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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!
Spicy Turkey Taco Salad with Baja Lime Dressing
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 650 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken
- 2-3 teaspoons chipotle chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon cumin seeds (or 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- 6 cups mixed leafy greens
- 1 cup cooked black beans
- 1 avocado, sliced
- 1 mango, diced
- 3/4 cup cubed cheddar cheese
- crushed tortilla chips or strips
Baja Dressing
- 1 cup plain greek yogurt
- juice of 2 limes
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 1 jalapeño, seeded if desired
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro
- kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
Instructions
- 1. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the turkey and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the chipotle chili powder, paprika, cumin, garlic powder, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup of water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro.2. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients except the chives in a blender and pulse until mostly smooth. Stir in the chives. Dressing will keep for 1 week in the fridge.3. In a large salad bowl, combine the greens, black beans, avocado, mango, and cheese. Top the salad with the turkey taco meat and then drizzle with the dressing (below). Toss to combine and then top with tortilla chips. Enjoy!
My son (teenager) loves this salad and is always asking me to make it. For super spicy add pickled Jalapeños.
Thank you sooo much for giving the recipe a try! I am so glad you enjoyed it! xT
This is the third time I’ve tried to make this dressing and each time it comes out way too watery to even use, any suggestions to thicken it?
Hi Kelly,
Thanks for making this recipe, sorry to hear you are having issues with the dressing. Is there anything you might be adjusting? Try reducing the lime to one, maybe yours are just super juicy. I hope this helps! xx
Five stars, for sure!! It was absolutely delicious. I added in 2 ears of white corn sautéed in a chili lime seasoning, just because I had it on hand and it was a great addition! I’ll be making this all summer!
Hey Kristina,
Happy Wednesday!! 🌞 Love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for making it! xT
Instead of salad base, can you put this over a sweet potato? Do you think the flavors would mix?
Hey Karen,
Sure, that would be delicious! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
I love this healthier version of taco salad! I sautéed some jalapenos with the turkey for additional heat and added some grape tomatoes to the salad for an extra pop of color. This is definitely a keeper!
Hey Djienne,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
This recipe is super yummy! I have been making your recipes for a couple months now and this is definitely one of my new favorites! Thank you so much for sharing 🙂
Hey Alyssa,
Happy Wednesday! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xxT
Excellent recipe. Used chili beans because we were out of black and it worked well also.
Hey Marlee,
Awesome!! 🍂 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks a bunch for trying it out! xx
Made this with beyond burger plant protein, and it was hands down the best taco salad ever! The baja sauce makes it, and allows you to alter spice based on preference. I removed jalapeno seeds to keep it more mild but SO flavorful. I found the seasoning amount perfect for 16oz of plan protein. So good!
Hi Christina,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for sharing your review and making this recipe. Love to hear that it was a winner! xxT
All Mexican food has an appeal for us so I couldn’t wait to makes this healthier dinner. We like a lot of spice so it worked, but the dressing was so, so delicious with the spicy turkey. I topped mine with tcrispy tortilla strips and used shredded Colby Jack cheese. Yum!
Hey Lucy,
I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xTieghan
This salad has made it into my dinner rotation. It was delicious. I did use romaine, I’m not a big fan of kale. I have always avoided yogurt based salad dressings because I just thought I wouldn’t like them. This baja dressing is absolutely delicious! Thank you!
Hi there! Thanks so much for trying out this recipe! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it 🙂 xTieghan
I just made this and while I think the recipe is a keeper, the spice quantities are WAY TOO high. This is beyond spicy. My mouth is burning. I’m going to have to throw out the turkey and remake it if I want to have the salad again.
If you are going to make this recipe, cut the spices in half or a quarter and you’ll have a great salad. I love the Baja dressing.
Hey Kelly,
Awesome! So great to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and thanks for making it! Sorry you found this to be spicy, you should always reduce the spice to your liking:) Have the best week! xTieghan
Perfect for summer! So light, flavorful, and refreshing.
Hey Kortney,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
I made this recipe tonight and this salad will definitely be a “go to” meal.
Just enough spice and very filling and satisfying!
Hey Sue,
Fantastic! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxTieghan
Hi! Just checking—Are we supposed to use a tablespoon of the paprika or a teaspoon?
Hey Mallory,
The recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of paprika! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
You NEVER disappoint!! This salad is SO GOOD! Healthy too!!
Hey Tina,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! xTieghan