I like to bulk up meat heavy dishes, like tacos, with beans and vegetables to help them go farther. Meat is expensive! Bulking up my taco meat is more cost effective, healthy, satisfying, and most importantly, delicious. This recipe makes approximately 12 tacos, so 6 people, if everybody has two.

I only included onions, black beans, and tomatoes for bulking, but I also wouldn’t shy away from using corn, diced bell peppers, and shredded carrots, mushrooms, and zucchini. All are very mild in flavor and take taco seasoning well.

There are two “secret ingredients” in my seasoning mix that you probably won’t come across in your average store bought seasoning packet

1. Tomato Paste: I know it’s not actually a seasoning, but it’s not something we put in our taco meat growing up so I’m counting it as a “secret” ingredient. Adding a can of tomato paste can add a nice tang and dreamy sauciness to your taco meat, which also helps it stick together inside your taco shell better.
2. Cocoa Powder: Don’t knock it til you try it! Cocoa powder is used in small quantities in many classic Mexican dishes to deepen the color and flavor profile of the dish. Trust me your tacos won’t taste like chocolate, but the flavors will be deep and well rounded.

As far as Freezer Prep goes, you don’t need to cook the meat before hand. I just put the raw turkey, veggies, and seasonings in a bowl and massage them together with my hands until just combined. (If that grosses you out, a wooden spoon also works nicely.) Just don’t over-mix the meat or you may end up with tough tacos later on. Then I put the meat in a gallon bag, label and date it, flatten it out and lay it in the freezer until I need to use it. When it’s time to pull the meat out of the freezer, submerge the freezer bag in cool water, changing out the water every 5-10 minutes, until the meat is thawed through. Then you can brown it just like you would any other plain ground meat. The beauty about using turkey here is that there isn’t a bunch of fat you need to drain off, so you can cook the meat and all the vegetables at the same time.

Print Recipe

Turkey Black Bean Tacos

Servings

real people

Ingredients

Taco Meat

• 1.5-2 lbs ground turkey $4.49
• 1/2 yellow onion, diced $0.10
• 1 tbsp minced garlic $0.06
• 1 15 oz can of black beans, low sodium, drained and rinsed $0.67
• 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, no salt added $0.48
• 1 6 oz can of tomato paste $0.41
• 1/4 cup, rounded my taco seasoning blend $0.90
• 1-2 tbsp water free(ish)

Taco Seasoning Blend

• 1.5 tbsp chili powder $0.08
• 1.5 tsp ground cumin $0.14
• 1.5 tsp chicken bouillon $0.02
• 1.5 tsp corn starch $0.02
• 1 tsp cocoa powder $0.02
• 1 tsp dried oregano $0.09
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder $0.05
• 1/2 tsp onion powder $0.03
• 1/4 tsp black pepper $0.01
• 1/4 tsp ground coriander 0.03

Servings real people Ingredients Taco Meat 1.5-2 lbs ground turkey $4.49 1/2 yellow onion, diced $0.10 1 tbsp minced garlic $0.06 1 15 oz can of black beans, low sodium, drained and rinsed $0.67 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes, no salt added $0.48 1 6 oz can of tomato paste $0.41 1/4 cup, rounded my taco seasoning blend $0.90 1-2 tbsp water free(ish) Taco Seasoning Blend 1.5 tbsp chili powder $0.08 1.5 tsp ground cumin $0.14 1.5 tsp chicken bouillon $0.02 1.5 tsp corn starch $0.02 1 tsp cocoa powder $0.02 1 tsp dried oregano $0.09 1/2 tsp garlic powder $0.05 1/2 tsp onion powder $0.03 1/4 tsp black pepper $0.01 1/4 tsp ground coriander 0.03

Instructions

Instructions

1. Warm a large skillet/dutch oven over medium heat and put the turkey, onions and garlic in all at once. There's enough fat in the turkey to keep the ingredients from sticking so there's no need to add extra oil.
2. While the meat is browning, put together the taco seasoning blend (if you don't already have some made in bulk) and drain and rinse the black beans thoroughly.
3. Once the turkey is browned and the onions are soft, add in the black beans along with the tomatoes, tomato paste and taco seasoning blend.
4. At this point, you can serve the meat or you can add in 1-2 tablespoons of water depending on your desired consistency. I also usually let mine simmer for 10-15 minutes to let the flavors blend a little.

Freezer Instructions

1. Label a gallon sized freezer bag as "Turkey Black Bean Tacos" and write these instructions: 1. Thaw turkey 2. Cook on medium heat until browned 3. simmer for 10-15 minutes, serve Write todays date
2. In a large bowl combine all of the ingredients except for the water. Make sure your drain and rinse your black beans thoroughly.
3. Mix until well combined. I use my hands because I feel it's easier than maneuvering a wooden spoon around, it's not super appetizing but it gets the job done.
4. WASH YOUR HANDS and use a serving spoon to spoon the taco mixture into your freezer bag. Seal the bag removing as much air as possible and lay flat in your freezer until the time comes to use it. Taco meat should stay good in the freezer for four months.

Recipe Notes

*calculations done using 1.5 lbs of ground turkey*

Serving size: 1/2 cup

Servings: 12

Price for dish: $7.11

Price per serving: $0.59

Nutrition per serving:

Calories: 140

Carbs: 12.3 g

Protein: 13.8 g

Fats: 4.4 g

Sodium: 247 mg

Fiber: 3.2c g

Sugar: 3.1 g

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