This Ground Turkey and Rice Skillet is a delicious, full-flavored one-pan meal. Made with ground turkey, beans, corn, and taco spiced rice, it's a wholesome meal that totally fits into the grind of weeknight dinner.
One-pan dinners are the ultimate weeknight dinner hack (hello Homemade Hamburger Helper and Skillet Pizza Gnocchi). When I was developing this ground turkey and rice recipe, it was a goal to simplify the prep. While I initially considered adding diced onions, bell peppers, and garlic for flavor, I realized they would mean extra chopping. So, I swapped them for a chunky tomato salsa (or Aji would ba amazing). It effortlessly gives that same tasty kick without all the knife work!
The resulting Taco Turkey Rice Skillet is a hearty and comforting healthy-ish meal with lean ground meat, protein, and veggies with a lightly spiced (not spicy, but taco spice) taste.
This recipe also means minimal cleanup and minimal hands-on cooking, but yields maximum flavor!
So let's get to making it! You can jump around the article using the menu below, or you can head right to the bottom for the video or the complete recipe.
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Ingredients Needed and Substitutions
Here is a brief overview of the ingredients needed for this recipe. The full recipe with quantities is listed below this text in the recipe card. If substitutions are available for this recipe, they'll be listed here. If you don't see a substitution you are looking for, please leave a comment below.
- ground turkey (buy dark meat if you can)
- chunky tomato salsa (buy your favorite kind and just putting a plug in that this Colombian Aji salsa would be amazing here)
- spices: garlic powder, chili powder, dried oregano, cumin (or just substitute 1 tablespoon of your favorite taco seasoning)
- long-grain white rice (this can be made with brown rice, but the amount of water and cooking time will change and the rice package instructions should be followed for that--if you use another rice such as Jasmin or Basmati it also may change the liquid and cook time to try to stick with long-grain white rice)
- pinto beans (this can easily be substituted with whatever beans you have on hand)
- frozen corn (or fresh, or another veggie if you want!)
- chicken broth or water (chicken broth will obviously produce a more full-flavored end result, so use it if you have it)
- shredded cheese (use your favorite)
- coarse kosher salt (This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease the volume by half)
Step-By-Step Recipe Overview
This one-pan dish is as simple as adding ingredients to a large skillet and cooking them. No chopping or multiple dishes or pots are needed. Use a large skillet here (about 12 inches or so), preferably a heavy-bottomed one. But a non-stick one works too!
This is a quick visual overview of the steps needed to make this recipe. If you are looking for the full recipe, keep scrolling!
Step 1: Rinse the rice and set aside to drain.
Step 2: Cook the turkey until no pink remains.
Step 3: Add in salsa, salt, and spices, and cook until fragrant.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients (except cheese), bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook until rice is tender.
Step 5: Shut off the heat, sprinkle the top of the rice with the cheese
Step 6: Return the cover to the skillet, and let it sit for 5 minutes until the cheese is melted.
When the rice is finished, taste and adjust the seasoning. Add additional salt and lime juice (if needed) to really make the flavor pop.
Kelli's Quick Tips
The most common tricky part of making a one-pot rice dish is ensuring the rice is fully and evenly cooked through. Here are some quick tips to ensure success:
- Don't skip rinsing the rice. This step is important because it rinses all that starch off of the rice, making for a lighter and fluffier dish. Also make sure to drain it well after rinsing it.
- After adding the rice to the skillet, ensure that any stray pieces of rice on the sides of the skillet are moved down into the liquid so they cook through.
- Measure the water (and the rice) carefully to adhere to the correct water-to-rice ratio.
- Modulate the heat: Use medium-high heat to first bring the mixture up to a boil. Once it reaches boiling point, cover the skillet with a tight-fitting lid and lower the heat to a low setting. If your stove tends to have hot spots (like mine does), you can periodically rotate the skillet over the heat to make sure that the rice is cooked evenly.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
This rice dish can be reheated and even frozen for later use. To reheat, you can heat it in an oven-safe container. Glass Pyrex Containers are great for this as they can be used for both storage and baking. Alternatively, you can reheat it in the microwave for a short time until it is warmed through. It's best to add a few tablespoons of water to the dish when reheating it.
