Turkey Taco Rice Skillet

This Turkey Taco Rice Skillet is a delicious, full-flavored one-pan meal. Ground turkey, beans, corn, and lightly spiced rice make this a wholesome meal that totally fits into the grind of weeknight dinner.

Taco Rice Skillet with Ground Turkey

One-pan dinners are the ultimate weeknight dinner hack. When I was developing this Skillet Turkey Taco, I paid particular attention to the prep that needed to go into making this meal. Originally, I had thought about adding onions, bell peppers, and garlic for the flavor, but that meant more prep time in the form of chopping and dicing. Instead, this recipe calls for a chunky tomato salsa that easily provides onions, garlic, and diced tomatoes! This adds flavor without the need for a lot of knife work.

The resulting dish 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! The text below offers some tips for making it, or you can scroll down to the bottom for the complete recipe.

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, feel free to leave a comment below.

• ground turkey (buy dark meat if you can)
• chunky tomato salsa
• 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 cook time will change and the rice package instructions should be followed for that)
• 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)

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Kitchen Tools Needed to Make Skillet Turkey Taco Rice

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!

Oh, and you'll need a strainer to rinse your uncooked rice before adding it to the pan. Rinsing the rice is essential to get rid of excess starch, and it's not recommended to skip it.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

This rice dish reheats nicely, and I’ve even frozen leftovers successfully. To reheat, you can heat it in an oven-safe container. I love using Glass Pyrex Containers because they double as storage and baking dishes. Or, you can reheat briefly in the microwave until 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 use within 1-2 months after freezing.

How to Make Turkey Taco Rice Skillet

More Easy Dinner Recipes

• Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
• Weeknight Turkey Chili
• Italian Turkey Meatballs

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!

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