There's an awesome little Mexican food restaurant near our neighborhood that is so good that I pretty much jump on the chance to eat there whenever possible. The only problem is that any sort of self control I have pretty much stays behind me when I walk in the door and I end up pigging out on chips and salsa and ordering an amazing but I'm sure not terribly healthy taco or chimichanga platter. Delicious, but then I end up feeling like I can barely walk back out the door. Does this happen to you guys too?
Thankfully I now have these healthier chicken burritos that I can quickly toss in the slow cooker when the craving for Mexican food hits and let me tell you it doesn't feel like missing out in the least.
This totally just involves tossing the ground meat with a few ingredients right in the slow cooker which also means no grease splatters to clean up. I don't know about you, but that kinda makes my day.
A little trip under the broiler to melt the cheese on top is totally worth the couple minutes it takes. Line your pan with foil and there's pretty much no clean up involved in this step either. A fresh and simple salsa tops it all off for the freshest and easiest homemade burrito you've ever had! Just don't forget the sour cream drizzle.
Slow Cooker Healthier Turkey Burritos
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 2 tablespoons homemade taco seasoning blend
- 15 ounces light kidney beans, drained and rinsed
- 1 cup frozen corn kernels
- 15 ounces crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 cups instant brown rice
- 8 oz cherry tomatoes quartered
- 1 avocado diced
- ½ cup frozen corn kernels thawed
- 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- salt & pepper
- 10 8 inch whole wheat flour tortillas
- 2 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- sour cream for topping optional
Instructions
- Place raw ground turkey in bottom of slow cooker
- Sprinkle with taco seasoning and use a spoon or spatula to break it up into small chunks
- Layer with beans, corn and then crushed tomatoes
- Add chicken broth and cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8
- Stir contents and make sure turkey is crumbled and evenly distributed
- Add rice into slow cooker and stir to combine well
- Cover and cook on high for 10 minutes
- Stir and check rice for doneness
- Add ½ cup more water, stir and recover if rice is not done and let cook an additional 10 minutes
- In the meantime toss together the tomatoes, remaining corn, avocado, cilantro, lime juice, and salt and pepper, set aside
- Fill each tortilla with about 1 cup of the turkey burrito filling
- Fold and roll and place on baking sheet
- Top each with about ¼ cup cheese
- Place under broiler on high for 3-5 minutes until cheese is bubbly and melted (watch closely)
- Top with the avocado tomato salsa and sour cream as desired
Nutrition
Hi, is it possible to use regular brown rice instead of instant?
Hi Heather! Technically, yes. However, the amount of liquid in the recipe would need to be adjusted down and then you would cook the rice separately. I haven't tried it yet, though, so I don't have the specific adjustments to offer. If you feel adventurous, give it a try and let me know 🙂
Thanks! I'll just make the rice separately. It's in the slow cooker. Looking forward to it!
I loved these! And so did my family + even my two-and-a-half-year-old grandson. This recipe is definitely going in my permanent box on my counter. The only change I would make possibly is to substitute Jarred salsa for the crushed tomatoes next time. I also added chopped up white onions to the avocado corn salsa topping. Otherwise I wouldn't change a thing.
Hi Danica! The salsa would be perfect to give it a little extra kick! So glad your family loved these!