Time to get your tastebuds tingling with these delicious ground turkey tostadas. Super simple and quick to make, these are one tasty alternative to tacos for Mexican night. Topped with a homemade tomato salsa and guacamole, they are fun to make and eat!
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If you are a fan of Mexican food, you are going to adore these turkey tostadas!
Ground turkey mince is cooked with a homemade taco seasoning, loaded on to corn tostadas before being topped with favorites like guacamole, cherry tomato salsa, shredded cheese, sour cream and cilantro.
Simple to make, these tostadas come together quickly with little fuss, and even better, you can set up a tostada bar so everyone can serve themselves. This is one effortless but crowd pleasing weeknight dinner, and it's a perfect option for game day!
Be sure to try my Air Fryer Turkey Meatballs and Turkey Leek Soup too!
Why you will love this recipe!
- Healthier: Ground turkey is a great healthier alternative to beef. Low in saturated fat and high in protein, this simple swap is an easy way to cut down on calories.
- Gluten-free: If you have an intolerance to gluten but love Mexican food, these are perfect for you! Tostadas are made with corn so contain no gluten - just be sure to double check the label if you are sensitive.
- Make ahead: A lot of the elements for these can be made ahead of time.
- Quick and easy: There's really nothing much to this recipe, super simple to throw together in less than 20 minutes. It's a great option when you want something tasty but don't want to spend hours slaving away in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- Guacamole: This guac recipe is pretty simple. You need a couple of avocados, lime juice and salt, pepper and garlic powder. Just mash together and you are good to go.
- Salsa: I use my cherry tomato salsa recipe which has a delicious sweetness to it. Use cherry tomatoes, red onion, lime juice, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cilantro and a little sugar.
- Turkey: Ground turkey is a great healthier option compared to beef and chicken. It's lower in saturated fat and calories, whilst remaining a great source of protein.
- Onion: This is optional, but I like to cook the turkey with some diced onion for some extra flavor.
- Seasonings: Chili powder, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper and salt.
- Tostadas: Tostadas are like flat crispy taco shells, so if you love those you are sure to love these!
- Toppings: Sour cream, shredded cheese, sliced jalapeno and fresh cilantro.
How to make turkey tostadas
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Brown the turkey and soften the onion in a skillet (photo 1).
- Mix in the seasonings to the cooked ground turkey (photo 2).
- Add the seasoned turkey to your tostadas along with all of your toppings (photo 3).
Recipe Variations
The joy of these turkey tostadas is that you can easily mix things up to suit your tastes.
I love to use my homemade chili blend, but if you don't have all of those herbs and spices to hand, you can totally use a store bought taco mix and use that instead. The homemade seasoning is easy to adapt too, this is quite mild in spice, so if you prefer things hotter, simply add in a little more
Similarly, for an even more convenient recipe, you can use a store bought salsa and guacamole, though I must say that fresh is way tastier.
Although it's best not to overload the tostadas too much, the amounts of cheese, sour cream and other toppings should be added to taste - I am not going to stop you if you want more cheese! Other toppings like refried beans, shredded lettuce and slaw can of course all be added.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pronounced tuh-staa-duh, tostada means 'toasted'. A tortilla is fried or toasted so that it's super crispy and then loaded with your favorite toppings. If you like tacos, you are going to love this flat version!
I use store bought tostadas for this recipe, but you can easily make your own by brushing small tortillas with oil and then baking them in the oven til crispy.
Absolutley! The ground turkey can easily be substituted with chicken or beef. Ground beef results in a richer tasting dish, but I suggest that you use lean or extra lean, otherwise the mix will be quite greasy and soften the tostadas making them tricky to eat.
For a meat-free tostada, use a plant based alternative like Beyond Meat.
Part of the fun of tostadas is in the eating! I personally love to pile them high and get messy! Pick them up with two hands and eat them like you would a pizza, be sure to eat them over a plate to catch any toppings that escape! I find that eating around the edges first is a good tactic, and then have a fork handy to scoop up what's left!
I like to serve these as an easy dinner, but they can also be served as a snack for game day or as a side with a soup.
