This delicious Turkey Taco Salad is perfect to meal prep, to make ahead for lunch for the week!
Taco Salad Meal Prep
Taco Salad Meal PrepI took my easy, go-to turkey taco recipe and turned it into this easy meal prep lunch. The whole thing comes together in under 30 minutes, start to finish. If you’ve been following my free meal plans, you probably know I’ve been incorporating more meal prep recipes in them, recipes you can make once that can be served for the week.
Last week I took a poll on my Instagram stories to see what type of healthy meal prep lunches you would like to see for 2019, and it varied greatly from cold and hot lunches, and everything from balanced meals that include grains to keto, low-carb, whole30 and more. So, I will incorporate all of the above in the coming month. Feel free to leave your suggestions in the comments!
How To Make Turkey Taco Salad:
The easiest way to pack this lunch, is to keep the greens separate so you can heat up the turkey without heating up the rest. Then refrigerate everything so you can grab one in the morning before heading out the door! If you want to keep this whole30, omit the cheese and swap it for avocado. Of course, this can also be served for dinner if you wish!
Variations:
- Add black or pinto beans for more protein.
- Add crushed tortilla chips on top for texture.
- Swap the cheese for avocado to keep it dairy free.
More Meal Prep Ideas:
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Overnight Oats in a Jar
- Protein Egg and Quinoa Jars
- Meal Prep Breakfast Taco Scramble
- Loaded Baked Omelet Muffins
Meal Prep Taco Salad
Ingredients
Dressing:
- 1/2 cup jarred mild salsa
- 4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1/2 lime
Meat:
- 1 lb 93% ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 small onion, minced
- 2 tablespoons bell pepper, minced
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 ounces canned tomato sauce, 1/2 can
For the Salad:
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 cup pico de gallo
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
- 4 lime wedges, for serving
- optional greek yogurt or sour cream
Instructions
- Brown the turkey in a large skillet breaking it into smaller pieces as it cooks.
- When no longer pink add dry seasoning and mix well.
- Add the onion, pepper, water and tomato sauce and cover.
- Simmer on low for about 20 minutes.
- Divide the meat equally between the 4 meal prep containers.
- Meanwhile, while the meat is cooking, make the dressing: combine the salsa, olive oil and lime juice; transfer to 4 small containers.
- Divide the lettuce in 4 ziplock bags.
- Divide pico de gallo, sour cream or yogurt, if using and cheese in small containers. Cover and refrigerate.
- To serve, remove the lettuce and containers, heat the meat then make a salad by placing the lettuce in a bowl or plate.
- Top with the meat, pico de gallo, cheese and finish with dressing.
Last Step:
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really good! i didn’t have any ground meat at home so i sliced up some chicken breast. i also “fried” up a corn tortilla to break up on time for some crunch. will make this again.
Quite a filling salad, and worked perfectly for meal prep!
This recipe is awesome. The turkey taco meat was very tasty, much better then the pre packaged taco seasoning mix. The only thing missing was the crunchy taco shell that usually goes with it. Problem solved, I had to get a package of small corn taco shells for the codfish tacos. I only used 8 for dinner so there were a lot left that I didn’t know what I was going to use them for. I found a recipe for home made baked tortilla chips. They were perfect. Two tortillas (12 chips) are 100 calories, just enough to add that crunch that was missing. It was well worth using some extra calories for.
I tried this today for my lunch at work. This was amazing. Loved it. Easy to make and tastes great! I was worried this would not taste that great without chips but it was perfect just the way the recipe was.
Love this one, Gina! I really think the key with turkey is aggressive seasoning to overcome its tendency to be bland, and you nail it here. My husband loves this in taco form, and I eat it as a salad. I take basically all of your suggestions and add a can of black beans, some crumbled tortilla chips, and a bit of sour cream. A few more calories but worthwhile for how much I enjoy it.
So delicious! I could eat this everyday for lunch (or dinner) 😉 !
What on earth makes this a 7 pt salad? I am so confused by this. Everything is 0 points except the olive oil and additional sour cream and cheese…
the 93% ground turkey is not 0 points – it is 4 points per serving. Turkey breast, ground, 99% fat free is 0 points.
What’s confusing? The turkey needs to be counted unless it’s 99% fat free breast.
Does anyone know how many points this is on the green plan?
7 points
Any thoughts on a meal prep cookbook?
Awesome recipe! Super Yummy!! Everyone I’ve made it for has loved it and always got seconds/thirds.
Great!
Delicious! I doubled the recipe and added two cans of black beans along with some frozen corn, then served it over shredded lettuce. Will definitely make this again–and again!
When I put this recipe in the WW app, it came up with the Smartpoints as 2 – I didn’t use the olive oil but I added black beans and corn with the pick de gallo. It would have been 0 if I left out the cheese. I’m not sure how this recipe came up with 7 Smartpoints. It’s one of my favorites!
Best tasting Taco meat I have ever had. YUM! Thanks
This is awesome! Love the meal prep ideas.
