Crispy Oven Baked Ground Turkey Tacos

When dinner needs to be on the table ASAP, these oven baked ground turkey tacos are it. They come together in under 30 minutes, and most of that time is hands off while the oven does the heavy work. Flavorful ground turkey mixed with corn, black beans, Mexican cheese all nestled into flour tortillas, baked until melty and crisp on the outside. An easy weeknight win that keeps everyone happy.

Whether it's making Italian baked turkey meatballs or a hearty slow cooker turkey chili, I love using ground turkey as a protein in my dishes. It's versatile, easy to cook, and takes out that overly fatty flavor of traditional ground beef (although, my beef and bean chili is pretty amazing, too).

Trusted Taco Tips and Reminders

1. Drain the liquid from the black beans and the corn as much as possible to alleviate the ground turkey mixture from becoming too thin.
2. Ground turkey dries out fast, especially since it's lean. Cook it just until it's barely done on the stove as it will bake and cook more when it goes into the oven That way it stays juicy instead of dry.
3. Add a first layer of cheese on the tortilla before the turkey filling. This creates a melty barrier between the tortilla and the filling, which helps prevent soggy bottoms. Plus, that bottom layer of cheese gets perfectly gooey and slightly crispy at the edges.
4. Remember to press the other half of the tortilla down on the filled side so that it does not puff up and open as it bakes.

The Main Ingredients

1. Ground turkey: A lean, protein-packed base that soaks up all the seasoning and stays juicy in the oven.
2. Taco seasoning: The flavor brings smoky, savory, slightly spicy vibes without needing a whole spice cabinet.
3. Corn: Adds a little pop of sweetness and texture that balance the turkey and make every bite more interesting.
4. Black beans: Bulks up the filling, adds fiber and creaminess, and stretches the recipe in the best budget-friendly way.
5. Mexican cheese: Melts into everything as it bakes, helping bind the filling together while giving you that gooey, golden top.
6. Tortillas: The vessel that holds it all together, getting lightly crisp around the edges in the oven while staying soft enough to fold and devour.

Recipe Swaps and Substitutions

• Swap out the ground turkey for any other protein like ground beef, ground chicken, tofu, chorizo, or sausage.
• Use a dairy-free cheese if you do not eat dairy
• I have not tested this recipe with a corn tortilla, but a gluten-free or whole wheat tortilla would work instead of the traditional flour tortilla.

How to make baked turkey tacos

Step 1: Preheat oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add ground turkey and cook, breaking it up, until almost fully cooked (about 6-8 minutes). Sprinkle in taco seasoning and pour in the corn and black beans. Stir well and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat.

Step 2: Warm tortillas briefly so they're flexible. Add a pinch of cheese to the tortilla, then 2-3 scoops of the turkey mixture into each tortilla. Top with an additional layer of cheese, and gently fold, pressing down to keep the tortilla from opening up.

Step 3: Arrange tacos on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-6 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortillas are heated through.

Ground Turkey Tacos FAQs

Check out these other great turkey recipes

Crispy Oven Baked Ground Turkey Tacos

Morgan Peaceman

These oven baked ground turkey tacos are packed with corn, black beans, taco seasoning, mexican cheese and baked until crispy perfection.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, dinner

Cuisine Mexican

Servings 4 servings

Calories 482 kcal

Equipment

• ▢
  sheet pan
• ▢
  large frying pan or skillet

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 lb ground turkey
• ▢ 2 tablespoon Taco seasoning
• ▢ ½ can Corn
• ▢ ½ can Black beans
• ▢ 1 cup mexican cheese
• ▢ 8 tortillas

Instructions

 

• Preheat oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
• Add ground turkey and cook, breaking it up, until almost fully cooked (about 6-8 minutes).
• Sprinkle in taco seasoning and pour in the corn and black beans. Stir well and simmer for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat.
• Warm tortillas briefly so they're flexible. Add a pinch of cheese to the tortilla, then 2-3 scoops of the turkey mixture into each tortilla.
• Top with an additional layer of cheese, and gently fold, pressing down to keep the tortilla from opening up.
• Arrange tacos on the baking sheet. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 10 minutes.
• Remove foil and bake an additional 5-6 minutes, until cheese is melted and tortillas are heated through.

Notes

Drain the liquid from the black beans and the corn as much as possible to alleviate the ground turkey mixture from becoming too thin.

Ground turkey dries out fast, especially since it’s lean. Cook it just until it’s barely done on the stove as it will bake and cook more when it goes into the oven That way it stays juicy instead of dry.

Add a first layer of cheese on the tortilla before the turkey filling. This creates a melty barrier between the tortilla and the filling, which helps prevent soggy bottoms. Plus, that bottom layer of cheese gets perfectly gooey and slightly crispy at the edges.

Remember to press the other half of the tortilla down on the filled side so that it does not puff up and open as it bakes.

Nutrition

Calories: 482kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 43gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 80mgSodium: 818mgPotassium: 658mgFiber: 6gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 446IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 423mgIron: 4mg

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