Make ahead and storage
The different elements of this dish really don't take long to whip up, you can easily cook everything up and serve in less than 20 minutes, but you can also make them ahead of tie, or make up larger batches to enjoy at a later date.
- Seasoned ground turkey: Once cooked, this will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be reheated on the stovetop to serve. Leftovers can also be frozen for up to 3 months - defrost before reheating.
- Guacamole: Once made, the guac should be covered and kept refrigerated. It will keep well for a day in the fridge. After that time it will start to brown a little, but will still be good to eat.
- Cherry tomato salsa: I actually like to make this at least 30 minutes ahead of time to let the flavors develop. It will keep well covered in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. when it sits, the juices from the tomatoes will settle in the bottom of the bowl, you can just drain this away to serve.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Warm the tostadas before serving. This helps them to be more flavorful.
- As tempting as it is, don't go too overboard on the toppings or they will be close to impossible to eat.
- The seasoning for the ground turkey is fairly mild. Adjust the amount of cayenne to suit your tastes.
- If you like, you can add in other diced vegetables to the ground turkey like red bell pepper or mushrooms.
- You can easily make up extra turkey filling and freeze it for a later date. Let it cool fully before freezing for up to 3 months.
- The seasoned ground turkey is also great to use in other Mexican recipes like quesadillas, tacos, burritos and enchiladas.
- Two of these tostadas will leave you feeling satisfied. Three will fill you up very nicely, and four are one hearty feast!
Super quick and easy to put together, these ground turkey tostadas make for one delicious family friendly Mexican feast. We are totally addicted to these and have them at least once a week!
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Ground Turkey Tostadas
Ingredients
For the cherry tomato salsa
- 1 pound cherry tomatoes quartered (450g)
- ¼ large red onion diced
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
- ¼ cup chopped cilantro (4 tablespoons)
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar
- juice of ½ lime
For the guacamole
- 2 avocados
- juice of ½ lime
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
For the ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon oil (canola, vegetable, sunflower etc)
- 1 pound ground turkey (450g)
- 1 onion diced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
To make and top the tostadas
- 8 corn tostadas
- ground turkey, as above
- guacamole, as above
- cherry tomato salsa, as above
- ½ cup shredded cheese (1 tablespoon per tostada)
- ½ cup sour cream (1 tablespoon per tostada)
- thinly sliced jalapeno
- chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
Make the cherry tomato salsa and guacamole
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in quarters and dice the red onion. Add to a bowl with the rest of the ingredients, stir to combine and keep covered and refrigerated til needed.
- Cut the avocados in half and remove the stone. Scoop the flesh into a bowl, add the seasonings and mash together to your preferred consistency. Keep covered and refrigerated til needed.
Cook the turkey
- Add the oil to a skillet and heat on a medium high heat.
- Once the oil is hot, add the diced onion and ground turkey, season with a little salt and pepper (not too much as we will be adding more in later).
- Cook, stirring occasionally, to break up the ground turkey. Cook til the turkey is browned and cooked through and the onions are soft.
- Add in the seasonings; chili powder, oregano, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne, black pepper and salt. Stir to combine and cook for another couple of minutes til fragrant.
Build the turkey tostadas
- Warm the tostadas on a low heat in the oven (you can do this while the turkey is cooking).
- Spoon the cooked turkey onto the tostadas and top with some shredded cheese. Spoon on some of the cherry tomato salsa and guacamole and top with sour cream. Finish with some sliced jalapeno and fresh cilantro.
Notes
- Warm the tostadas before serving. This helps them to be more flavorful.
- As tempting as it is, don't go too overboard on the toppings or they will be close to impossible to eat.
- The seasoning for the ground turkey is fairly mild. Adjust the amount of cayenne to suit your tastes.
- If you like, you can add in other diced vegetables to the ground turkey like red bell pepper or mushrooms.
- You can easily make up extra turkey filling and freeze it for a later date. Let it cool fully before freezing for up to 3 months.
- The seasoned ground turkey is also great to use in other Mexican recipes like quesadillas, tacos, burritos and enchiladas.
- Two of these tostadas will leave you feeling satisfied. Three will fill you up very nicely, and four are one hearty feast!
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