This Turkey Taco Bowl is one of my family’s favorites. It’s super easy, uses ingredients right out of your pantry, and is a quick and frugal dinner option.
If you follow this blog, you know that cooking is not my favorite activity. At least not weeknight cooking with hungry kids impatiently waiting to be fed.
So, when I come across a recipe that really works for us and checks the healthy meal and frugal boxes, I just have to share it.
Feeding five kids means trying to cook to the preferences of five very different palates. If I can get the thumbs up from 3 out of 5 kids, I consider it a win.
This Turkey Taco Bowl gets the approval of all five. I know, it’s like the unicorn of frugal dinners.
I originally made this taco bowl from a recipe I found at the Tastes Better from Scratch blog (she has great photos/videos!). But it just wasn’t right for my kids, so I started tweaking it here and there. This is what it ended up as.
Here’s what’s in it:
Ingredients for Turkey Taco Bowl
- 1 lb. ground turkey, fresh or frozen
- 2-3 tsp. taco seasoning*
- 15 oz. can of low sodium black beans
- 14.5 oz. can of diced tomatoes (no salt added)
- 1 1/2 cups white or brown rice
- Water
- Tabasco or hot sauce
*I make my own taco seasoning, which is just 4 Tbsp chili powder, 2 Tbsp. cumin, and then 1 Tbsp. each of garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, and salt. I keep it in an airtight container until I need it.
Why this Taco Bowl is frugal
A lot of what makes this Taco Bowl more frugal came about on accident. Many times, I set out to make it, only to realize I was missing key ingredients. So, substitutions were made and I crossed my fingers. When my family gobbled it up, none the wiser, I decided to stick with the more frugal and convenient substitutions.
Here they are:
- Diced tomatoes for salsa. I never have salsa on hand when I need it, so I tried substituting diced tomatoes with some Tabasco to see how it would go. No one noticed the difference.
- Ground turkey for beef or chicken. This was another game-time substitution that went over well. I like how the ground turkey mimics the beef in texture, but is a much healthier (and cheaper) option.
- Water for broth/stock. I find that the flavor from the other ingredients makes stock/broth optional. If you have them great, if not, go with water. Just add a little extra seasoning as you go.
How to Make Turkey Taco Bowl
- Oil the pot. Spray your Instant Pot with cooking spray.
- Start with the water. Pour in about 1/2 cup of water, enough to coat the bottom of the pot.
- Add the ground turkey. Drop in the ground turkey. Don’t worry if it’s a big block, or frozen or fresh. Just dump it in.
- Sprinkle taco seasoning on top. Season as much as you like. I usually go for a nice even sprinkle (2-3 tsp).
- Add the beans and tomatoes. Empty the cans of beans and diced tomatoes on top of the seasoned meat. Add a dash of Tabasco or hot sauce to mimic the heat in salsa.
- Layer in the rice. Rice is next.
- Pour in water. Add about another cup of water and then give the pot a little shake to settle the ingredients down and make sure the rice is fully submerged (hard rice is not tasty).
- Cook. Lock in the lid of your Instant Pot, make sure the pressure release valve is closed, and set it on Manual for 8 minutes (10 minutes if your turkey was frozen). Allow it to build pressure and cook the Taco Bowl.
- Let the pressure release. Once it’s done cooking, allow the pressure to release on its own for about 12-15 minutes (I’ve even left it longer and not had any ill effects, but I’m a lazy cook, so be better than me and try for 12-15 minutes).
- Stir. Using a fork or tongs, stir it up, fluffing the rice and breaking up the chunks of cooked turkey. Once everything is nicely incorporated, scoop your Turkey Taco Bowl into, well, bowls and add your favorite toppings. Serve and enjoy!
Add-ins
I keep this Turkey Taco Bowl pretty simple, mostly because we have to account for multiple allergens (dairy, corn, and gluten). But you are more than welcome to spice things up with your favorite add-ins, like:
- corn
- jalapenos
- onion
- bell pepper
Toppings
Again, we go no-frills with just some cheese and plain Greek yogurt (dairy-free options for our two who are allergic), but you can go nuts here.
- avocado
- hot sauce
- sour cream
- cilantro
Why I love this Turkey Taco Bowl
Ahh, let me count the ways…
- I can make it quick. From beginning to end, it only takes about 30 minutes. This is a winner when I am staring into the face of children who haven’t eaten in, oh maybe 2 hours, and are on death’s door (so they say).
- It’s versatile. I substitute and tweak the bejeezus out of this recipe. In fact, I had to think really hard when I was typing this to remember the measurements since I just eye it each time now. Do it the way you like it and you’ll make it your own.
- Substitutions are welcome. No black beans? Throw in the kidney sitting on your pantry shelf. Want to make it healthier? Use the brown rice. Going vegetarian? You get the picture… Nothing is written in stone here.
- It’s cheap. Plain and simple, I can make a pot of this taco bowl and it will cover dinner and lunchtime leftovers the next day. And for 7 people, I am paying less than $7. #winning
- Got frozen meat? No problem. Have you ever planned dinner and then forgot to defrost the meat? Yup, me too. But with the Instant Pot, you can just toss it in and add a few minutes to the cook time and you are good to go.
I hope you’ll give this recipe a try or even the one that inspired it (click here). Feeding our families doesn’t have to be hard and it doesn’t have to be expensive. This Turkey Taco Bowl, which is simple, frugal, and delicious, proves it.
Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!
Enjoy!
Looking for more on meal planning and recipes? Check out these posts:
Just a Girl and her Chicken: Adventures in Frugal Cooking
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