheddar cheese, tortilla strips, lots of avocado, fresh lime, and plenty of cilantro), drizzle with an easy 5-minute blender dressing that is amazing, and you are on your way to one of the best ever taco salads! 

Turkey Taco Salad toppers

• Taco turkey meat: Cook the ground turkey with diced onion, pepper, and garlic to infuse lots of flavor. We also add in a packet of taco seasoning or a homemade taco seasoning blend (see below).
• Beans: Black beans, dark red kidney beans, or chili beans all taste great in this salad.
• Salsa: Stir in either salsa or picante sauce with the ground turkey and bean mixture. The salsa ensures plenty of flavor and seasoning, as well as moisture for the ground turkey.
• Cherry tomatoes: Quarter or halve cherry tomatoes for a juicy, sweet topping. I like using heirloom cherry tomatoes for even more flavor and variety.
• Red onion: If you like raw red onion in a taco salad, use that instead of the yellow onion called for in the recipe. Use half of the red onion in the ground turkey mixture (instead of the yellow onion) and use the rest to top the salad.
• Avocado: A ripe, thinly sliced or chopped avocado adds a nice creaminess to the salad. A big scoop of guacamole is a great alternative.
• Cheddar cheese: We love a handful of freshly grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese to the salad. A light sprinkle of cotija cheese or queso cotija would also be delicious.
• Tortilla strips: Either homemade or store-bought tortilla strips add a nice crunch and if they’re seasoned, a nice additional flavor to the salad.
• Fresh lime: We love a few squeezes of fresh lime over everything; it adds freshness and brightness to the salad.
• More cilantro: Use full leaves or chop up some leftover cilantro (from the dressing) to add to this salad. Alternatively, thinly sliced scallions or green onions would work well.
• Corn: Frozen (and thawed) corn or corn cut off the cob makes another fun addition to Turkey Taco Salad. 

Homemade taco seasoning

To keep the prep on this chicken taco salad easier, I use a packet of taco seasoning for the ground turkey. If I’ve got extra time I’ll whip up a quick taco seasoning (and honestly, there is no comparison between homemade vs. packet!).

Here’s the recipe for that:

• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon beef bouillon powder (optional)

Stir the seasonings together and use in place of the taco seasoning packet when cooking the ground turkey.

Creamy Cilantro Dressing

We’re obsessed with this dressing and use it often! It’s the perfect complement to Turkey Taco Salad. A few notes on the dressing:

• I recommend making it in advance so it has a chance to chill. The flavors intensify and meld together as this dressing chills.
• Don’t forget to season: The ranch seasoning adds a good amount of salt, but make sure to test the dressing and see if it needs any more.
• Taste and adjust: While we’re talking about seasoning this dressing, don’t forget to taste and adjust the dressing to personal preference. I’ll often add in more cilantro since we love it.
• If you don’t have buttermilk, use sour cream instead. Low-fat or fat-free sour cream works great.

Turkey Taco Salad Tips

• Roll the romaine lettuce into thin cigars and thinly slice. Chop the thin slices to get thin, short ribbons of lettuce. This gives the lettuce more surface area for the dressing to coat and makes the salad easier to eat.
• Wash lettuce and make sure to dry thoroughly. There’s nothing that ruins a salad quicker than wet lettuce! Use a salad spinner, if you have one, to ensure the lettuce is 100% dry before adding anything else.
• Use a ripe avocado — it makes all the difference in adding a creamy element to this turkey taco salad. How to test if an avocado is ripe: If an avocado yields to firm gentle pressure (shouldn’t give in too easily) you know it’s ripe and ready to eat.

Turkey Taco Salad leftovers

Once dressed, this salad doesn’t store well, because the dressing makes the lettuce and other ingredients soggy. I’d recommend only dressing what you will enjoy the same day. Store the dressing and salad separately. You’ll also want to store the avocado separately since it has a tendency to brown and change texture.

One of our favorite ways to re-purpose these leftovers is in a wrap. Warm a large tortilla and layer in the (re-heated) turkey taco filling. Top it with cheese, shredded lettuce, and plenty of the sauce. Roll it up and enjoy!

Make ahead

The components for this turkey taco salad can all be prepared ahead of time and then assembled just before serving. Store the dressing in a covered container in the fridge and shake (or stir) before tossing with the salad. Slice the avocado right before serving.

