Skillet Walking Taco Bake

April 7, 2021

Skillet walking taco bake is made from lean ground turkey, onion, jalapeño, salsa, sour cream, and cheese. It is baked until melted and then topped with a spicy ranch salad and lots of corn chips! It is like a traditional walking taco all in one skillet!

Turkey Walking Taco Skillet Bake | Sarcastic Cooking

Are you familiar with a walking taco?

If not, do not feel ashamed.

You must have missed my old buffalo jackfruit walking taco recipe I made on the blog.

A walking taco is a Tex-Mex classic. You pile on all your favorite taco fixings into a bag of corn chips.

That’s right.

Walking Taco Bake | Sarcastic Cooking

You grab a fork and dig right into the bag of chips.

Want to live dangerously?

Switch out the Fritos for Cool Ranch or Nacho Cheese Doritos.

Eat your taco-like meal while walking.

Walking Turkey Taco Bake | Sarcastic Cooking

I usually see a lot of these recipes pop up around major sporting events.

They make a good buffet, make your own adventure kind fo meal.

Walking tacos can be made with veggies or beans but traditionally start with a taco meat.

I have made walking tacos with chorizo, which is great because you don’t have to add a lot of extra seasonings. The meat is already spicy.

Grilled Cheese Social has an amazing walking taco casserole.

Cheesy Walking Taco Skillet | sarcastic Cooking

When the weather starts to heat up, I don’t know about you, but I do not want the oven on for that long.

That is why I came up with the walking taco skillet bake.

Cook up the lean ground turkey, onion, and jalapeño in the skillet.

Mix in the salsa and sour cream.

Zesty Jalapeño Ranch Salad | Sarcastic Cooking

Cover with cheese and pop it under the broiler until the cheese melts and the salsa sour cream mixture thickens up a bit.

The best part about this recipe, in my opinion, is the small corn chip heavy salad on top.

The dressing is the bomb!

Jalapeño Lime Ranch Dressing | Sarcastic Cooking

I mix together ranch with lime juice, fresh chopped cilantro, and a tablespoon of minced, pickled jalapeños.

That dressing hack is amazing on any kind of salad so save it for a rainy day!

Some notes about the recipe:

  • Feel free to swap jalapeño for canned, diced green chilies.
  • Use 2 tbsp of taco seasoning instead of the seasoning blend to save time.
  • Swap out the ground turkey for ground chicken, chorizo, ground pork, ground beef, or soyrizo.
  • Skip cilantro if you aren’t a fan.
  • Add whatever salad ingredients you like. It doesn’t have to be the ones listed.

Zesty Ranch and Corn Chip Salad | Sarcastic Cooking

Think of this as a recipe template.

Use it as a starting point and make your own skillet walking taco bake adventure.

Walking Taco Skillet Bake | Sarcastic Cooking

Turkey Walking Taco Skillet Bake | Sarcastic Cooking

Skillet Walking Taco Bake

Yield: Serves 4-6
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Ground turkey, onion, and jalapeño cooked in a skillet. Mix in sour cream and your favorite salsa. Cover with cheese and bake/broil until melted. Top with a zesty ranch salad and lots of corn chips!

Ingredients

  • FOR THE SKILLET:
  • 2 tbsp avocado oil
  • 1/2 yellow onion, diced
  • 1 jalapeño, diced
  • 1lb lean ground turkey
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 tbsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 2/3 cup salsa
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
  • 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
  • FOR THE SALAD TOPPING:
  • 1/2 cup ranch dressing
  • juice from 1 lime, about 1 1/2 tbsp lime juice
  • 1 heaping tbsp minced jarred jalepeño peppers
  • 1 tsp fresh chopped cilantro
  • 1 small head of romaine lettuce, chopped
  • 1 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, halved
  • 1/2 cup black olives, halved
  • 1 radish, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 cups corn chips

Instructions

  1. Heat a medium/large cast iron skillet over medium for 1-2 minutes. Add the oil. Once shimmering, add in the onion and pepper. Cook until just about translucent and soft.
    Add the ground turkey and seasonings. Use a wooden spatula to break the meat apart and evenly cook/brown for about 10 minutes.
  2. Once the meat is cooked through, mix in the sour cream and salsa.
  3. Remove from the heat. Top with cheeses. Either broil on low for about 5-7 minutes until the cheese melts or pop it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 10-15 minutes.
  4. While the skillet is in the oven/broiler, make the salad.
  5. Mix the ranch, lime juice, jalapeño, and cilantro in a small bowl. Add all the salad fixings to a medium mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Add in about half the corn chips to the salad. Use about 1/2 the dressing. Toss to mix it all together.
  6. Scoop out a serving of the meat and cheese on to a plate. Top with the mixed salad, more corn chiops, and another drizzle of dressing.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Skillet Walking Taco Bake | Sarcastic Cooking

You Might Also Like

Skip to Recipe