It’s healthy. It’s hearty. It’s fast. And it’s the #1 most requested recipe for our weeknight dinner lineup. Turkey Taco Stew, you are the answer to this One-Ticket-to-Hot-Mess-City Mama’s prayers (well, you, and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc).
My mom made this recipe for my siblings and me for 15+ years, and it was one of the first creations I tackled all by my lonesome when I was in college and craving a home-cooked meal. Now, I make it on the weekly for my husband and super-hungry 14-month-old, who takes down the beans and ground turkey so long as the sour cream-to-stew ratio is a solid 1:1. #thatsmyboy
Turkey Taco Stew is a mashup between traditional chili and a Mexican mainstay that’s loaded with lean ground turkey, tomatoes, peppers and beans. This is actually one food you can feel free to indulge in, whether during hectic weeknights (it’s a “dump everything in one pot and forget about it” miracle) or casual weekends.
That is, if you opt out of my family’s favorite way to serve it: ladled over a bowl of tortilla chips and topped off with the works. The heat of the stew softens the tortilla chips, turning them into a welcome complement found at the bottom of your bowl.
Because taco-soaked tortilla chips + cheddar cheese = the ultimate dinner winner!
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Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, small dice
- 1 green pepper, small dice
- 1 1/2 lbs ground turkey
- 1 (15-oz.) can diced tomatoes with chilies
- 1 (10-oz.) can pinto beans in chili sauce
- 1 (6-oz.) can tomato paste
- 1 (1-oz.) envelope taco seasoning
- 1 (10-oz.) can tomato soup (undiluted)
- 1 cup water
- Tortilla chips, for serving (optional)
- Sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced scallions, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Place a large heavy-bottomed stock pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil, and once it is warm, add the diced onions and peppers and cook, stirring, until the onions are transluscent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey and using a spatula, break it apart into pieces and cook it until it is cooked through.
- Add all of the remaining ingredients, except for the optional toppings, then reduce the heat to low and simmer the stew until it is heated throughout.
- When ready to serve, crumble a handful of tortilla chips into a bowl then ladle in the stew and top it with sour cream, shredded cheese and sliced scallions (optional).
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Recipe by Kelly Senyei of Just a Taste. Please do not reprint this recipe without my permission. If you'd like to feature this recipe on your site, please rewrite the method of preparation and link to this post as the original source.
This turkey taco stew was amazing and very easy to make. It is a keeper for my family.
I’m so happy to read this, Joyce!
Made this on a camping trip Saturday night, and it was delicious.
I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Me and my wife went camping yesterday, and we made this recipe. It was wonderful cooked in a dutch oven over a open fire. Going to try some of your other recipes. Thanks Darrell
Woohoo! Love hearing this, Darrell!
I have never sen pinto beans in the 10 oz size. What brand do you use?
Thank you!
Hi Betty! You can use the 16-oz. cans :)
Love hearty recipes like this for fall! Pure comfort food :)
Would you be able to make this delicious recipe in a slow cooker/crock pot?
That should work, Denise! But I would definitely recommend cooking the meat and THEN transferring it into the slow cooker. Here’s another recipe for Slow Cooker Chicken Chili that would be the method I’d follow :) https://www.justataste.com/slow-cooker-chicken-chili-recipe/
Do you post the nutritional values for your recipes? i.e….calories, fat grams, fiber
Hi Ann-Marie! I am not a nutritionist, so I do not provide the calorie counts for any of my recipes.
Making this tomorrow. So happy I found your site! I made the baked taquitos already.
Thanks so much for stopping by, Jen! The Turkey Taco Stew is indeed delicious, and I especially like that it has the healthier alternative of leaving off the garnishes, which are not surprisingly, my favorite part.
this looks so good. i just stumbled across your site. i’ll def add this blog to my Rss feed!
thx!