Turkey Taco Salad Jars (No-Cook Assembly)
Layered mason jar salads - stays crisp 5 days, shake and eat at your desk.
Method · 9 steps
- 1
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high. Brown ground turkey 5 minutes, breaking into small bits.
- 2
Add taco seasoning and water. Simmer 3 minutes until thickened. Off heat and cool to room temp - hot turkey wilts greens in the jar.
- 3
Whisk the dressing in a bowl: Greek yogurt, salsa verde, lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin. Taste and adjust.
- 4
Layer FOUR quart-size wide-mouth mason jars in this exact order, bottom to top - this is how the salad stays crisp.
- 5
Bottom layer 1: 3 tbsp dressing. Layer 2: black beans + corn (wet layer sits on the dressing). Layer 3: cherry tomatoes + red pepper (sturdy veg that can touch moisture).
- 6
Layer 4: cooled turkey (about 5 oz per jar). Layer 5: shredded cheese. Layer 6 (top): 2 heaping cups romaine or kale, packed loosely. Seal tight.
- 7
Store chips in a zip-top bag in the cupboard and diced avocado is day-of ONLY (brown by day 2).
- 8
Parallel-prep the veg and dressing while turkey cools - whole thing comes together in 25 minutes.
- 9
To serve: shake the jar, then dump into a bowl. Top with avocado and crushed chips. Stays crisp 5 days because the greens never touch dressing in the jar.
Chef's notes
- →Wide-mouth quart mason jars are the move - narrow-mouth jars won't let the turkey layer slide out cleanly.
- →Dry the greens VERY well before packing. Wet greens wilt even at the top of a jar.
- →Add avocado and chips day-of only. They both die in storage.
Storage
Fridge 5 days (jars stay crisp because dressing is on the bottom, greens on top). Do not freeze - salads do not freeze. No reheat needed; eat cold. Add avocado and chips only at serving.
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