How many calories is the turkey taco prep without the salad for 1 serving?
Love this recipe! Amazing!
Love your meal prep bowls, where did you get them?
Where did you get the those glass containers from?
Hi Gina,
I made this taco salad and it is delicious. Can this be frozen?
Thank you,
Janet
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your recipes!! I just started WW and your recipes are delicious!
Thank you!
Do you drain the turkey before adding the other ingredients?
Is the Pico De Gallo fresh or jarred?
This salad is delicious and the dressing is so clever! It gives me a great “compromise meal” to bridge the dieters and non-dieters. Sometimes I run the dressing and pico through the food processor to length it’s freshness longevity and simplify the transport/assembly. My favorite part is to eat the last couple bites with a couple blue corn tortilla chips, if I’m in need of a light carb fix.
I’m always looking for yummy lunches to take to school. This one made me excited for lunch every day this week. SO DELICIOUS!
Hi this looks like a great recipe but is there any way to cut down the carb count a little? 9g is a bit much for one meal. On keto, I try to stay below 20g a day. Thanks!!
The only carbs I see are tomato sauce, salsa, and pico de gallo, and onion. If you remove those then what do you have? It’s labeled as a keto recipe.
Try a different recipe if this doesn’t meet your needs.
My husband and I absolutely LOVE this salad! I have made it for our weekly lunches 2 weeks in a row now and we’re addicted! So flavorful you don’t even need the pico or sour cream if you don’t want it.
Awesome!
Hi Gina,
I’ve been a subscriber for awhile and recently purchased your SkinnyTaste one and done.
The taco salad meal prep was delicious. I ended up using some of the beef and tonight I’m making the chili with the ground turkey. 🙂 Sooooo yummy. Thank you for all that you do!
love these meal prep recipes. Keep them coming please!
I just made this and it smells great and I’m sure it’ll taste great too. Any suggestion as to how much of the taco meat by the cup is per serving?
Really enjoy all of your recipes, Gina. Thanks for all you do.
What in this make it 7 points? If I use 99% lean turkey will it cut down the points?
I made these a few weeks ago for lunches and loved them! I noticed though that they didn’t keep me full for very long, any recommendations on what I can add to make it a little more filling while still keeping the calories down?
Add beans for more fiber it will help hold you longer. Also, when I make this I sometimes use a 1 pound and a quarter Turkey to ramp up protein a bit.
Does the calories include the sour cream?
No, it is optional.
More meal prep for just two servings instead of 4. Only I eat the meals in my house and I get bored having same thing for 4 days straight.
You could freeze two portions of the turkey mixture to save for another week and the you would just have to add lettuce, salsa etc…
You could just half the recipe, that’s what I do many time as I cook for one.
This was so good! Yummmy!
This is a delicious recipe, however I prepared the dressing ahead of time and after a night in the fridge, the oil in the dressing seemed to congeal. I’ve had to prepare a fresh serving of the dressing each day, as the congealed oil in the dressing looked so unappetizing, and preparing it every day defeats the purpose of meal prep unfortunately. Is there a way to prevent that from happening or a way to return the dressing to its original state after being refrigerated? Thanks in advance to anyone who could help me out with this!
Just whisk it or give it a shake.
I did try whisking it actually but unfortunately the oil remained congealed. Perhaps letting it sit out at room temp for a little bit first would help? I’ll keep experimenting to try to find a solution. Thanks for the response though and it’s still a delicious recipe that I’m sure I’ll make over and over again! 🙂
If the oil is in the refrigerator it will congeal…ias soon as it warms up it is fine….
Really excited to try this! How many days does this stay fresh? I am hoping it will last all 5 days of the work week, but do not want to let it go bad.
What glass Tupperware do you use?
What is included in the calories count? Just the taco meat or including the pico de gallo and cheese?
Really enjoyed this salad for lunch. It was great cold right out of my frog and topped with pick and tortilla chips. I went no dairy and did not even miss it! Delicious!!!
Just finished making this, & it’s delicioso! My tweaks were to use hot salsa for the dressing, added chopped cilantro to the salsa, and minced 1/2 jalapeno to add to the meat while cooking. Yummy!
What an awesome idea! I just meal prepped for the week, and I now have 4 healthy salads packed and ready to go. I couldn’t find the small condiment containers like you used at my local grocery store (found them on amazon, but I didn’t want to wait :)), so I went to the dollar tree and found little reusable containers that worked just fine. The only change I made was that instead of salsa I am using pick de gallo. I can’t wait to try it tomorrow!
Wonderful- forgot to buy stuff for dressing but added greek yogurt on top and it was delicious!!! Keep sharing!!!
I don’t see the instant pot directions for this recipe.
…because it’s not an Instant Pot recipe? It’s not really that hard to convert though. Sauté the meat in the Instant Pot. Add the other ingredients. Seal and cook on high pressure, probably about 10 minutes. You’d have to experiment to get the right timing.
