Southwest Turkey Breakfast Tacos
Spiced ground turkey, black beans, and scrambled eggs in one skillet, spooned into warm corn tortillas.
- calories
- 390
- weight
- 7 oz
- cal / oz
- 56
- protein
- 26 g
- serves
- 4, scales
- prep
- 10 min
- cook
- 15 min
- total time
- 25 min
- water
- none
- cost
- $$
Calorie and protein figures are my own estimates, good enough for planning a food bag and not meant as precise nutrition data.
- Breakfast
- Campfire coals
- Grill grate
- Liquid fuel
- Car camping
- Basecamp
- Gluten free
- Nut free
- One pot
- Pre-mix at home
- Needs a cooler
- Basic
Ingredients
| Ground turkey | 1/2 lb | packed in a leakproof container near the top of the cooler |
|---|---|---|
| Black beans | 1/2 cup | drained, from a can or a pouch |
| Onion | 1/2 small | diced at home |
| Chili powder | 1/2 tsp | |
| Cumin | 1/2 tsp | |
| Salt | 1/4 tsp | |
| Eggs | 3 | |
| Corn tortillas | 4 | |
| Pico de gallo | 1/4 cup | drain off the loose liquid before packing |
Method
- Set the skillet over coals or a steady burner and let it come up to heat.
- Add the turkey and onion. Break the meat up and cook until it is browned through and the onion has gone soft, about 5 or 6 minutes.
- Stir in the beans, chili powder, cumin, and salt. Two more minutes is enough to wake the spices up.
- Shove everything to one side of the pan. Crack the eggs into the bare half and scramble them until they are just set, then fold the two halves together.
- Warm the tortillas one at a time in a dry corner of the skillet or directly on the grate. Keep them under a towel.
- Fill the tortillas, spoon the pico on last, and eat standing up.
This one stays on the cooler-trip list rather than in a pack, because eggs and raw turkey both need cold. The trade is that you get real scrambled eggs and real meat, which no freeze-dried breakfast matches.
The order of operations is the whole recipe. Turkey and onion first because they take the longest and leave browned bits in the pan. Beans and spices next, in the rendered fat, so the seasoning coats everything instead of sitting on top. Eggs last and off to one side, since they overcook in seconds and turn rubbery if they share heat with meat that is still browning. Pico goes on at the plate, not in the skillet, or the tortillas turn to paste.
Packing
Spices go in one small container at home so you are not opening four jars at dawn. Dice the onion before you leave and pack it with the turkey. Tortillas stay in their bag until the moment they hit the pan.
Variations
- Cook the turkey at home and pack it cold. At camp you are reheating and scrambling, which cuts the cook time in half.
- No eggs in the cooler? Whole-egg powder rehydrates fine and scrambles the same way.
- A hunk of hard cheese grated over the filling adds fat that eggs alone do not carry.
https://camprecipes.com/skillet-southwest-turkey-breakfast-tacos