To freeze, place completely chilled rice in a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. It's best to consume within 1-2 months after freezing.
Watch the Video
More Turkey Recipes
- Weeknight Turkey Chili
- Italian Turkey Meatballs
- Turkey Pot Pie (recipe on my other website Everyday Pie)
- Turkey Hand Pies (recipe on my other website Everyday Pie)
More One Pot Recipes
Making the recipe? Be sure to leave a comment with a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review on your experience! Have a question? Leave a comment below and I’ll get back to you as quickly as I can!
PrintFull Recipe
Turkey Taco Rice Skillet
- Prep Time: 00:05
- Cook Time: 00:35
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4-6
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
Description
This Ground Turkey and Rice Skillet is a delicious, full-flavored one-pan meal. Made with ground turkey, beans, corn, and taco spiced rice, it's a wholesome meal that totally fits into the grind of weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup prepared chunky tomato salsa
- 1-½ teaspoons coarse kosher salt (see note)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1-½ cups long-grain white rice, rinsed well
- 1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 3 cups chicken broth or water
- 1 cup shredded cheddar or Mexican cheese
- Cilantro, for serving
- Fresh lime, for serving
- Additional salsa, for serving
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the ground turkey and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add the salsa, salt, garlic powder, chili powder, oregano, and cumin, and cook for 1 minute, until the spices are fragrant.
- Add the rice, beans, corn and chicken broth to the skillet and stir together until combined. Push any straw pieces of rice on the side of the skillet into the liquid.
- Bring the liquid up to a boil, then cover the skillet with a tight-fitting and lower the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Shut off the heat, sprinkle the top of the rice with the cheese, and return the cover to the skillet, and let it sit for 5 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork, taste, and adjust the seasoning. Serve with cilantro, fresh lime wedges, and additional salsa, if desired.
Notes
This recipe was tested using Diamond Crystal coarse kosher salt. If you use Morton's kosher salt or fine salt, decrease volume by half.
Kate
Talk about easy and delicious! Hubby was obsessed and I can't wait to have it again for lunch. Next time I'll add a little heat maybe in the salsa or with a bit of cayenne. Put this on your must-make list!
Sally
Easy and delicious, this is a great meal made with pantry ingredients. A big hit at our house, highly recommended when you need to get dinner on the table in a hurry. Sure to be a crowd pleaser!
Calyn
So easy and so delicious!!! This is going to be a go to recipe for sure. I added a can of black beans to it as well and topped with plain Greek yogurt. Loved it!
Ana
Really yummy and easy to pull together with a toddler running around!
Nana
So flavorful and filling! Could this be frozen and reheated? If so, would you recommend defrosting first or reheating from frozen? What temp?
Kelli Avila
So glad you liked it! Here are the instructions: To freeze, place completely chilled rice in a freezer-safe container with a tight-fitting lid. It's best to use within 1-2 months after freezing. To reheat let it defrost overnight and then reheat in a oven, toaster oven or microwave until warmed through.
Denise
First time doing recipe. Followed to the letter but rice wasn't done. What did I do wrong ?
Kristen
Nutritional info??
Kelli Avila
I'm sorry, I don't have that information on my website.
Joy Fisher
just made this and very pleased with the result. I'm 83 and love trying new rice and pasta dishes, very good.
Andrea
Very good and I will make it again but next time I’ll use only 1 cup of rice. Ratio of rice to meat and spices using recipe as written is off for my taste, too much rice.
Cherise
Mine turned out a bit watery, how can I fix that? ): otherwise amazing recipe
Kelli Avila
What type of rice did you use? Letting it gently cook for a few extra minutes with the lid off to help some of the liquid steam off could help. Can also reduce the liquid slightly if you make it with the same rice again.