I hope you guys had an AMAAAZZZINNNGGGG 4th of July! Ours was filled with lots of red, white, and blue clothes, carnival games and food, amazing fireworks, a few beers, and – unfortunately – sunburns.
‘Muuuurrriiccaaaaaa.
So…this Taco Skillet.
There are so. many. things. I want to say about this dish…first of all, it is probably in my top three favorite things I’ve ever put on The Garlic Diaries, if not my #1.
You guys…it…is…so…so…sooooooo GOOD!!! You have to make it to just experience the amazing delicious flavor bomb that is this taco skillet.
And you know what’s awesome? It’s healthy (and gluten free)! Yes it has 1 1/2 cups of cheese – but there are five to six servings in this dish, so that’s just a little over 1/4 cup per serving. And you can absolutely cut the amount cheese down if you want to make it even healthier!
So apart from the cheese, it’s all brown rice, black beans, ground turkey, and veggies.
PEOPLE!! I love love love healthy meals that taste like you are indulging in a 1,000 calorie cheat meal. And this is the epitome of that.
Here’s another awesome thing about it – it’s juuuust about a one pot meal. The rice is cooked separately but other than that everything is cooked in the same skillet which helps build so many layers of amazing, delicious, flavor.
This dish is 100% about that: layering flavor. We start with the ground turkey and season that with delicious Mexican spices, transfer that to a plate, do the same thing with the veggies, transfer that to the same plate, simmer some beans, and then add everything back into the skillet. Now there is this delicious, flavorful, skillet full of meat, beans, and veggies, that is just begging to be mixed with rice, cheese, and chicken stock and baked until bubbly, melty, gooey, and perfect.
IT IS SO GOOD!!!!!!!! I love it. You could say it is the love of my life. This Taco Skillet is my love language. Too much?
Whatevs. I speak truth.
Okay but now I have to tell you about the tragic part of this recipe…I made everything, assembled everything, tasted everything, and was SO pumped because I could tell it was going to be aaa-maaayy-zingg, let it bake for 15 minutes, took it out, and then did something stupid.
I was staging everything to photograph the food, and I reached up to tilt the skillet a little bit in another direction, forgetting the fact that the entire pan had just come out of a VERY hot oven.
It took a good few seconds for my brain to be like…hey…you’re grabbing something pretty freaking hot right now with your entire hand.
And then I and ran into the other room, attempting to tell Seth what happened while jumping up and down, screaming, and holding my hand.
So theeeen the rest of my night was pretty horrible. It’s the worst burn I’ve ever had. And it was proooobably the worst pain I’ve ever experienced. Burns are seriously the worst! They just don’t stop hurting…for hours and hours and hours the pain does not ebb AT ALL.
And the worst part was that I hadn’t photographed the food yet. And I wasn’t about to let this delicious-already-garnished-staged-and-decorated meal go un-photographed. So I had to photograph everything while in excruciating pain. I would take two pictures and then have to put my hand on ice for like thirty seconds.
It. Was. Horrible. I sat with my hand under the faucet for like an hour and then moved to the couch with an ice pack after taking an absurd amount of ibuprofen and acetaminophen (sorry, liver), which seemed to help slightly. The ice pack joined us in bed that night, though. I wasn’t quite ready to part with it yet…
I’m okay now! It was way better the next day. I did, however, go to the doctor to get some burn cream.
SO these pictures were brought to you under extreme duress. I made the sacrifice so you awesome people could have and make (YOU MUST MAKE) this bangin’ recipe. You’re welcome ;).
Healthy, Cheesy Taco Skillet
- Prep Time: 50 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 mins
- Yield: 5-6 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 3 cups cups chicken stock
- 1 cup brown rice
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
- 3 1/2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 orange bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno, finely minced (seed removal optional – depends on the spice level you want)
- 1 shallot, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 can black beans
- 1/2 cup frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups Mexican cheese blend
- Cilantro and Greek yogurt (or sour cream) for garnish
- Tortilla chips for dipping – optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees (you might want to wait until there is only about 20 minutes left on your rice to do this – it depends on how long your oven takes to heat up)
- For the rice, bring 2 1/2 cups of chicken stock to a boil in a medium pot. Add a pinch of salt
- When the water is boiling, add in your brown rice, stir, and bring back to a boil
- Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for 45 minutes
- Meanwhile, brown your ground turkey with a little olive oil in a large, high sided skillet
- Meanwhile, chop your peppers, shallot, garlic, and jalapeno
- If you don’t want the final dish to be spicy, remove the seeds and ribs of the jalapeno before you mince it
- When your turkey is almost done, stir in 1 teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- When it has cooked through remove it to a plate – taste and add any extra salt that it needs, if any
- Add a little more olive oil to the same skillet and add all your veggies
- Cook until the peppers have softened, and then stir in 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon each of chili powder, cumin, onion powder, and garlic powder
- Remove the veggies to the same plate as the turkey
- Drain the black beans and add them to the same skillet
- Simmer the beans until most of the liquid has evaporated and then add the veggies and turkey back in
- Add the frozen corn
- Stir everything together and remove from the heat until the rice is done
- Drain the rice to remove excess moisture and add it back into the pot it was cooking in
- Stir in 2 teaspoons chili powder, 2 teaspoons cumin, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Stir together and taste – add any extra salt you think it needs, if any
- Add the seasoned rice, cheese (set aside a little for sprinkling on top), and remaining 1/2 cup chicken stock to the skillet with the veggie and meat mixture
- Stir everything together until fully combined. Taste and add any seasoning you think it needs
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the mixture and place in the oven to bake for 15 minutes.
