Ground Turkey Taco Bowls
When you are raised in a traditional Italian household, you eat mostly Italian foods. So, when my sisters and I were introduced to tacos, we were hooked.
Our mom, not so much. She wasn’t a fan of Mexican food and still says it’s too spicy for her. However, that didn’t stop her from making them for us. She would follow the directions on the box of crunchy shells, garnish with lettuce and tomato, and we would devour them.
Fast forward 30+ years, tacos are still one of my favorite foods but I make them different than the way my mom did. I almost always buy the boxed kit for convenience.
My kids and I enjoy the crispy shells but our favorite “vessel” – if you will – is the flour tortilla boat. We love these! They also come in mini version and are perfect with eggs for breakfast.
I also tweaked a few of the toppings from my mom’s recipe since I have two picky eaters who refuse to eat vegetables.
For starters, I don’t use ground beef. I almost always use ground turkey. In fact, Jennie-O ground turkey is my “go to” meat for chili and sloppy joes sandwiches too.
I have tried grilling steak and using that for tacos but I have to admit the extra time and effort it takes isn’t worth it to me. So, I will leave that up to the professionals and buy them from my favorite Mexican restaurant.
I love the flexibility of tacos. There are so many different ways to eat them. Other than the protein choice, there are corn tortillas versus flour, shells vs bowls, as well as a bunch of different ways to garnish them.
In addition to the spice packet that comes with the kit, I add a little something extra. I call it my “secret ingredient” because it comes from Lipton Recipe Secrets. Specifically, the onion flavor.
For the most part, I prepare the taco meat according to package directions. I do add more water than what the recipe calls for because of the extra spices but mostly because I love my taco meat juicy.
When I use taco shells instead of bowls, I like when the juice soaks into the shells.
On this particular night, my son asked me to split the shells and make a taco bowl for him instead of using the shells whole. Of course, there are flour bowls available at the store I could have bought but we tend to favor corn products over flour.
Finally, we garnish our tacos with a Mexican four cheese blend and sour cream. My son (and sometimes I) will add a little bit of hot sauce in addition to (or instead of) the taco sauce packet that comes with the kit.
What is your favorite way to make tacos or taco bowls?
