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Making Thursday night tacos a thing, with this Spicy Turkey Taco Salad with Baja Dressing. Chipotle chili seasoned turkey taco meat, mixed with fresh greens, black beans, avocado, mango, and a little cheddar cheese too. Topped with tortilla chips for crunch, and finished with a creamy Baja style dressing that’s spicy and cooling. SO GOOD. If you’re looking for a non-boring salad, this is it!
Raise your hand if you ate tacos at least once or twice a week growing up? My brothers and I were served ground beef tacos all the time as kids. Tacos were an easy, quick dinner that my dad could make in under 30 minutes. They were a dinner that every single one of his kids would eat. So all 7 of us…
OK. So back then Asher was non-existent (which is soooo weird to think about life without Asher!), and Red was just a baby. So I guess it was more like 5 of his kids. Still, we all ate them, and we all loved them. Mom and I preferred hard shells with melted cheddar. While the boys ate theirs rolled up in a flour tortilla burrito style. Absolutely nothing fancy about it, but we loved them.
Still do.
And no, we definitely were not eating mango salsa back then. Though it would have been really good, and I wish we did.
It’s really hard to believe, but I don’t have a ground beef taco recipe on HBH. I have plenty of other taco recipes, but nothing like the tacos we ate as kids. Probably because they were nothing that special. But I don’t know, maybe I can come up with something good to share some day soon.
In the meantime, I have this taco salad. It’s DELICIOUS, and much, much better than the tacos we ate as kids. Both mom and dad agree.
It’s big, it’s green, and loaded with spicy homemade turkey taco meat, black beans, mangos, avocado, cheese, tortilla chips, and topped with the best Baja style dressing. Again…delicious! And not boring, which is very important when it comes to salad eating around here. I like my salads loaded, colorful, sprinkled with carbs, and always topped with cheese.
Here are the details.
For the taco meat, I seasoned it with smoky chipotle chili powder, smoked paprika, and cumin. I love this combo, as it leaves the meat really flavorful, a touch smoky, and not too spicy.
For the greens, I know romaine is traditional in a taco salad. But I wanted to use a green that would hold up well for meal prepping, and also be good for taking on the go. So I went with kale. It’s a little thicker and tends to wilt less than romaine. It’s the perfect green to make a salad with the night before. That said, you can of course use whatever leafy green you love most!
To finish this salad off, I went with a Baja Dressing. Oh how I love this dressing! It’s creamy, cooling, spicy, extra limey, and addicting. The dressing alone makes you want to eat salad. It kind of reminds me of a spicy ranch, but so much better. I used plain greek yogurt to keep it creamy, fresh jalapeños for some spice, a little honey to balance everything, and then fresh cilantro and chives for a somewhat herby flavor.
Trust me, it’s one of the better salad dressings I’ve ever made.
This is the perfect salad to meal prep with too! You can make everything ahead of time. Even tossing the salad together and then packaging it up in glass containers (these are my favorite). I recommend keeping the meat and greens separate, just in case you might want to reheat the meat (which I like to do).
Just as much fun as a desk salad as it is as for a nice weeknight dinner!
PS. I’d love to know if you guys are enjoying these healthy January recipes. I’m trying to keep them, fun, fresh, and filling, all at the same time! Let me know if you’d like to see more salads! Or maybe some meal prep?
If you make this turkey taco salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
You are my go-to for new, healthy, delicious and exciting recipes. This is an immediate favorite hit! You know how to combine all the foods I like into a collaboration of yum! Thank you.
Hey Sandi,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have great week:) xTieghan
Delicious!!! Vegetarian here so I subbed meat for walnut mushroom crumble. The Baja dressing was so good loved the kick from the jalapeño! I also want to thank you for delivering another fantastic book. Just got it and your vegetarian dishes / desserts look amazing! Actually made your Thai curry wraps the other day! Winner!!
Hey Jiseman,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Happy Sunday! xTieghan
This was excellent, refreshing and an easy meal to make! I have made so many of your recipes and have yet to find one that I didn’t like!
Thank you so much Rachel! I am really glad this turned out so well for you!! xTieghan
Again another winter recipe of yours that I made tonight in the summer that is so delicious! Thank you for this incredible taco salad! So yummy and healthy! ❤️
Thank you so much Lisa!! xTieghan
This was awesome! Easy to make, and the Baja dressing just pushed it over the top. This is going into the rotation!!! Thx!!
Thank you Wendy!! I am so happy to hear that! xTieghan
This was great!! Loved the salad and the Baja dressing!!
Thank you Barb! xTieghan
So fresh and delicious! All the flavors blend so well. The dressing really brings it home! And there’s a mango and avocado? Mic drop.
Haha thank you Dana!! So glad you loved this one!! xTieghan
Added corn and a little red onion but this was awesome and filling.?
Thank you so much Connie! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
This salad is amazing! I follow the recipe as written and even though it is a little labor intensive I have this salad for days. I keep all the components separate so I can take it to work with me for a couple of days straight. I just heat the turkey and the beans in the microwave and assemble the salad. The Baja dressing is to die for! Thank you for your healthyish clean recipes!
I am so glad it was all worth it! Thank you so much for trying it! xTieghan
This salad is so delicious – she’s not lying that the dressing is one of the best. I used 5% fage Greek yogurt and added a drizzle of olive oil in just to add a bit of richness. I also used 1/4 teaspoon in the spices for ground chicken because I like a little extra heat. So so good.
Thank you so much Nina! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
My husband and I made this for dinner tonight and LOVE it. We loved the addition of mango! So good!
Thank you so much Susan! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I made the dressing with coconut milk yogurt and it was fantastic! What a great meal!
Thanks Kelly! xTieghan
I just used the dressing recipe and it was OUTSTANDING!! Thank you! I tasted it without the salt and thought, hmmmm, this is great. I added a bit of salt and bam! Brought out the flavor, added more salt and perfect.
So happy to hear that Jenn! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious ?
Thank you Linda! xTieghan
This was sooooooo good- all of the flavours came together in a really incredible way! Love the lightness and brightness of the dressing. A new favourite!your site is amazing, thanks again 🙂
Thank you so much Elle! xTieghan