Turkey Taco Salad

I love taco salads! They're flavorful, filling, and they can be very healthy. The key is including lots of vegetables and using the salsa as a salad dressing. Satisfy your taco craving with this zesty salad!

A word about peppers: Poblano and pasilla peppers are often confused for one another. They vary in heat from mild to hot. The jalapeño pepper is hot! (In my opinion) It's the SEEDS contain most of the heat, so be carefully when cutting all of the peppers, especially the jalapeño. If you're sensitive to spicy foods, try to avoid touching the seeds, and be sure to wash your hands after handling the peppers. You can control the amount of heat you want in your taco salad by the amount of seeds you choose to include: 

- Include all of the seeds for a lot of spice

- Include some seeds for a little spice

- Don't include any seeds if you don't want your salad to be spicy at all.  

Turkey Taco Salad

Yield: 4 servings

1 lb ground turkey

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 Poblano or Pasilla pepper, diced

2 jalapeño peppers, diced

1 medium onion, diced

1 packet taco seasoning mix

1 can black beans (15oz), drained

4 cups lettuce, chopped

Toppings:

1 cup shredded cheese

2 tomatoes, chopped 

2 green onions, diced 

1 avocado, chopped

1 cup salsa

chips  

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add pasilla peppers, onion, and jalapeño. Cook, stirring frequently, for about 4 minutes. Add ground turkey and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until turkey is fully cooked. Add beans, taco seasoning packet and 1/2 cup of water. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. 

Make each salad by spreading a cup of lettuce on a plate, some of the turkey-bean mixture, tomatoes, cheese, green onions, avocado, and salsa. Serve with a few chips...but don't get crazy...it's not nachos, it's a salad ;)

Take it to the next level by topping your salad with a few sliced olives, some freshly chopped cilantro, and a dollop of sour cream!

Please share your Comments about this recipe in the section below!