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Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde has turkey seasoned with salsa verde, cumin, and lime, and there’s salsa verde in the dressing too. And this delicious low-carb and dairy-free taco salad has 34 grams of protein!

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Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde shown in serving bowl with spoon.

This delicious Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde is the updated version of a tasty taco salad combination I first posted years ago when I had a niece who asked for a taco salad that was dairy-free, and if you like the flavor of slightly-spicy Salsa Verde I bet you’re going to love this new  version of the salad! Simmering well-browned ground turkey with salsa verde, cumin, and lime juice adds so much flavor to the turkey!

For the updated version (that’s easier to put together) I made a few changes based on how I had been improvising this salad through the years. This new-and-improved salad has an amazingly delicious dressing that combines salsa verde, lime juice, olive oil, mayo, and spices. And I kept the diced avocado and romaine lettuce for the salad, but switched out the peppers for cherry tomatoes.

Kara and I both loved the flavor of the turkey taco meat seasoned with salsa verde, and if you have family members who don’t want salad the ground turkey mixture would be delicious inside tortillas for regular tacos as well! And if you don’t care about having a dairy-free taco salad you can definitely add some type of Mexican cheese. I hope you try this recipe soon!

What ingredients do you need for this recipe?

(This is only a list of ingredients; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

What is Salsa Verde?

Salsa Verde is green chile salsa that doesn’t contain tomatoes, and if you’re following my blog you know I’m a huge fan of Herdez Salsa Verde (affiliate link) that’s low in carbs and doesn’t have added sugar. But there are many good brands of salsa verde, just check the carbs on the label if you care about that.

What else could you add to the Ground Turkey Taco Salad?

One ingredient I might add to this taco salad would be sliced black olives, and of course crumbled Queso Fresco, Cotija, or another type of Mexican cheese would also be good if you don’t care if the salad is dairy-free.

How low in carbs is this Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde?

This tasty dairy-free taco salad has about 10 net carbs per serving, which is great for a whole meal salad. And the salad has 34 grams of protein!

Is the Ground Turkey Taco Salad gluten-free?

As long as you make sure to use Salsa Verde that’s gluten-free, everything else in this taco salad recipe is naturally gluten-free.

Other dressings can you use on this Turkey Taco Salad:

If you don’t need this salad to be dairy-free, it would be delicious with either Cafe Rio Salad Dressing or BYU Creamery Ranch Dressing.

Why is Ground Turkey Taco Salad good for Weekend Food Prep?

This recipe makes six servings, so it’s perfect to make on the weekend and enjoy taco salad a few times during the week. See notes in the recipe for tips if you’re planning to eat some of the salad later.

Process shots collage for Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde.

How to make Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde:

(This is only a summary of the steps for the recipe; please scroll down for complete printable recipe. Or if you use the JUMP TO RECIPE link at the top of the page, it will take you directly to the complete recipe.)

  1. I love this Butterball ground turkey from Costco that has zero carbs and comes in a 1 1/2 lb. package.
  2. Heat olive oil in large frying pan and brown ground turkey well. Most turkey will release water; cook until that’s evaporated for best browning.
  3. I use my favorite Herdez Salsa Verde, but use any green chile salsa you prefer. Check for carbs if you care about that.
  4. When turkey is browned add Salsa Verde, lime juice, ground cumin, salt and pepper and simmer until liquid has evaporated.
  5. While the turkey simmers, whisk ingredients together to make the dressing.
  6. Tear lettuce apart and wash in cold water to crisp. I used a salad spinner (affiliate link), but you can dry with paper towels.
  7. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and slice green onion. 
  8. When ground turkey mixture looks dry, turn off heat.
  9. Cut up avocado and toss with lime juice.
  10. Toss together Romaine lettuce and green onion and add enough dressing to moisten.
  11. Then add ground turkey, diced avocado, and cherry tomatoes and gently toss. 
  12. Serve right away with extra dressing to add at the table.
  13. If you’re saving some  to eat during the week, only add dressing to the amount you’re eating right away. I would prepare taco meat, dressing, chopped lettuce, and sliced green onion and store extra in the fridge. Then chop up avocado and cut tomatoes when you want to eat leftovers, toss ingredients together with the dressing, and enjoy!

Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde shown in bowl on green napkin.

More Taco Salads to Enjoy:

Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde shown in serving bowl with spoon.
Yield: 6 salads

Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

This Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde with is loaded with green chile flavor, and this is so tasty for a dairy-free taco salad that's also gluten-free and has 34 grams of protein!

Ingredients

Turkey Mixture Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lb. ground turkey
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 cup Herdez Salsa Verde (see notes)
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lime juice (see notes)
  • 2 tsp. ground cumin
  • salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Dressing Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup Herdez Salsa Verde
  • 2 T fresh-squeezed lime juice
  • 1/2 tsp. Spike Seasoning
  • 1 tsp. dried cilantro (optional)
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1/4 cup mayo

Salad Ingredients:

  • 2 heads romaine lettuce (see notes)
  • 1/2 cup sliced green onion
  • 2 cups cherry tomatoes
  • 2 small avocados
  • 1 T fresh-squeezed lime juice

Instructions

  1. Heat olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high and brown the ground turkey well. Most ground turkey will release some quid, so cook it until that liquid is evaporated for best browning.
  2. When turkey is well-browned, add the Salsa Verde, water, 1/4 cup lime juice, ground cumin, and a little salt and pepper (to taste), turn heat to medium, and simmer on low until all the liquid has evaporated.
  3. While the turkey simmers, whisk together salsa verde, 2 T lime juice, Spike Seasoning, dried cilantro (optional),  olive oil and mayo to make the dressing
  4. Cut off stem ends of romaine lettuce and then tear lettuce apart and wash in ice cold water to crisp the lettuce. I used a salad spinner (affiliate link) to dry the lettuce, but if you don't have that dry well with paper towels.
  5. Cut cherry tomatoes in half and slice green onion. 
  6. As soon as the ground turkey mixture looks dry in the pan, turn off heat and let it cool slightly.
  7. Cut up avocado and toss with 1 T lime juice.
  8. Toss together the Romaine lettuce and sliced green onion in large bowl, and add enough dressing to moisten the greens.
  9. Then add slightly cooled ground turkey, diced avocado, and cherry tomatoes and gently toss. (We saved some avocado and tomato to garnish the salad in the bowl
  10. Serve right away with extra dressing to add at the table
  11. If you're wanting to save some salad to eat during the week, I would prepare the taco meat, dressing, chopped lettuce, and sliced green onion and store in containers in the fridge. Then chop up some avocado and cut tomatoes in half when you want to eat leftovers, toss ingredients together with the dressing, and enjoy!

Notes

If you want this salad to be low in carbs, be sure to choose a brand of Salsa Verde without added sugar.  There are many good brands.

I used my fresh-frozen lime juice for this recipe.

If you're using small hearts of romaine, you may need 3 heads to make 6 salads.

This recipe created by Kalyn, with suggestions and tasting help from Kara.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 580Total Fat 42gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 30gCholesterol 124mgSodium 767mgCarbohydrates 21gFiber 11gSugar 7gProtein 34g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated by the Recipe Plug-In I am using. I am not a nutritionist and cannot guarantee 100% accuracy, since many variables affect those calculations.

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© Kalyn Denny
Category: Salads
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Low-Carb Diet / Low-Glycemic Diet / South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Every ingredient in this Ground Turkey Taco Salad is suitable for Keto, low-carb, gluten-free, and dairy-free diets. The salad will also work for all phases of the original South Beach Diet.

Find More Recipes Like This One:
Use Salad Recipes to find more recipes like this one. Use the Diet Type Index to find recipes suitable for a specific eating plan. You might also like to follow Kalyn’s Kitchen on Pinterest, on Facebook, on Instagram, on TikTok, or on YouTube to see all the good recipes I’m sharing there.

Historical Notes for this Recipe:
The Ground Turkey Taco Salad with Salsa Verde was first posted in 2014. The recipe was updated into an easier to make improved version in 2024.

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