Easy Taco Skillet Bake
Easy taco skillet bake has loads of fresh veggies right in the taco filling. Serve it family style with a bowl of tortilla chips for dunking.
Tacos are practically a food group in our house, my kids just love them so I'm always looking for fun taco variations to serve for family dinner.
This easy taco skillet bake has all the yummy taco fillings you love in a scoop-able skillet that is served right at the table with tortilla chips for dunking.
It is so much easier to serve family-style and your kids could even turn it into a plate of homemade nachos if they prefer.
Why This is the Best Recipe
Of all the yummy Mexican recipes I could make for dinner, I think this is the best taco skillet bake recipe because:
- TONS of Veggies: My kids usually avoid adding veggies to their regular tacos but this recipe lets me dice up tons of onions, peppers, tomatoes, and corn and put it all right in the taco filling.
- Interactive Family Dinner: When life is in a rut, this fun presentation mixes things up and adds a little more spark to the table.
- Easy to Reheat: Got leftovers? No problem. It's so easy to reheat the leftover filling to add to a tortilla or dunk with chips.
Ingredients
The ingredients for this taco skillet are very easy and there is a heavy focus on adding lots of canned or fresh vegetables to the mix.
Be sure to check out the section on variations for easy substitutions you can make to any of the following ingredients:
- Ground Turkey: You could use ground chicken, ground beef, or ground pork if you prefer.
- Onion
- Red Bell Pepper
- Poblano Pepper: This delicious pepper adds flavor but not much spice. You could substitute a green bell pepper for color if you can't find a poblano but the flavors are quite different.
- Canned Fire Roasted Tomatoes
- Frozen Corn
- Taco Seasoning
- Shredded Mexican Blend Cheese
- Sour Cream, for serving
- Fresh Cilantro and Green Onions, for serving
- Tortilla Chips, for serving
Soften the Vegetables
Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat it for a minute.
Add the onion, red pepper, and poblano pepper and saute them for 5 minutes or until softened.
Brown the Meat
Add the ground turkey to the pan and break it up with the back of your cooking spoon.
Cook and continue to crumble it until the turkey is no longer pink.
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Season the Mix
Add the taco seasoning and stir together with the turkey. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Quickly pour in the tomatoes and their juices and stir. Add the frozen corn and stir to combine.
Thicken the Sauce
Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Melt the Cheese
Turn the heat off and then sprinkle the cheese over the top of the turkey mixture.
Cover the skillet loosely with the lid (or aluminum foil) and let the cheese melt over the next couple of minutes.
You could also pop the entire skillet under the broiler to melt the cheese if you prefer.
Topping Variations
You can add in any taco toppings your family enjoys:
- beans: refried or whole
- jalapeños: fresh or pickled
- chopped avocado on top
- wedges of limes
- Fresh taco slaw like my Mexican slaw
Make Ahead and Freezer Tips
This easy dinner idea would be a perfect make ahead meal for your freezer.
Just prepare the meat and veggie filling as directed but do not add the cheese. Let the filling cool before storing in a freezer container.
You can make a ready to grab meal kit by freezing a bag of shredded cheese right along with the container of filling.
Then let the mixture thaw in the fridge overnight or thaw it in the microwave.
Add the filling to a skillet and warm through. Add the cheese and serve. Easy peasy!
Serving Suggestions
No matter how you enjoy your taco skillet, just be sure to serve it with a big bowl of tortilla chips for dunking!
SAFETY NOTE: If you serve the skillet hot at the table, be sure to warn your kids not to touch! You can serve up their portions with a big spoon into a bowl so they can dip more safely at their own personal table place.
To round out the meal, you could serve a batch of my favorite Mexican rice, homemade salsa, or a yummy 5-minute Mexican street corn casserole.
More Mexican Food Recipes
My kids could eat tacos every night so I keep a running list of Taco Tuesday recipes for us to choose from. Here are a few more of my favorites:
📖 Recipe
Easy Taco Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 red bell pepper chopped
- 1 poblano pepper chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds ground turkey
- 1/4 cup taco seasoning
- 1 (15 oz) can fire-roasted tomatoes
- 1 (10 oz) package of frozen corn
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
- Sour cream optional
- Fresh cilantro chopped (optional)
- Green onions chopped (optional)
- Tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and heat it for a minute. Add the onion, red pepper, and poblano pepper and saute them for 5 minutes or until softened.
- Add the ground turkey to the pan and break it up with the back of your cooking spoon. Cook and continue to crumble it until the turkey is no longer pink.
- Add the taco seasoning and stir together with the turkey. Cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Quickly pour in the tomatoes and their juices and stir. Add the frozen corn and stir to combine.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and then sprinkle the cheese over the top of the turkey mixture. Cover the skillet loosely with the lid (or aluminum foil) and let the cheese melt over the next couple of minutes.
- Serve the skillet on a trivet at the table with the cilantro and green onions as garnish. Add dollops of sour cream if desired and scoop up the turkey with tortilla chips.
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