Taco Meat Recipe

This Taco Meat Recipe is perfectly seasoned, deliciously moist, loaded with flavor and its super quick and easy to make. Its the best taco meat to use for tacos, taco bowls, taco salads, and more.

Our ground turkey taco meat is made with ground turkey, homemade taco seasoning, onion, garlic, soy sauce, olive oil and tomato sauce. 

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• Quick and Easy. This is a quick and easy recipe that you can pull together any night of the week. 
• Great Tasting. This turkey taco meat is perfectly seasoned and loaded with flavor! It is the best taco meat for making great tacos, taco bowls and taco salads.
• Simple Ingredients.  We use budget friendly ingredients for this simple recipe.

Best Tacos Meat Recipe Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need to make these perfectly seasoned ground turkey tacos…

• Ground Turkey.  Use 93% lean ground turkey. If you use 99% lean ground turkey, the meat will be dry.
• Olive Oil. We use extra-virgin olive oil to cook the turkey in. It also adds a little fat which makes the ground turkey moist and flavorful.
• Aromatics. We saute a little onion and galric (finely minced) to add to the meat, giving it a ton of flavor.
• Soy Sauce. We stir in a little soy sauce (2 teaspoons) into the sauteed onion and garlic which adds a nice flavor.
• Taco Seasoning.  We use our homemade taco seasoning for these tacos.
• Tomato Sauce. You’ll need 1 8-ounce can of low or no sodium tomato sauce.
• Water. We add just a few tablespoons to keep the meat moist.

Find printable recipe with measurements below.

How To Make Taco Meat

1. Saute Onion. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they turn soft and lightly golden. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. 
2. Add Soy Sauce. Stir in the soy sauce so all of the onion and garlic is lightly coated.
3. Add Meat. Add the ground turkey meat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir in with the onion and garlic. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the meat is partially cooked but still pink.
4. Add Seasoning and Sauce. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, remaining tablespoon of olive oil and homemade seasoning to the meat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Continue to break up the meat with the wooden spoon to your desired texture. If you like bigger pieces, then don’t break it apart too much.

Tips For Making The Best Taco Meat

1. If the meat starts to dry out, add 2-3 tablespoons water and another tablespoon olive oil. Ground beef has more fat than ground turkey, so we like to use olive oil to add fat, flavor and moisture to our ground turkey. We find that about 1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil added to the meat makes really moist and flavorful taco meat.
2. Cook over low heat so the meat doesn’t dry out.
3. Chop the onion very small (almost minced) and cook it until its tender so it blends in with the meat, adding flavor. We don’t want large or uncooked pieces of onion in our taco meat.
4. This is mild flavored taco meat, so add more chili powder (1/2 tablespoon more) if you want to add a little more flavor to the mix.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover turkey taco meat in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, the taco meat should last 2-3 days.

Serving Suggestions

• Tacos. Use this turkey taco meat to make ground turkey tacos.
• Taco Bowls. Add to taco bowls with rice, beans, pico de gallo and guacamole.
• Burritos. Stuff inside flour tortillas with cheese, rice and beans.
• Nachos. Scatter over tortilla chips with cheese and bake.

More Mexican Dinner Recipes

• Chicken Fajita Casserole
• White Bean Chicken Chili
• Caldo de Pollo
• Baked Chicken Fajita Quesadillas
• Chicken Taco Salad Bowl
• Mexican Shredded Chicken
• Taco Skillet

Continue to Content

Print

Yield: 4 Servings

Taco Meat Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

This Taco Meat Recipe is perfectly seasoned, deliciously moist, loaded with flavor and its super quick and easy to make. Its the best taco meat to use for tacos, taco bowls, taco salads, and more.

Ingredients

• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 8-ounce can tomato sauce (low or no sodium)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1-1/2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 teaspoons brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook until they turn soft and lightly golden. Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another minute. 
2. Stir in the soy sauce so all of the onion and garlic is lightly coated.
3. Add the ground turkey meat to the cooked onions, breaking it up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until the meat is partially cooked but still pink.
4. Stir in the tomato sauce, water, and homemade taco seasoning to the meat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for another 3-5 minutes. Continue to break up the meat with the wooden spoon to your desired texture. If you like bigger pieces, then don't break the meat apart too much. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil if the meat is drying out.

Notes

Tips For Making The Best Ground Turkey Taco Meat

1. If the meat starts to dry out, add 2-3 tablespoons water and another tablespoon olive oil. Ground beef has more fat than ground turkey, so we use olive oil to add fat and flavor to our ground turkey.
2. Cook over low heat so the meat doesn't dry out.
3. Chop the onion small (almost minced) and cook it until its tender so it blends in with the meat, adding flavor. We don't want large or uncooked pieces of onion in our taco meat.
4. This is mild flavored taco meat, so add more chili powder (1/2 tablespoon more) if you want to add more flavor to the mix.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 118mgSodium: 922mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 33g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.