Description
These crispy baked ground turkey tacos are filled with seasoned lean ground turkey, black beans, green chiles, and melted Monterey Jack cheese, then baked until golden and crunchy. Served with a creamy avocado cilantro sauce, they make an easy and flavorful small-batch dinner.
Ingredients
- 1/2 medium avocado
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice
- 1/4 cup packed cilantro leaves
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 2 tbsp water, plus more as needed
- 2 tsp avocado oil or olive oil
- 8 oz lean ground turkey
- 2 1/2 tsp homemade taco seasoning
- 1/3 cup chopped yellow or white onion
- 3/4 cup canned black beans, drained and not rinsed
- 4 oz green chiles
- 2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp Mexican oregano or Italian oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp chili powder
- 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, optional
- Cooking or baking spray, or avocado oil, for brushing the tortillas
- 6 fajita-sized flour tortillas, 6 inches
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Instructions
- Make the creamy avocado sauce by combining the avocado, sour cream, fresh lemon or lime juice, cilantro leaves, kosher salt, and water in a mini food processor. Blend until smooth, adding more water as needed. Taste and adjust with more salt or lime juice, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Heat the avocado oil in a large non-stick pan over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, half of the taco seasoning, and chopped onion. Cook for 4-5 minutes, breaking the turkey into small pieces as it cooks, until browned and cooked through.
- Stir in the black beans, green chiles, remaining taco seasoning, 2 tablespoons of water, and chopped cilantro. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
- Stir the filling again. If there is excess liquid, increase the heat to medium and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from the heat.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spray a large rimmed baking sheet with cooking spray or brush it lightly with avocado oil.
- Arrange the six flour tortillas on the baking sheet, barely overlapping them if necessary. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup of shredded Monterey Jack cheese over the surface of each tortilla.
- Spoon about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the turkey and black bean mixture onto one half of each tortilla.
- Bake for 1-2 minutes, until the cheese has melted. Carefully fold each tortilla in half, then brush the tops with avocado oil or spray with cooking spray.
- Bake the tacos for another 10-12 minutes, until the tortillas are golden brown and crispy.
- Serve the crispy baked tacos with the creamy avocado sauce on the side.
Notes
- Full-fat Greek yogurt can be substituted for the sour cream in the avocado sauce.
- If using a different brand of kosher salt or sea salt instead of Diamond Crystal kosher salt, reduce the amount and adjust to taste.
- Lean ground turkey in the 85/15 to 90/10 range works well.
- Homemade taco seasoning can be replaced with 2 1/2 teaspoons of your favorite store-bought taco seasoning.
- Drain the black beans but do not rinse them.
- Hatch green chiles are ideal, but any 4-ounce can of green chiles will work.
- Cilantro is optional and can be omitted from both the turkey filling and avocado sauce.
- Flour tortillas are easiest to fold without breaking, but corn tortillas can also be used.
- Monterey Jack cheese can be replaced with Pepper Jack, Cheddar, or Chihuahua cheese.
- If the filling comes out while baking, gently push it back into the taco with a fork before the cheese cools.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American