Turkey taco salad is a meal in a bowl, complete with hearty and nutritious veggies, healthy protein from turkey and black beans, and a cilantro lime dressing that will have you licking the bowl. It’s low in points, but big in YUM!
This Weight Watchers-friendly taco salad is bursting with color and flavor. It’s SO easy to make and is incredibly versatile. This classic dish is a perfect summer meal on its own and can be paired with your favorite BBQ and party foods for family fun.
Why should you try This Taco Salad?
- A fun way to incorporate more veggies: There are no excuses for eating more vegetables. One thing I learned was that I wasn’t eating enough vegetables. Over time, and with this blog, I learned to incorporate them into meals in multiple ways, and I can say that there will never be enough. So, any salad with the right ingredients needs no excuse to be made. The more, the better. And if this salad tastes like tacos, there’s nothing more to say—it’s full of advantages.
- It’s hearty and filling: It’s a hearty, flavorful salad that’s filling and quite easy to prepare. Another point in its favor is that it looks great and decorates the table thanks to the explosion of colors from the vegetables. It’s the kind of recipe that not only tastes good but also looks great in photos for my blog.
- It’s low in points: Thanks to lots of ZeroPoint ingredients, this sald is just 2 WW points per serving.
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Serving Size: 1 bowl of salad
2 WW Points Per Serving. You can view the recipe on the WW App here. (WW login required.)
Ingredients
For the Ground Turkey:
- 300 g. raw turkey breast, ground
- 1 teaspoon of oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup of water (60 ml)
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste (16 g)
For the Salad:
- 4 cups of chopped romaine lettuce (240 g)
- 1 cup of diced tomatoes (150 g)
- ½ cup of corn kernels (85 g)
- ½ cup of sliced green onions (30 g)
- ½ cup of black beans (85 g)
- ½ cup of sliced red onions (75 g)
- ½ avocado, diced (100 g)
- 1 corn tortilla, cut into strips and toasted
For the Lime Cilantro Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice (45 ml)
- 1 tablespoon of honey (21 g)
- ¼ cup of fresh cilantro (10 g)
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
- A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon of oil (15 ml)
Instructions
Preparing the Ground Turkey:
- Cook the Meat: Add the 2 crushed garlic cloves and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Season the Meat: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Tomato Paste and Water: Stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and ¼ cup of water. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until the mixture is well combined and the water has mostly evaporated. Set Aside: Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
Preparing the Dressing:
- Combine Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 tablespoon of honey, ¼ cup of chopped cilantro, 1 minced garlic clove, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix Well: Ensure the dressing is well combined and set aside.
Assembling the Salad:
- Prepare the Lettuce: On a large serving platter or in individual bowls, create a bed with 4 cups of chopped romaine lettuce.
- Add the Vegetables: Top the lettuce with 1 cup of diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup of corn kernels, 1/2 cup of sliced green onions, 1/2 cup of black beans, and 1/2 cup of sliced red onions.
- Add the Turkey: Evenly distribute the cooked ground turkey over the top of the salad.
- Add the Avocado: Add ½ diced avocado.
- Top with Tortilla Strips: Scatter the toasted corn tortilla strips over the salad.
- Finishing Touches: Pour the lime cilantro dressing over the salad just before serving.
Variations and Substitutions
- Greens: Instead of just lettuce, use a mix of different varieties like chicory, radicchio, and various lettuces. This adds not only more colors but also interesting textures to the salad.
- Beans: I used black beans, but you can use red beans or even a mix of both for a more robust salad.
- Dressing: Instead of a homemade vinaigrette, you can opt for salt, vinegar, and a bit of guacamole. It will be delicious.
- Bacon bits: Some crispy turkey bacon bits would make an incredible addition.
- Different meat: Lastly, you can play with the meat. If you prefer, opt for beef—it’s more traditional for tacos and goes very well with this salad.
Tips and Tricks for Making Turkey Taco Salad
- Cool the meat: Prepare the meat and let it cool well, or it will wilt the lettuce. You can even prepare it in advance or use leftovers from other recipes.
- Storage: This salad, without dressing, keeps well for up to 6 hours. Try not to exceed that time.
- Added veggies: You can incorporate any additional veggies that you enjoy. In this type of salad, the key is that more is better.
The Ultimate Turkey Taco Salad
A Weight Watchers Taco salad loaded with fresh veggies, protein, and a cilantro-lime dressing.
Ingredients
For the Ground Turkey
- 300 g. raw turkey breast, ground
- 1 teaspoon of oil
- 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup of water, 60 ml
- 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 16 g
For the Salad:
- 4 cups of chopped romaine lettuce, 240 g
- 1 cup of diced tomatoes, 150 g
- ½ cup of corn kernels, 85 g
- ½ cup of sliced green onions, 30 g
- ½ cup of black beans, 85 g
- ½ cup of sliced red onions, 75 g
- ½ avocado, diced (100 g)
- 1 corn tortilla, cut into strips and toasted
For the Dressing:
- 3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed lime juice, 45 ml
- 1 tablespoon of honey, 21 g
- ¼ cup of fresh cilantro, 10 g
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- ¼ teaspoon of pepper
- A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon of oil, 15 ml
Instructions
- Preparing the Ground Turkey:
- Cook the Meat: Add the 2 crushed garlic cloves and cook for about 1 minute until fragrant. Add the ground turkey, breaking it up with a spoon, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes.
- Season the Meat: Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Tomato Paste and Water: Stir in 1 tablespoon of tomato paste and ¼ cup of water. Cook for another 3-5 minutes until the mixture is well combined and the water has mostly evaporated. Set Aside: Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.
- Preparing the Dressing:
- Combine Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together 3 tablespoons of lime juice, 1 tablespoon of honey, ¼ cup of chopped cilantro, 1 minced garlic clove, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon of pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, and 1 tablespoon of oil. Mix Well: Ensure the dressing is well combined and set aside.
- Assembling the Salad:
- Prepare the Lettuce: On a large serving platter or in individual bowls, create a bed with 4 cups of chopped romaine lettuce.
- Add the Vegetables: Top the lettuce with 1 cup of diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup of corn kernels, 1/2 cup of sliced green onions, 1/2 cup of black beans, and 1/2 cup of sliced red onions.
- Add the Turkey: Evenly distribute the cooked ground turkey over the top of the salad.
- Add the Avocado: Add ½ diced avocado.
- Top with Tortilla Strips: Scatter the toasted corn tortilla strips over the salad.
- Finishing Touches: Pour the lime cilantro dressing over the salad just before serving.
Notes
2 WW Points per serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 283gCalories: 239kcalCarbohydrates: 20gProtein: 21gFat: 9.5gSaturated Fat: 1.4gCholesterol: 43mgSodium: 1898mgPotassium: 614mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7.9gCalcium: 55mgIron: 1.6mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @drizzlemeskinny or tag #drizzlemeskinny!
