I love tacos!!!!!!!!! and Tuesdays because they celebrate them!
Because hello, how could you not.
I once read a story about a girl who ate different variations of tacos for every meal every day for two weeks and I was both inspired and a little jealous. At the end of it she said she had gotten rather sick of them but I don’t know, there is so many different possible flavor combinations that I think it would be really difficult for me to get sick of them too quickly… like say in this lifetime for example.
In any case, I applaud her worthy cause.
I suppose I should have prefaced this recipe with this before I went on a rant about tacos but some of you may not consider these “real”, “authentic”, “legit” tacos and to you, I say, I respectfully disagree. Tacos is a state of mind.
But really, I think this is a spin on the ol’ taco, one where instead of a tortilla you’re using a piece of romaine lettuce as the vehicle to get all of the delicious taco insides into your mouth & belly. To those that will say “blasphemy!” at the idea of a taco without a tortilla, I will say, I respectfully disagree (see above about taco being a state of mind) and also sometimes I just need more veggies in my life so plz stop judging and just be happy for me kthx. Also I eat plenty of tacos with tortillas so let’s just get along.
This recipe is jam packed with flavor and goodies like not dry but juicy ground turkey! bell pepper pico de gallo! easy and simple guacamole! cotija cheese! and whatever else your little heart desires.
The bell pepper pico is da bomb. It’s like crunchy cause bell peppers and tangy cause salsa and good cause pico. Cotija, if you are unfamiliar, is a hard cow’s milk cheese which basically just crumbles into delightful little morsels bursting with flavor that are the perfect complement to your tacos (enchiladas, burritos, eggs, nachos, salads, so on and so forth).
I think it’s safe to assume that these tacos will be great on a Tuesday. But they will also be great on any other day that ends in Y.
See what I did there.
You’re so smart!
Now let’s eat tacos.
Turkey Tacos on Romaine (Lettuce Wrap)
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 22 mins
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
These colorful, quick and healthy tacos are made with lean ground turkey on a romaine leaf for a Taco Tuesday filled with vegetables not lacking in flavor.
Ingredients
Scale
- Ground Turkey Tacos:
- 1 pd ground turkey
- 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup store-bought salsa (I use one with just tomatoes, onions, serrano peppers, salt, cilantro)
- whole romaine lettuce
- cotija cheese*
- Bell Pepper Pico:
- 1 cup bell pepper (I used red, yellow, orange minis), chopped
- 1/2 cup tomatoes (I used cherry), chopped
- 1/4 cup cilantro or less to taste*
- 1/4 cup green onions
- juice of 1 lime
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt&pepper to taste
- Simple Guac:
- 2 avocados
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 cup cilantro or less to taste*
- salt&pepper to taste
Instructions
- For bell pepper pico, mix all ingredients together in a bowl, then put in fridge while meat cooks.
- For guac, mash avocados with a fork in a bowl, then add lime, cilantro and s&p. Put in fridge while meat cooks.
- For turkey, heat pan over medium high heat, add olive oil. Once hot, add turkey, letting it brown and breaking it up into pieces, about 5 minutes.
- Once turkey has browned, add salsa, turning heat down to medium-low, letting the meat simmer in the salsa. Allow it to thicken so meat is not too watery, about 6-8 minutes.
- While the meat is cooking, peel off individual romaine leaves for taco “shells”.
- Once meat is done, pile onto lettuce leaves with bell pepper pico, guac and top with cotija cheese.
Notes
*You can use another cheese if you can’t find cotija or don’t care for it. Monterey Jack would also be a good choice.
*While I personally love cilantro, I realize some do not like it with my same enthusiasm. If that’s the case, add it to your liking or omit altogether.
I can’t wait to try some of your recipes! I just got my first crock pot (and I’m a senior) and am exploring the world of slow cooked food. Thanks.
★★★★★
Just made this for dinner tonight, so good! I had some trouble finding some of the ingredients so I substituted tahini and a red curry paste for the miso, also did shrimp instead of tofu (for pleasure of My fiancé haha) but I have to say to definitely make the soft boiled egg! It was the cherry on top 👏👏