This ground turkey and sweet potato skillet makes a fantastic quick dinner. Stir in pasta of your choice, zoodles, or leave it as a simple hash for a low carb or paleo version.
You know those last minute dinners, where you don't have much of a plan but just throw together some of the things currently in your fridge?
This happens in my house more often than I care to admit. These random throw-together meals don't always come amazing, but usually they produce something satisfying.
This is how today's turkey and sweet potato recipe was created. Only this time, this alchemy dinner experiment produced such an amazing meal, that I made the exact same thing the next day too!
That time I made some notes for you and me so that we can recreate this delicious dinner any day.
How to make Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
It all starts with the turkey. Brown the ground turkey and season with taco seasoning or another TexMex spice mix.
Add chopped onion and diced sweet potato and let everything simmer until softened. Then stir in chopped spinach, grape tomatoes, and optional cooked pasta or zucchini noodles.
Sprinkle grated cheese on top and add a lid until the lid is nice and melty!
Pasta, Zoodles, or as is?
In the pictures and video I used cooked whole wheat pasta in this skillet recipe. Regular pasta or gluten free pasta would work just as well.
For a low carb/paleo version, you can use spiralized zucchini zoodles instead. Just add those in raw and let them warm up in the skillet. There is no need to cook zucchini noodles beforehand.
Or omit noodles altogether, and serve this as a simple turkey and sweet potato hash. A fried egg on top of this hash sounds amazing!
How to serve this dish
I like diced avocado, chopped parsley and a generous squeeze of lime juice on top of my turkey sweet potato pasta.
Feel free to use cilantro, hot sauce, or any other condiment of your preference.
Random Questions
Ground turkey usually takes about 7-10 minutes to cook thoroughly in a pan over medium heat.
Ground turkey is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) and there is no trace of pink in the meat.
To keep ground turkey moist, consider adding some olive oil, broth, or sauce while cooking. Mixing in vegetables like onions and bell peppers can also help retain moisture.
Enhance the flavor of ground turkey by incorporating aromatic spices and herbs, such as cumin, paprika, garlic, and thyme. Mixing in some Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce can also add depth to the taste.
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Recipe
Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Ingredients
- 8.8 oz dry pasta (250g) regular, whole wheat, gluten free, or zoodles (optional)
- 1 tablespoon oil olive or avocado
- 1 pound ground turkey or beef
- 2-3 tablespoons taco seasoning
- salt & pepper to taste
- ½ small onion chopped
- 2 small sweet potatoes diced (or 1 large one)
- 1-½ cups water divided
- 2 cups chopped spinach
- 1 cup quartered grape tomatoes
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella
- chopped parsley
- diced avocado
- lime wedges
Instructions
- If using pasta, bring a pot of water to a boil. Then salt the water and cook pasta until al dente. (Or spiralize 3 small zucchini).
- Heat a deep skillet or pot. Drizzle with oil and add ground turkey.
- Break up the turkey with a spatula while it browns. Add taco seasoning and additional salt & pepper, if needed. Stir in chopped onion and continue browning meat (7-10 minutes total).
- Once the ground turkey has browned, add in the sweet potato dices and 1 cup water. Close the skillet with a lid and cook on medium heat until the sweet potato has softened (5-8 minutes). If needed, add the remaining ½ cup water to finish cooking the sweet potatoes.
- Open the lid ad stir in chopped spinach, quartered grape tomatoes, and optional pasta (or spiralized zucchini).
- Sprinkle the shredded mozzarella over the top and close the lid again until the cheese is melted (2-3 minutes).
- Serve this ground turkey sweet potato dish with chopped parsley, avocado dices, and a generous squeeze of lime juice.
Notes
Nutrition
Pin Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet recipe for later?
Shelby
Does this say 1 and a 1/2 cups of water? I'm so confused, haha! There was way too much water left over after the sweet potatoes were cooked.
Regina | Leelalicious
Hm...interesting. I usually have to keep adding water because the sweet potatoes seem to absorb so much. I will modify the instructions to use less to begin with