Delish and easy to make. No more grabbing what’s left in fridge I am prepared for lunch.
I made this last night for family dinner. I didn’t have the bell pepper but otherwise made exactly per the recipe. The family loved it! Hubs and son are not believers in turkey vs beef .. converted both last night.
Oh, on mine I used slice of avocado in lieu of cheese.
I can’t say how this will work for my meal prep … it’s all gone :).
Gina, all of your recipes are so wonderful! I love this taco salad! I’m restarting weight watchers. I thank God for you and your wonderful recipes! Thank you! ❤️
I made this for lunch today and it was very good. I didn’t have the pico de gallo but I did have cheese and light sour cream. Shared an avocado on the side with my guy. I bought tortilla chips too but forgot them until just now (head smack)! Also, I used my own home canned salsa.
Would I make this again? Definitely. In fact, we have the other two servings bundled up and ready to go!
Okay….one really stupid question here????♀️… Why do you add oil to salsa??? Does it keep better ince it is a meal prep thing?? Thanks in advance if you find time to answer my question!! Happy New Year 2019!!????????
I think it’s to make it more of a salad dressing along with the lime juice. I tried it and it is great and an easy tip.
I would really appreciate seeing any dairy-free recipes if you have any. Your recipes are amazing! very easy to prepare and tasty as well. Thanks for sharing.
You can easily modify this to make it dairy free, I also have them labeled here https://www.skinnytaste.com/recipes/dairy-free/
I often make these, but layer them in a mason jar. Meat on the bottom, lettuce on top. Flip it over and empty into a bowl and it’s the perfect salad!
Do you put the dressing in first? Does it taste fine without heating the meat?
Omg I LOVE meal prep ideas!!! Thank you!!!
I see the food containers are on amazon, but where did you get the little cups for the sour cream and salsa? I think others want to know too. Thanks
party city has them
Walmart has them near the straws and paper plates!
I get them at Kroger or Walmart, as well. They’re usually around where you can get the red party cups.
I found them at Kroger!
I got mine on Amazon
GFS has them
Love the recipe!
Firstly….I LOVE all your recipes!!!!! I do have just a quick question as to this one. If you are using Turkey….why are the WW points so high? I would think you would be closer to 4 – especially if you use greek yogurt instead of sour cream 🙂
this uses 93% lean turkey which I prefer over 99%, but that would make it lower. Also, cheese and oil.
Are the WW freestyle points so high because of the cheese, tomato sauce and olive oil? Seems high for the ingredient list. Any help understanding this would be helpful. I own all your books and ebook packets and have been following you for years. I’ve tried over 100 recipes and am committing back to WW and reading up on Keto to shed some creep up pounds- actually more than some… after making goal weight in 2012. Thank you!
No points in tomato sauce. The points come from the oil, cheese, and turkey. If you use 99% lean ground turkey, the turkey wouldn’t count, but 93% counts for points. The point value would vary depending on what kind of cheese you use and how much.
Made this for dinner. My adult children did not know they were eating Turkey instead of beef. We all loved it!
Thaank you for the meal preps! This will really help me.
Love the taco salad!! Can we get some more meal prep recipes? Thank you!
Yes, that is the plan!
Yay!
Omg! I loveeee tacos, but always feel too guilty eating them haha No idea how I never thought of making a tacos salad. The recipe looks easy and organized enough. Will def try it soon. Thanks 🙂
Any lunch Ideas for the thermos would be appreciated. I don’t like to microwave my food.
Check these out on Amazon! I love mine and all my coworkers have ordered them, also!!! Little mini crocks you keep plugged in all morning as it warms your food–no microwave necessary!!!! This is my favorite find ever on amazon!
https://www.amazon.com/Crock-Pot-Lunch-Crock-Food-Warmer/dp/B00CEILVAE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1546721756&sr=8-3&keywords=lunch+crockpot+food+warmer
This is exactly what I did for this week! Followed your taco recipe and used ground turkey instead of beef. I also added some black beans as well! Delicious!
I love meal prep for my lunches. Thanks!
Could you make freeze and dump recipes for the instant pot? Or marked your recipes that can be frozen before cooking?
Taco salads are one of my favorite meals. This looks great. I think I’ll add some black beans and corn to mine.
Happy & Healthy New Year! These look delicious. Which meal prep container and little cups did you use? I love how they are divided like a bento box to separate everything?
I agree! I’d love to know where to find them as well!
Me too!! Those containers are awesome!
Looks like Amazon carries some. I have ones from this brand without the dividers and I’ve been pleased with them. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0777JD5DD/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_BXtlCbK6S4ZZ2
Thank you! I was going to inquire, too, but now they’re “saved for later” within Amazon. 🙂
Thanks for sharing!
https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Meal-Prep-Containers-Compartment/dp/B07956JL61/ref=sr_1_4?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1546529984&sr=1-4&keywords=BENTO+BOX+AND+CONTAINERS
I found this and it looks very similar to what’s shes using
Those look like Rubbermaid Brilliance containers