- Top with Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and chopped cilantro
- You can eat this straight up with a fork, or use it as a kind of “dip” for tortilla chips. It is wonderful both ways!!
*This recipe is gluten free*
If you make this or any of my other recipes, be sure to Instagram it and hashtag #thegarlicdiaries!
Thanks for a good recipe. We made it tonight, but I won’t lie: I deveated from it just a bit. I couldn’t bring myself to use onion powder, and then to add a shallot (I don’t think I know lots of Latin dishes with shallots) was too much to me. I diced a yellow onion and sautéed it before I browned the meat, and then I nixed the powder. It was really good. My husband had 3 servings!
Great basic recipe, and fairly simple to follow. Thanks!
So glad you enjoyed it Erin! In a lot of my recipes, I end up using onion powder and garlic powder along with actual onions and garlic for a more concentrated flavor – I just can’t get enough of that onion and garlic awesomeness :)! I’m always excited to hear about everyone’s variations on my recipes, so thanks for sharing!
Looks like something everyone in my family would love. Planning to make it this week. Has anyone ever tried making it ahead of time?
Your family will love it! I think it would work very well to make ahead of time. Assemble everything, put it in he fridge, and bake when you are ready to eat dinner!
Great. Thank you! I think that would work great for some of the busy work days and baseball nights that we have around here these days. I made it last night “live” and when my husband saw the peppers and shallots going in he asked “and the kids are going to eat this?” LOL! Once everything is mixed together you can’t really see the veggies well. My 12 year old son had a tiny pile of orange peppers picked out and on the side of his plate (after 2 big helpings) and thought he picked everything out. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him!
My 7 y/o and 14 y/o girls basically cleaned their plated and my husband had 2 helpings. Yummy!
I did cut back a bit on the chili powder for fear it would be too spicy for the kids but I think that they probably could have handled the full amount.
This will definitely be entering the “rotation” and will try making ahead of time next time :-)
I’m so glad this recipe was so successful for you Allison – that makes my day!! It’s great that you could “sneak” some veggies into your kids :). That’s always a good thing! Let me know how it goes if you try making it ahead! I love that it’s going to be added to your meal rotation :).
First of all….my hand started hurting when i read how you burnt yourself! I had something similar happen and it left a nasty burn scar….here’s a tip, go to CVS or Walgreens and get Vitamin E oil and put it on your burn. literally like nothing happened!
other side note…this recipe looks absolutely delicious! and i can’t wait to try it!
★★★★★
Oh my goodness that is such an amazing tip! Thank you so much!! I will definitely keep that in mind.
From a guy living solo, this was easy as crap, and makes a huge amount of healthy, delicious food. Huge win
Thanks, Lyndon!
Your 4th of July outfits are so cute! Love! This taco skillet looks amazingggggg. Seriously, I want to dive in face first. I love skillet meals, they’re so fun!
Jess @ Flying on Jess Fuel recently posted…Indoor Salted Caramel S’mores
Thank you, Jess! Agreed – love skillet meals :).
Girl, I’m all about a one skillet dish. Especially a cheesy taco skillet! This look fun and tasty!
Rachelle @ Beer Girl Cooks recently posted…Peanut Butter Cookie Milkshake
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Sunburns?! Oh no! Sounds like a fun 4th. And this taco skillet sounds delicious! Totally something I would eat up with lots of tortilla chips. Yum!
Natalie @ Tastes Lovely recently posted…My Best Recipe Yet
★★★★★
Yeah…sunburns :(. Thanks, Natalie!
Sorry to hear that you burnt yourself… its really hurts a lot. I too have experienced them many time. Your Cheesy taco skillet is looking fab and delicious. Awesome photography. !! Nice couple:-)
Rachna@rachnas-kitchen.com recently posted…Roti recipe, Phulka recipe | How to make Roti or Phulka
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Yes it does, Rachna! Thank you!!
I look at the pictures and I cannot stop thinking at the burning pain. I guess it was kind of (kind of) worth by the ‘aaa-maaayy-zingg’ results
You said this is good, probably your number one. How can I not giving it a go then? It’s got to be tried!
Thanks
Ugghhhhh it hurt so bad! Oh yeah…definitely worth the a-may-zing results :). Yes you must must must!!!!
Ahh my hand hurts for you!! And now I feel like I need to add this to my meal plan ASAP out of respect for you. I mean, and because it looks absolutely awesome!
Sues recently posted…Rainbow Sherbet Cupcakes
Yesss add it to your meal plan out of sympathy for me and my burnt hand :).
Sounds like you had a great 4th, Annie! This skillet sounds amazing! I can never resist dishes that are mexican flavored. And the fact that this is on the healthier side makes it even better! Yum!
Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice recently posted…Root Beer Float Popsicles
Thanks, Gayle!
I’m sorry to hear your burnt yourself, but your pics look fab! Looks like I know what I’ll be whipping up for good ole’ Taco Tuesday! Ever since the iconic hamburger helper that was served frequently during my childhood, I’m a sucker for anything that ends up together in one skillet. This is like a total upgrade from that though :) Looks delicious! Hope you had a wonderful Fourth of July :)
Thanks, Alison! Yesss do it do it!! It’s funny you say that, because this dish reminded me sooo much of Hamburger Helper. A healthier, tastier version. You should definitely try it out!!
Anything with the words healthy and taco in the title is goooood with me!
Are you on Twitter? I wanted to share this and tag you in it, but I can’t find you :( If you are on twitter, can you send me a tweet please so I can follow you? I am @HHH_Dannii
:)
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So sweet Dannii! I’m actually not on Twitter. But I should probably join that bandwagon!