On a recent trip to Arizona, I was inspired by my sister when I learned that she makes turkey tacos instead of beef or chicken. Unfortunately, I tend to give turkey a hard time because although it can be good, it never sounds delicious to me.
Back when we were first newlyweds, and neither of us knew how to cook, my husband decided to make a crockpot recipe called “Tastes Like Turkey” that contained, among other things, ground beef, peas of some kind, and a whole lot of ground black pepper. It was NOT a hit! And why would you disguise ground beef as a turkey dish?
Surprisingly Good Turkey Tacos
My goal generally is to find recipes to substitute turkey for beef and have it taste good. Based on my sisters’ example and a bit of creativity, I was motivated to play around with some ground turkey, spices, and half of a lager beer donated for this good cause. I love tacos, but I don’t love all of the preservatives and potential MSG in them, so this recipe is super easy and a flavorful alternative to the packaged packets. And even if you aren’t a fan of alcohol, it will cook down in this recipe, and it adds incredible moisture and depth of flavour, so don’t skip it, or your results will not be nearly as delicious!
I think I will be making all of our tacos with turkey from now on! My hungry husband came home from work and ate 1/2 of the meat mixture directly out of the pan before I even had time to plate some turkey tacos! Next time I will make a double batch and keep my wooden spoon handy to prevent poaching!
5 Steps To Delicious Turkey Tacos
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 whole onion - diced
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 pound ground turkey (minced turkey) - crumbled
½ bottle beer
¾ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Add oil to a saute pan on medium-low heat and saute the onion until soft (about 5 -10 minutes).
- Add in garlic and saute for about 30 seconds until just becoming fragrant.
- Crumble the ground turkey and cook for several minutes until lightly brown and cooked (about 5 minutes), breaking it into smaller taco sized bits as you stir.
- Pour in ½ bottle of beer and add spices. Cook until the beer has reduced down and there is just a small amount of liquid in the pan.
- Serve as tacos in a tortilla with toppings of your choice, or create a taco salad by putting meat on a bed of shredded romaine and adding desired toppings. Enjoy!
