Turkey Taco Skillet – easy and healthy 30 minute meal cooked all in one pot!
For some reason, our baseball season starts so early here where I live. We’re already at the end of the season while many people are still in the middle. My 9 year old went to the championships and ended up losing but played pretty well. If you follow me on Instagram, you’d know that my oldest’s team won the championship game last night! Pretty exciting stuff around here!
I love having my boys play sports. I feel like playing a team sport is good for young kids in many ways. But I’m not gonna lie, it’s a lot of work as a mom! I feel like a taxi cab driver, dropping one of for practice at one park and the other at practice at another park and then dragging my two little guys around to the different parks to watch the games. Several times a week. It’s exhausting.
I think the hardest part is finding time to be able to cook a good meal. Some days, I had only like 30 minutes or less to make something up before we’d have to leave the house for the rest of the night. This Turkey Taco Skillet saved me on many nights. It’s been a staple of ours for awhile. It’s my aunt’s recipe that I adjusted to work for me. I had to share it with you!
It takes 30 minutes and uses only one pot (awesome!). Less time to prepare and less dishes to do! Most of the cooking time is just the pot sitting there with the lid closed so you can run around doing something else important. There’s no chopping or cutting up veggies. Just open a can of corn and salsa.
Seriously, it doesn’t get much easier than this. I feel like going through a drive-thru is harder work! 😉 Plus the flavor is awesome! It’s like tacos with a side of rice with your favorite taco toppings. Yum! Give this a try on those nights when you don’t want to cook, you’ll be pleasantly surprised!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- 1 pkg. taco seasoning
- 2 1/4 cups water
- 1 16-oz jar salsa (thick & chunky kind works best)
- 1 11-oz can corn with red & green bell peppers (Mexican corn)
- 2 cups instant brown rice
- toppings such as shredded cheese, cilantro, green onions, sour cream, tomato and lettuce
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium heat, cook and brown ground turkey, breaking meat up into small pieces.
- Stir in seasoning mix, water, salsa and corn. Bring to a boil. Stir in rice. Simmer on medium for 5 minutes. Cover with tight-fitting lid, and turn off heat (keep pot on burner). Let stand 15-20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
- Dish up into bowls and top with favorite toppings. Enjoy!
Andi @ The Weary Chef says
This looks delicious, Jen! I love how quick it is with the instant rice. I’ll keep this in mind for a quick dinner for sure. Sharing all over the place 🙂
Jen says
Thanks Andi! You’re the bestest friend a gal could ask for!! xo!
Kristine @ Kristine's Kitchen says
Only 30 minutes and one pot? Yippee! This looks awesome, Jen, and I know my family will love it. I look forward to making it soon! I love the short ingredient list, too!
Jenn@eatcakefordinner says
I love using ground turkey and brown rice. This sounds perfect!
Jen says
Thanks Jenn!!
Kim @ Hungry Healthy Girl says
Love easy recipes like this, especially when they have a Mexican twist!
Jen says
I know!! Perfect for Taco Tuesday, Kim! 😉
CJ says
Looks DELISH! One question, do you drain the corn or add that liquid? Thanks!
Jen says
Hi! The Mexican Corn is vacuum packed so there’s no liquid in it. So no need to drain, just pour the can in as is. You will love this dinner!
Gloria says
Do you cook the instant brown rice first? Or does it cook in the liquid in the other ingredients? This sounds so perfect for our lifestyle. Thanks
Jen says
Hi Gloria! The brown rice is uncooked when you add it to the pot and then cooks in the liquid. SO easy, you will love it!!
Sherri@The Well Floured Kitchen says
We have three more weeks of baseball around here, and soccer playoffs too! Seriously, why are all the games scheduled right during dinner? I can’t be home cooking and watching the game. This looks like a perfect dinner for those crazy nights. And I know everyone would love it- looks amazing!
Cathy@LemonTreeDwelling says
This looks delicious, Jen! Perfect for busy nights (which usually feels like every night!!)
Happy Home Fairy says
Making this tonight!!! Thank you!
Jen says
I can’t wait to hear how you like it!!
Glenn Sullivan says
This looks fantastic… but I already have normal brown rice. How could I modify it to use that instead of instant rice? My gut is to parcook the rice first, and then add it to the rest of the ingredients and let the “sauce” finish cooking it.
Suggestions?
Thanks!
Jen says
Hi! I would say exactly what your gut says – parcook the rice first and then add it in with the rest of the ingredients and let it finish cooking. Let me know how it turns out!
Sarah says
I made this last night and it was delicious and SO easy. Loved the flavors in it and it’s very versatile. You could serve as is w/ taco toppings, eat with tortilla chips, or wrap in a burrito shell! My husband liked that it was a one pot clean up. 🙂 Yum!
Jen says
YAY!! I’m so happy you liked it! It’s one of my favorite go-to meals! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a sweet comment, too. Means a lot to me! xo!
Rochelle says
Jen – thank you for posting this fantastic recipe. Once I saw that it had both ground turkey and brown rice, I knew I had to try it. Super easy to make and delicious, definitely a keeper recipe at our house.
Jen says
Oh yay! SO happy to hear that you liked it!!!
Joann Hughes says
Love this recipe! Thanks for posting and so happy I found it on Pinterest!
Jen says
Yay! I’m happy you found it on Pinterest too! I hope you enjoy it!
Tracie odom says
This has become a family favorite! I use black beans instead of corn and it’s still delicious! I enjoy having leftovers for lunches! Thanks!
Jen says
Yay! I’m thrilled you like it! I’ll have to try black beans next time!
Penny says
Fast, easy, and delicious! My family loved it! Will be including this in my weekly rotation. Thank you so much for sharing your awesome creation!
Jen says
So happy you and your family loved it, Penny!! You made my day!
Hermi says
Hi Jen – will this freeze ok?
Jen says
I’ve never tried freezing it but I bet it would be just fine!
Rana says
I loved this recipe. It was very easy to make. I used black bean salsa from aldi’s along with the Mexican corn….one word. Delicious?!!!!
Jen says
Yay!! I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for the comment!
Krystal says
Found this on Pinterest this afternoon & made it for dinner. I couldn’t find Mexican corn so I used plain canned corn instead – still delicious! It was a hit in this picky household & I can’t wait to share it with more people. Thanks for sharing with us!
Jen says
I’m so happy you all liked it!!! It’s one of our favorite dinner recipes! Thanks for the sweet comment!
Wendy says
Thank you so much for my new favorite recipe!!! Delicious and so easy!
I’m vegetarian so I used soy crumbles instead of turkey. I also added black beans and diced tomatoes. It is pure perfection!
Jen says
Oh great to know you can make this vegetarian! I’m so happy you liked it!
mila says
Wow! I am under 10 years old, and I made this simple recipe. It was amazing! I used it for a cooking competition, and won! It was all because of you!
Jen says
I am thrilled you won with this recipe!! Thank you so much for trusting it and giving it a try! I hope you’ll try some more on my site and keep up the cooking!
LINDA JAVOR says
I added some pinto beans, and a Spanish rice mix. easy and yummy!
Jen says
Thank you! So glad you liked them!
Benji says
My partner doesn’t like turkey, so I made it with organic free range ground beef! And it came out amazing! Great recipe, thank you!
Jen says
This is great to hear! Thanks for the comment!
Anita Braun says
I made this for dinner and it was success for the whole family and let me say thats really impossible. I have the pickiest husband and tow of three kids have different taste with my son having very high standards haha. This was quick, easy, not a lot of ingredients, which leads to low cost and delicious do I say more.
Krystal McDaniel says
Thanks for this recipe. It is one of my go-to’s!