Super simple one pot Taco Skillet packed with veggies, protein, and loads of spice | A perfect, low carb weeknight dinner! Gluten Free + Whole30 & Paleo options – just skip the cheese!
Alright, there is a LOT going on inside this skillet today so let’s get to it!
We’ve got our veggies
Carrots
Peppers
Chili
Tomatoes
Onion & Garlic
We’ve also got our spices
Chilli Powder
Oregano
Cumin
Paprika
Salt
We’ve got one pan, a pound of ground turkey and about 30ish minutes to make dinner.
Go!
The great thing about this recipe is that you can customise it based on what you like and what you have in. As long as the spices remain the same you can add/swap out the veggies as you like. I’ve made this quite a few times with little variations here and there adding: grated cauliflower, sweet potato, black beans, sweet corn – you name it.
For this recipe I thought I would keep it sweet and simple using ingredients that you probably already have in. Nothing fancy, but still delicious.
This is also amazing if you have children (or husbands) who are morally opposed to eating vegetables because you can chop up the veggies into little pieces that get hidden in this mix of it all. Once it’s all done you wouldn’t necessarily realise just how many vegetables went in to this making of this taco skillet.
The cheese is completely optional. I personally couldn’t pass an opportunity to sprinkle a little grated cheddar over the top, but make sure to leave it out if you’re looking for a Whole30 compliant or paleo friendly dinner.
I like to eat this served along a little Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice and topped with avocado, but you can also dish this out in actual taco shells – how about that!
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One Pot Taco Skillet
Super simple one pot Taco Skillet packed with veggies, protein, and loads of spice | A perfect, low carb weeknight dinner! Gluten Free + Whole30 & Paleo options - just skip the cheese!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground turkey or chicken, aim for around 7% fat
- 1 medium sized white onion, chopped, about 1 cup
- 2 large carrots, chopped into small pieces, about 1 1/2 cups
- 1 red & green bell pepper, 1 of each
- 1 red chili pepper, deseeded and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed or minced
- 1 tablespoons chili powder
- 1/4 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 can crushed or chopped tomatoes, 14 oz can
Optional Toppings
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- spring onions
- cilantro
Instructions
- Warm the olive oil in a large skillet on a medium high heat. Once the oil is warm add the ground meat and begin breaking up the meat into smaller pieces to cook faster.
- Once the meat is no longer pink add the onions, carrots, peppers, chili, and garlic. Stir the vegetables into the meat mixture well.
- Add the taco seasonings: chilli powder, garlic power, onion powder, oregano, paprika, cumin and salt. Stir well to mix the spices and vegetables together. Stir in the crushed tomatoes.
- Cover the pan with a fitted lid and reduce the heat down to a medium-low heat. Let the meat and veggies cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cook longer if you prefer softer veggies and for a shorter amount of time if you like your vegetables with more bite.
- Uncover the pan and sprinkle shredded or grated cheese over the top of the meat. Cove the pan one more with the lid for another 2-3 minutes to let the cheese melt.
- Sprinkle green onions and cilantro over the top of the melted cheese and serve.
Lianne says
My first time trying one of your recipes. I am not super great in the kitchen and this was quick and easy. I’m looking for higher protein, lower caloric meals so loved this recipe. I think next time I’ll add a little plain greek yogurt (instead of sour cream) on the side with the cheese.
Sarah Nevins says
Hi Lianne! I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Trinda says
This was delicious! I like my veggies tender so I decided to make this in my instant pot. Browned the meat in the pot and threw in the rest of the ingredients and set the pressure cooker for 5 minutes. I know it wasn’t a huge time savings but I could walk away from it with no worries. Thanks for the great recipe.
Sarah says
I love the idea of making it in the instant pot! Thanks so much for coming back to share that!
Trinda says
Oops! I meant 25 minutes!
Darcy says
Seems a little light caloricly for a meal when you omit the cheese – we are gluten and dairy free. Adding sweet potato or quinoa and then putting on a bed of lettuce I think would make it more of a “meal”. Or adding in some sautéed greens for a real veggie. This just seems like really fancy taco meat. I will be making, but with modifications.
Darcy says
Oh and avocado to get those good fats in!
Sarah says
Those sound like some good ideas – and you can’t go wrong with adding extra avocado! It is pretty low calorie but I personally find it to be pretty filling. I usually like having it with a side of rice/cauliflower rice and guacamole. Hope you like it!
Stephanie S says
Did a modified Taco Skillet today. It was terrific and my 10 year old loved it. I have severe IBSD so I was a little more careful on the spicy side. I omitted the pepper and cumin. It was still amazing. Next time I will try the pepper (I think). I was wondering though about how spicy it is. I love the spicy but it doesn’t always like me.
Sarah says
Thanks Stephanie! So glad you guys liked it 🙂 I don’t think this is very spicy at all, but if you are sensitive to spice but you still want to use a pepper I’d recommend looking for an Anaheim pepper or another mild chilli. Also, make sure to remove the seeds and the white membrane that connects the seeds to the pepper since that’s where most of the spiciness comes from. Honestly though – if you wanted to just leave it out all together you won’t be missing much!