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A delicious low carb zucchini noodle recipe topped in ground turkey seasoned in homemade taco seasoning. Naturally dairy-free and gluten-free.
This ground turkey taco zoodles recipe has been my most recent dinner obsession. It started while I was doing the Whole30 in January, and I have been unable to stop eating them ever since. They make wonderful bowls full of protein, healthy fats, and other yummy ingredients.
Try my Dairy-free Ground Turkey Taco Dip recipe or grapefruit guacamole for other delicious Taco Tuesday inspired recipes.
Table of Contents
Why this recipe works
- The ground turkey taco meat is magic! Seriously, try it.
- This recipe is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, and low carb.
- It is great for those following a Paleo or Whole30 diet.
- It is easy to customize.
Recipe ingredients
- Ground turkey– make sure to use ground turkey that has a little extra fat in it. I used 94% ground turkey for this recipe. The extra fat makes a difference in the texture and taste of this magic ground turkey taco meat.
- chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, cumin, onion powder, oregano, parsley– these herbs and spaces make for a great homemade taco seasoning mix.
- tomato paste– this adds flavor to the meat.
- hot sauce– this adds heat to the dish.
- red pepper– this cooks with the meat and adds great flavors to the dish.
- zucchini– these are used to make zoodles.
- strained tomatoes– adds a bit of sauce to the dish.
See recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.
Step by step instructions
Step 1: Cook the ground turkey with the taco seasoning and red pepper.
Step 2: Cook until browned.
Step 3: Cook the zucchini noodles for a few minutes in a pan.
Step 4: Mix the zucchini noodles and taco meat together.
Expert tips
- To serve: You can make these into taco bowls by adding guacamole, salsa, chips, etc to a bowl.
- To save: Put everything into an airtight container and save in the fridge as leftovers.
- Make sure to not mix the ground turkey at the start of it cooking, you want it to get a bit crispy as it cooks.
Other recipes you’ll enjoy:
Check out my lemon pesto zoodles.
Oh and if you are looking for a meatless taco bowl option, check out these Easy Vegan Burrito Bowls from Veggie Balance.
Try my sweet potato enchilada casserole for more flavorful dinner ideas.
Did you try this recipe? Please leave me a ⭐ review below!
Ground Turkey Taco Zucchini Noodles (Zoodles)
Ingredients
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1 pound of 94% lean ground turkey, ( don’t use 99%, a little fat here makes the recipe better)
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
- a pinch of red pepper flakes
- 3/4 tsp chili powder
- 3/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/8 tsp cumin
- 3/4 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp dried parsley
- 1/2 tsp oregano
- 3 Tbs tomato paste, (Cento is Paleo)
- 2 Tbs hot sauce, (Franks is Paleo)
- 1 red pepper, , diced
- 1 large zucchini, , spiralized
- 3 Tbs Pomi strained tomatoes
Instructions
- In a large frying pan, add 2 tsp of olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add the ground turkey to the pan. Top the ground turkey with 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp ground pepper, a pinch of red pepper flakes, 3/4 tsp chili powder, 3/4 tsp garlic powder, 1/8 tsp cumin, 3/4 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp dried parsley, and 1/2 tsp oregano. Mix the spices into the ground turkey while breaking the turkey up into smaller pieces. Add 3 Tbs tomato paste, and 2 Tbs hot sauce to the ground turkey and mix. Then push the ground turkey to one side of the pan so that it fills only 1/2 of the pan, and put the diced red pepper onto the other half of the pan.
- Increase the heat to medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes, without mixing. Mix the red peppers and ground turkey together for about 1 minute. Then, cook the mixture for another 4 minutes while mixing every so often. Set the mixture aside.
- In another large frying pan, add the spiralized zucchini with 3 Tbs of strained tomatoes, and heat over medium-high heat. Cook for 4-6 minutes, while mixing frequently. Stop when you have the desired consistency of your zoodles.
- Top the zoodles with the ground turkey mixture, mix, and serve.
- To serve 3-4 people, spiralize an extra zucchini and cook it was some extra strained tomato sauce.
Notes
- To serve: You can make these into taco bowls by adding guacamole, salsa, chips, etc to a bowl.
- To save: Put everything into an airtight container and save in the fridge as leftovers.
- Make sure to not mix the ground turkey at the start of it cooking, you want it to get a bit crispy as it cooks.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Delicious! Made this for the second time tonight and again the turkey taco really is magic!! The first time my kids(3 & 5) gobbled it up in tacos and I never got to the Zoodles because I took a bite of the magic meat and ate it call up alone! Lol Tonight I made double the magic taco meat and used half for my (nonpaleo)hubby and kids chili and they all loved it and half for me with the Zoodles in tomato sauce 🙂 we will all be enjoying this many many times in the future!
Yay!!! I’m so happy you and your family love it! It’s the only way I make my meat for tacos 🙂
This was amazing. I needed a break from tomatoes so I just left out all tomatoes and cooked my zucchini in 1 clove garlic and 2 Tbsp lemon and combined them. Delicious!!!!
Oh yummm! I like hearing the non-tomato option. I’ll have to try cooking my zucchini in garlic and lemon juice next time. 🙂
Hi this looks wonderful. I would like to know what is the side (not the plantains) portion, please?
Hi! I added slices of avocado, salsa, and guacamole to the bowl. They taste great with the zoodles. 🙂
Stumbled upon this recipe and made it for dinner tonight. Delicious! Thank you for adding to my whole 30 recipe rotation. It’s a keeper!
I made this for dinner last night too! It’s become a weekly rotation for me, glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Are those banana chips? … need recipe please;-)
They are plantain chips! 🙂 I do have a recipe on here… here is the link: Baked Paprika Garlic Plantain Chips
This looks great. I’ve only just converted to Paleo so am looking for new recipes. Particularly those that appeal to children 🙂
Thank you! Let me know how you guys like it! 🙂
This is a delicious looking combination. I was recently given a spiralizer, so I think this recipe may be the one I use to christen it.
Yes you need to use it! 🙂
I love zoodles and I love tacos – I need to give this a try!
Please do! Let me know how you like it. 🙂
Omg! This looks yummy. Thanks for sharing the recipe
You’re welcome! 🙂
I’m currently buried under 2 feet of snow, but I’ve got garden fever! I cant wait for summers zucchinis! This recipe sounds fantastic!
2 feet of snow!! This dish would warm you up for sure. 🙂