Taco Night: Easy, Peasy and Cheesy

Here’s a quick and easy dinner idea for any night of the week. I probably shouldn't admit this publicly, but I occasionally have to remind myself that my kid needs to eat—like, regularly. Life is hectic, and let’s be honest, I didn’t get around to grocery shopping on Mother’s Day (Sundays are usually my day). So when I realized dinner had to happen, taco night was my go-to.

Let me be clear: I don’t cook—I assemble. And this taco night required just one pan and a little bit of kitchen optimism. Bonus: it made enough leftovers for lunches, which is a huge win.

The Meat

I’ve been experimenting with ground turkey lately. You can totally use lean ground beef if that’s more your thing. I’m personally not into the plant-based meat alternatives, but if you are, go for a pea protein-based option (stay tuned for a future discussion regarding soy).

I used to avoid ground turkey because I always found it dry and bland. But I think I’ve cracked the code: don’t overcook it. I bought 2 lbs (because let’s face it, this was my one shot to cook for the week), added a bit of olive oil to a pan, and browned it just until there was no more pink. That’s it. Overcooking is what dries it out. Once it was cooked, I added a packet of taco seasoning, gave it a good mix, and set it aside.

The Veg

Here’s where it gets really lazy—I mean efficient. I used a frozen bag of onions and peppers from Trader Joe’s. Just plain veggies. Could I have chopped and caramelized my own? Sure. But microwaving and sautéing that bag in a little olive oil took th minutes and tasted great. No shame here.

The Assembly Line

Then it was buffet time. I laid everything out and let everyone build their own:

• Pre-cut lettuce

• Grape tomatoes

• A jar of salsa

• Shredded cheddar cheese

• The sautéed onions and peppers

• The seasoned ground turkey

• Low-carb wraps

Done. Dinner was served, and everyone was happy. Even better? The leftovers were perfect for lunch. I packed up the meat and veggies in one container, salad toppings in another. At work, just heat the meat and veggies, dump it on the salad, and boom—taco bowl.

Variations to Keep It Fresh

This same concept works with other easy meals:

• Breakfast burritos: Scrambled eggs, cheese, salsa, maybe a little leftover meat all wrapped in a tortilla.

• Quesadillas: Throw shredded cheese and any protein (leftover chicken strips work great) on a tortilla, crisp it in a pan, and you’ve got a kid-approved dinner.

Bottom line? It doesn’t have to be fancy or time-consuming to be a win. Assembling is cooking enough.