Tacos are a staple in this house, but lately, I’ve been playing with new ways to switch things up. We’ve perfected our homemade fish tacos and have come up with a few variations of chicken tacos, but I wanted to see if I could turn some ground turkey into a version with a sort of Thanksgiving-influence – and it turns out, it’s delicious! I threw some fall flavors I love together, roasted butternut squash, baby arugula, goat cheese, and cranberries, and created a unique twist on a classic dish that would be perfect for a Friends-giving dinner, or just a fall, weeknight dinner. Not to mention the spicy, cranberry salsa would be just as good on chips, crackers or toasted baguette as it is on these tacos.
Ingredients
For Tacos:
• Cubed Butternut Squash (I cheated and used frozen butternut squash)
• Baby Arugula
• Goat Cheese
• 1 pound Ground Turkey
• Soft Shell Taco Kit (I used Old El Paso Stand ’N Stuff Taco Kit)
For Salsa:
• 3 Cups Fresh Cranberries or 2 cans Cranberry Sauce with Whole Berries
• 1-2 Jalapeños to Taste (Depending on how much spice you prefer)
• 2/3 Cup Light Brown Sugar
• 1 Large Red Onion
• 3-4 Cloves Garlic
• Fresh Cilantro
• 1 Lime, Juiced
For salsa, combine all ingredients, except cilantro, into a food processor and mix until blended. Then stir in chopped cilantro and chill while prepping the tacos.
Pre-heat the oven to 400º. Toss the butternut squash in olive oil and roast in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until soft and golden.
While the squash is roasting, brown the ground turkey on the stovetop and add the taco seasoning according to the instructions on the packaging. Warm the taco shells according to packaging.
Fill shells with seasoned ground turkey, sliced/crumbled goat cheese, roasted squash, and baby arugula. Add the spicy cranberry salsa as desired, serve with sliced avocado and dried cranberries, and enjoy!
