I don’t know about you guys, but I am very excited for the holidays. This year, I will be celebrating Christmas with my family in Brazil. Oh gosh, I can’t even describe how happy I am, especially because it will be my first Christmas with my family since 2010. Also, my family is getting bigger. My lovely sister is pregnant, and the baby will probably be born at the end of November. I’m so excited!!!! I’m going to be an auntie.
I am leaving today for Brazil because I just cannot miss this special time in our lives. It is my first nephew and my sister’s first son who will be with us for Christmas. How wonderful is that?? I just can’t wait!! I am counting the hours until I get there. My husband will join me for the holidays, but for him, it will be his first Christmas without snow 😉 He is Canadian. Christmas and hot weather just don’t go together. Of course, he will have a very different experience, but I am sure he will enjoy it!
We celebrate this special date pretty much like everybody else in the world. I am leaving today, and I will come back in January. That’s right!! I will be in Brazil for two months (YESSSSS… so happy!), which means I will be posting from the hot weather and where the sun shines there all year 😉 Don’t worry. I’ll be posting new recipes every week from Brazil, and I am sure you will love all the flavourful, healthy, and delicious recipes I create down there.
This post was first published on November 12th, 2014, but the second part of this post was updated on July 23, 2018 with new pictures and more information about the recipe.
When I first made this recipe, it was a chilly Sunday back in November 2014. I was thinking of making my low-carb and gluten-free zucchini lasagna or my eggplant lasagna (this recipe also has a tutorial video) because I wanted comfort food.
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But I decided to make something using sweet potatoes because I had a lot of sweet potatoes in my kitchen. I thought about making my favourite sweet potato soup, but my husband said he felt like eating something with meat.
So, I decided to make this gluten-free, one-pan Ground Turkey with Sweet Potato Skillet to warm us up a bit. It is so easy and quick to make and the best part: it’s healthy. In half an hour, this dish will be ready to dig into, and you will be amazed by how flavourful it is. It is definitely a delicious comfort food to share the joy. I seriously love my cast iron and one-pan meals, like this one or this Shrimp Vegetable Skillet.
5 reasons why I used a cast iron skillet to make this Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet:
If you have followed Primavera Kitchen for a long time, you probably know that I love cast iron skillet recipes, which are staples in my kitchen. I even have a round-up of 50 Healthy Cast Iron Skillet Recipes and 15 Healthy Skillet Dinner Recipes. But you probably are wondering why I love them so much. Here are the reasons:
- These types of cast iron skillets are well-seasoned and have a naturally nonstick surface that makes all the difference when cooking healthy foods. They have no bad chemicals, and as a bonus, they give off a little extra iron for you. As we all know, iron is an essential mineral that we need to avoid anemia and keep healthy cells, skin, hair, and nails.
- They also are safe to use on all cooking surfaces, such as on a stovetop, in the oven, under the broiler, or on a barbecue.
- Also, cast iron skillets are great to retain the heat and distribute it evenly for optimal cooking results.
- They are very versatile since you can use them for sautéing, searing, pan-frying, baking, broiling, roasting, and more.
- And last but not least, they are easy to clean. Here is a post where I explain more about cleaning your cast iron skillet without damaging it.
Cast iron skillets are the best cookware to have in your kitchen, and I truly could not enjoy cooking with cast iron any more. Please, give it a try and once you do, you won’t regret it. I promise! You can find lots of good options at Amazon.
How to make this one pan ground turkey and sweet potato recipe
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil — or neutral oil of your choice such as avocado oil.
- Free-range extra-lean ground turkey — you also can use grass-fed ground beef or even ground chicken. Just keep in mind that chicken might cook quicker so it might be drier. Add extra moisture like broth to keep it moist.
- Garlic clove — I prefer freshly minced garlic to pre-minced garlic.
- Onions — you only need to dice half an onion.
- Yellow pepper — or your choice of pepper. Red and orange peppers are great too.
- Sweet potato — be sure to dice it small enough that it’ll cook evenly.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Red chili flakes — optional for a bit of heat.
- Shredded mozzarella cheese — If you’re doing Whole30 or following Paleo diet, don’t add cheese. Feel free to change up the cheese! Make this spicier with some Pepper Jack cheese, Habanero Cheddar Cheese, and more!
- Fresh parsley — for garnishing!
Instructions
Saute the Ingredients
- In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground turkey and garlic. Use a wooden spoon to break up the ground turkey as it cooks. Stir occasionally, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Next, add the onions and yellow peppers, and cook until the onions are soft.