More Delicious Salad Recipes

• BBQ Chicken Salad with a creamy cilantro dressing
• Strawberry Avocado Salad with a creamy poppyseed dressing
• Beet and Goat Cheese Salad with a balsamic vinaigrette
• Panzanella Salad toasted bread salad
• Fruit Salad Recipe with a citrus vinaigrette

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5 from 3 votes

Turkey Taco Salad

By Chelsea Lords

Turkey Taco Salad is made with seasoned ground turkey, veggies, and salsa, all piled on lettuce and topped with your favorite taco fixings and a creamy cilantro dressing!

Prep Time: 35 minutes minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 large salads

Equipment

• Blender
• Large pan

Ingredients 

USMetric

 

1x2x3x

Salad

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup yellow onion diced, 1/2 large onion, see note 1
• ▢ 1 cup diced sweet bell peppers 2 small or 1 large
• ▢ 2 teaspooons minced garlic
• ▢ 1 pound lean ground turkey
• ▢ 1 packet taco seasoning see note 2
• ▢ 1 cup salsa or picante sauce
• ▢ 1 (15-ounce) can chili beans in mild sauce or black beans or kidney beans; leave chili beans undrained; kidney/black beans need to be rinsed and drained
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 8 cups chopped romaine lettuce washed and dried completely
• ▢ 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves
• ▢ Toppings as desired see note 3

Dressing (see note 4)

• ▢ 1 large lime
• ▢ 2 tablespoons traditional ranch seasoning mix not prepared
• ▢ 1/2 to 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 garlic clove
• ▢ 1 tomatillo 1/2 cup, husk removed and coarsely chopped
• ▢ 1/2 of 1 bunch fresh cilantro 1/2 cup, tightly packed
• ▢ 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped jalapeño
• ▢ 1/2 cup mayo
• ▢ 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
• ▢ Salt and pepper

Instructions 

• Zest and juice lime to get 1/2 teaspoon zest and 2 and 1/2 tablespoons juice. Add to a blender along with dry ranch seasoning mix, minced garlic, chopped tomatillo, and cilantro (I take a large bunch, separate it in half, and twist to rip out half (stems are fine!), jalapeno, mayo, and buttermilk. Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend until completely smooth. Taste and adjust to personal preference (more lime, cilantro, garlic, salt/pepper). Chill in the fridge to allow flavors to meld and intensify while making the salad.
• In a large pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil. Once oil is shimmering, add diced onion, diced pepper, and garlic. Stir occasionally for 5–7 minutes or until tender; reduce heat if anything is burning. Add ground turkey and taco seasoning and cook another 5–7 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink, breaking up turkey as you cook. Stir in salsa and beans and heat through. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid and remove from heat.
• Divide lettuce evenly among plates or bowls or one large salad plate. Add fresh cilantro. Top with the taco turkey mixture and add your favorite toppings! I suggest freshly grated Cheddar cheese, avocado, lime, chopped tomatoes, and tortilla strips. Drizzle the dressing over the salads and enjoy immediately. Do not assemble any salads that won’t be enjoyed immediately; if you want leftovers, store lettuce, taco meat, and toppings separately.

Video

Recipe Notes

Note 1: You can use red onion instead of the yellow onion called for in the recipe. Use half the red onion in the ground turkey mixture and the rest to top the salad.

Note 2: To make your own taco seasoning, combine the following spices:

• 1 tablespoon ground chili powder
• 1 teaspoon each: ground cumin, ground paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon each: onion powder, garlic powder, dried oregano, salt, and pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon beef bouillon powder (optional)

Note 3: Try some of these optional toppings: 1 cup chopped or halved cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup freshly grated sharp Cheddar cheese, fresh lime juice, fresh cilantro, 1 large ripe avocado (chopped or thinly sliced), 1/4th of 1 red onion thinly sliced, and tortilla strips.

Note 4: This dressing is likely more than you’ll use on the salad (unless you’re a huge dressing lover). While you can halve the recipe, I like to always have more just in case. Add dressing to salad plates slowly and to personal preference. Leftover dressing will stay in the fridge for up to a week and goes well with veggies or on other salads.

Nutrition Note: Nutrition information for this salad varies widely, depending on your toppings, the amount of toppings, how much dressing, etc. I recommend adding your customized salad to My Fitness Pal®. The nutrition label I’ve included is only for the base salad ingredients and does not include additional toppings.

Storage: I recommend only dressing what you will enjoy the same day because the dressing makes the salad soggy over time. Store all ingredients separately, then assemble before enjoying. One of my favorite ways to re-purpose these leftovers is in a wrap!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 359kcal | Carbohydrates: 11.9g | Protein: 20.4g | Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 70.5mg | Sodium: 699.7mg | Fiber: 3.3g | Sugar: 5.6g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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