This sweet potato and ground turkey skillet is a family favorite dinner! A 30 minute meal that requires only one pan--can it get any easier? Bonus: this dish is really healthy, but you can't tell!
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I've been on the "one pan dinner" trend lately. My husband and I recently started a new dish washing routine in our house. He works pretty late on the week days, so we decided that I would do dishes on the weekdays while he does them on the weekend. When we decided this, I don't think my husband realized I do 90% of the cooking on the weekend ;).
Anyways, regardless of who is on dish duty, I'm all about using as minimal pans and dishes as possible. If a pan can be reused multiple times before washing, I'm on board. Probably the reason I love meal prep so much.
That's also the reason I love this recipe - it requires one pan! (One skillet to be exact). The only other thing needed is a cutting board and knife. For everyone who is busy, working, or just doesn't love doing dishes, this recipe is for you!
Ingredients
This recipe only requires 7 ingredients to make, and you probably already have a lot of these spices on hand.
- Sweet Potatoes: Use 2 and a half medium sized sweet potatoes. If the potatoes are very large, only use two. If they are smaller, use 3 to 3.5 sweet potatoes.
- Ground Turkey: Choose a lean option to make this recipe healthier. Good choices are 93% or 99% lean ground turkey.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Shredded mozzarella cheese is a cheese option that's lower in fat and calories. Another alternative is low fat shredded cheddar cheese.
- Spices: Garlic powder, onion powder, chili powder and salt. This combination of spices blends perfectly with the sweet potatoes and makes the dish smell absolutely amazing.
How To Cut Sweet Potatoes Into Cubes
The sweet potatoes must be cubed before adding to the skillet. Here's the easiest way I've found to peel a sweet potato and cut it into cubes:
- Chop the ends off the sweet potato. Cut the potato in half.
3. Cut the sweet potato into strips, making long, length-wise cuts, about ½ inch wide.
2. Place the sweet potato cut side down on the cutting board. Cut the skin off by cutting long strips down the side.
4. Cut the long strips into cubes that are approximately 1 inch wide.
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Cooking the Meal
A a cast iron skillet is recommended to cook this one-pan meal. It does a great job of cooking the food evenly, and it also cooks the sweet potatoes quickly. If you don't own a cast iron skillet, a regular, large sized skillet will also work.
This skillet
is a great option for any type of skillet meal recipe. I especially love it because of the size. It is 12.5 inches in size, which is large enough to hold a large amount of ingredients, and you don't have to worry about things overflowing or not cooking evenly. Also, it's pre-seasoned, which means you don't have to season it before the first use, as some skillets require.
Variations
There's several variations that can be made to the sweet potato and ground turkey skillet. If you make this dish or decide to create your own variations, drop and comment and let me know! I'd love to know how it turned out!
Mexican Sweet Potato Skillet
This can be made into a Mexican Sweet Potato Skillet. Add 1 can of drained black beans when combining the ground turkey and sweet potatoes. Add 1 cup of drained corn if desired. Top with cilantro, sour cream and pico de gallo.
Dairy Free
Concerned about dairy intake? Leave the mozzarella cheese off or choose a dairy free cheese. Another option is to add 1 tbsp of Nutritional Yeast
to the sweet potatoes. This will give the sweet potato skillet a creamy, cheesy taste without adding extra dairy.
Meal Prep
This recipe is a great option to meal prep because it holds up well after being cooked and tastes great when reheated.
Lunch Meal Prep
Double or triple the recipe based on how many servings are needed. Cook the sweet potatoes so that they are slightly under cooked, which will help prevent them from getting mushy. Portion into individual serving containers, refrigerate, and eat throughout the week.
Dinner Meal Prep
Several items can be prepared the night before, so that the recipe is even easier to make when you decide to prepare it. Cook the ground turkey the night before. You can also cut the sweet potatoes into cubes the night before, and then cook when ready to make the skillet.
Leftovers
This recipe tastes great as a leftover! In fact, I thought it almost tasted better a couple days later, because the spices had a chance to absorb into the ground turkey and sweet potatoes.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Eat within 4 days of preparing. This recipe could be frozen for up to 2 months, however be prepared for the sweet potatoes to be rather mushy.
Nutrition
This skillet is a healthy meal option! It is an excellent source of protein and vegetables. One serving of the sweet potato ground turkey skillet contains 216 calories and 22 grams of protein.
Sweet Potato Nutrition: The sweet potatoes are loaded with Vitamin A and Vitamin C. More information on sweet potato nutrition can be found here!
This sweet potato and ground turkey skillet is allergy friendly. It is a gluten free dinner idea, and can be easily modified so that it is dairy free as well.
Looking for more sweet potato recipes? Check out these healthy sweet potato fries!
Let's Make a Sweet Potato Ground Turkey Skillet!
Place the ground turkey in a pre-heated cast iron skillet. Add all spices, and cook over medium heat, until turkey is browned and thoroughly cooked. Cut the sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes while the turkey is cooking.
The ground turkey is done when it reaches a temperature of 165F (test with a meat thermometer).
Remove the cooked turkey from the pan. Add the cubed sweet potatoes, water and spices. Cover with a lid (any skillet lid will work, as long as the sweet potatoes are covered).
Cook for 8 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Once the sweet potatoes are cooked, add the ground turkey and top with cheese. Serve warm!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
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Sweet Potato Ground Turkey Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey 93% lean
- 2.5 medium sweet potatoes
- 1 tsp onion powder divided
- ¾ tsp garlic powder divided
- 1.5 tsp chili powder divided
- ¾ cup water
- 1.25 cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- salt optional
Instructions
- Place the ground turkey in a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until brown. Add 1 tsp chili powder, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder and salt. Stir until combined.
- Remove meat from skillet and set aside once cooked.
- Chop sweet potatoes into ¼ inch cubes. Grease skillet with pan release spray.
- Add sweet potatoes, water, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp chili powder and salt to the skillet.
- Cover with a lid and cook for 8 minutes, stirring about halfway through. (Sweet potatoes should be tender when done. Do not overcook, or they will be mushy).
- Add ground turkey to the sweet potatoes and mix gently using a spatula.
- Top with shredded mozzarella cheese and garnish with cilantro if desired. Serve warm.
I need to make this recipe. Sweet potatoes are a favorite at our house! Thank you!