- Then, add the sweet potato, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
Cover and Cook
- Cover the skillet, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. If necessary, add more olive oil or a little bit of water to cook the sweet potatoes faster.
Add the Cheese and Melt It
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- When the sweet potatoes are tender, add the shredded mozzarella cheese, and put the skillet in the oven to melt the cheese. When the cheese melts, remove the skillet from the oven, and garnish with parsley. Since we are going from stovetop to oven, it’s important to use a cast iron skillet!
5 tips to make the best Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet recipe:
- Don’t overload your skillet with sweet potatoes because this veggie takes forever to cook, and you may burn your food. If your cast iron skillet is 9-10 inches, the ideal amount of diced sweet potato is between 2-3 cups.
- Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce the heat to medium to cook the sweet potato faster.
- Or, you can first cook the sweet potato and add it into the pan when the ground turkey is cooked.
- You can also add another spice that you have in your kitchen to make this recipe even more flavourful. According to some readers’ reviews, this recipe is also good with cumin, curry, paprika, sage, chili powder, onion powder, thyme, rosemary, and hot sauce.
- And, some readers said that they added kale, spinach, and mushroom as well, which make this recipe even more delicious and nutritious. I’ve already made this recipe with broccoli and green beans, and it worked very well, too. So, be open to adding more veggies if you wish.
Meal prep tips
- Make sure to store all your portions in an airtight container. I use glass containers as they don’t hold onto any smells and are easier to clean.
- Be sure to keep the meals refrigerated until you’re ready to eat. When ready to eat, cover it with a damp paper towel when microwaving to keep the moisture in.
- This meal prep will last for up to 4 days when properly stored.
More cast iron sweet potato skillet recipes to try:
- Ground Beef Zucchini Sweet Potato Skillet: It’s very flavorful, easy, quick-to-make, healthy, a one-pan meal, gluten-free, whole30, and paleo-friendly!! It’s great as leftovers to take to work for lunch.
- Ground Turkey Skillet with Green Beans: A gluten-free and low-carb recipe that is definitely easy to make and a tasty meal for your family dinner.
- Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Lettuce Wraps: Fresh and flavourful, this recipe can easily be prepared in just 20 minutes.
- Ground Turkey Cabbage Skillet: An easy recipe that is perfect for a quick dinner during the week. It’s made with ground turkey, cabbage, cheese, and spices.
- Sweet Potato, Kale and Shrimp Skillet: You need only 4 ingredients to make a quick, easy, and healthy dinner meal.
- Asparagus Sweet Potato Chicken Skillet recipe: Another gluten-free, paleo, and whole30 one-pan meal that takes only 30 minutes to be on your table for dinner.
See below for how to make Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet Recipe:
As a memory, I kept this original photo from 2014!
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Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound free-range extra-lean ground turkey (you also can use grass-fed ground beef)
- 1 teaspoon garlic clove minced
- ½ cup onions diced
- ½ cup yellow pepper diced
- 1½ cups sweet potato diced
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch of red chili flakes optional
- ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese (If you're doing Whole30 or following Paleo diet, don't add cheese)
- Fresh parsley for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- In a cast iron skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground turkey and garlic. Use a wooden spoon to break up the turkey as it cooks. Stir occasionally, and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the onions and yellow peppers, and cook until the onions are soft.
- Add the sweet potato, red chili flakes, salt, and pepper.
- Cover the skillet, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender. Don’t forget to stir occasionally. If necessary, add more olive oil or a little bit of water to cook the sweet potatoes faster.
- While the sweet potatoes are cooking, preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- When the sweet potatoes are tender, add the shredded mozzarella cheese, and put the skillet in the oven to melt the cheese.
- When the cheese melts, remove from the oven, and garnish with parsley.
Tips
Video
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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Jenn says
This is a family favourite…we are making it again tonight.
Olivia says
One of our faves too. Easy and quick to make and so flavourful.
Carolyn says
Can I use a different kind of pan? I have other oven safe fry pans
Olivia says
Yes you can.
Jen says
I pinned this recipe back in 2016 and it has been on my meal rotation ever since! It is easy, delicious and everyone loves it. I follow the recipe exactly as it is written and it’s perfect every time. Try it with a dippy egg on top! So good!! Thanks for this great recipe!
Olivia says
SO glad to hear that!
Kristine Schoneman says
Can this be prepared and frozen prior to baking?
Olivia says
Yes you can.