Ground Turkey and Kidney Bean Taco Salad with Guajillo Salsa
Updated: Sep 12, 2023
When you're in the mood for taco night but want an easier, quicker option - make my Ground Turkey and Kidney Bean Taco Salad with Guajillo Salsa. If you've never heard of guajillo salsa, it is made of guajillo chiles, which have a sweet, tangy, smoky flavor. It really put this entire salad together and I didn't even have to make it - they sell it a Trader Joe's! However, I do want to say that if there is a Latin grocery store near you, you should buy it from there instead! It would be more authentic and you'll most likely be supporting people who made this salsa come alive.
Now, this is where I will say that healthy eating doesn't have to be boring - the spice of the salsa, the cajun seasoning of the turkey, the rich flavors of the cilantro and lime, and the crunch of the tortilla chips make for a very flavorful, yet nutritious dinner. So, if I've influenced you enough, let's start cooking!
Yields: 1
Prep time: 15 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes
This recipe is dairy free and gluten free.
Ingredients:
1. Arugula as the base
2. ¼ - ½ cup of white kidney beans (cooked, drained, washed)
3. Lean ground turkey
4. ½ avocado
5. ½ cucumber
6. Guajillo salsa (mine was from Trader Joe's, feel free to buy it from somewhere else)
1. First, grab a serving bowl, and add in 1-2 handfuls of arugula. Squeeze on the juice of ½-1 lime.
2. Finely dice ½ cucumber and have 1/2 your avocado sliced as seen in the picture above.
3. Now we are going to sauté the kidney beans and ground turkey.
4. Grab two separate frying pans, one small and one medium sized. In the small frying pan, add in ½ TBSP of olive oil and once it simmers, add in the kidney beans. Salt sparingly and sauté until the beans open up/are crispier. Leave to the side once they're done.
5. Now in the larger frying pan, add in 1 TBSP or so of olive oil and once it simmers, add in your desired amount of ground turkey. I did about 1 cup. Season with taco seasoning and cajun seasoning to your liking - depends on how spicy you want it. Cook until brown - 10 minutes.
6. Now, let's put this bowl all together - add ¼- ½ cup of kidney beans. Add in about 1/2 -3/4 cup of ground turkey. Add in the avocado. Add in the tortilla chips. Drizzle on the juice of 1 lime. Pour on your desired amount of guajillo salsa (I did about 2 TBSPs). Season with salt and lemon pepper seasoning to your liking. Garnish with freshly diced cilantro.
