Ground Turkey Tacos Recipe | Buns In My Oven (2024)

FAQs

How long does it take to cook ground turkey? ›

If necessary, drain any excess fat and return the meat to the pan. Typically with ground turkey you don't have to do this step like you would with ground beef. Reduce the heat to medium-low, add the black beans, taco seasoning, salsa, lime juice, hot sauce, and water.

Plan for about 2 tablespoons of taco seasoning per pound of meat. To season ground meat tacos, first sauté the meat until it loses its pinkish color. Then sprinkle with taco seasoning and stir to combine.

Raw turkey meat should be light pink or beige, depending on the type of meat and its fat content. The meat color becomes dull as time passes, which is normal. However, if the meat has a brown, gray or yellow or green hue, you will want to part ways with it.

Don't overcook your ground turkey and it will stay moist. It should take no more than 15 minutes to cook. Anything beyond that will dry it out.

Before you start cooking, be sure to season the ground turkey well with salt and pepper. Also consider including dried herbs and spices for additional flavor. If you're cooking meatballs or meatloaf, pinch off some of the seasoned mixture and cook it in a skillet to taste. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

Your ground turkey will need about 14-16 minutes in total to cook. It will be cooked when it is all browned evenly, juices run clear and when your thermometer is at least 165 degrees F.

Lower-calorie taco meat? Turkey. Generally speaking, ground turkey is leaner than standard ground beef, a nutritional advantage, especially when it comes to heart health.

For meatballs and Italian-inspired recipes, you can't go wrong with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and oregano. If you're making a taco, lift the flavor of your ground turkey with ground cumin or taco seasoning.

What can you add to ground turkey to make it stick together? ›

Try adding some dry breadcrumbs to the turkey mixture before you shape the patties.

The number one reason why people end up with bland tacos is because the meat wasn't seasoned properly. Luckily, that isn't an issue with this dish. However, if you find that your tacos aren't spicy enough for your liking, feel free to adjust the seasoning as needed or add a few shakes of your favorite hot sauce.

As the water evaporates away, you wonder, hey, what does that water really do, and is it necessary? Turns out it's essential for giving the proper consistency to the taco meat because those seasoning mixes contain cornstarch, which requires water and heat to create a sauce.

Crumble the ground chuck into a large skillet over medium heat. Cook, stirring, until browned. Remove from heat, rinse meat with hot water, and drain water and grease from beef. Return meat to skillet, and pour in seasoning.

Your ground turkey will need about 14-16 minutes in total to cook. It will be cooked when it is all browned evenly, juices run clear and when your thermometer is at least 165 degrees F.

A 3.5-ounce turkey burger cooks in 3 to 4 minutes per side; a beef patty cooks in 6 to 8 minutes per side. In a microwave oven on full power, a pound of ground turkey cooks in just 5 to 6 minutes. On the other hand, ground turkey, unlike beef, should never be served rare.

Even 93 percent lean ground turkey—often the fattiest preground turkey you can buy—can still taste too lean and can easily dry out during cooking. To temper those effects, we added 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the meat, along with a panade of milk and panko.