This Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet will be ready to eat in less than 30 minutes, and you will be amazed by how flavourful it is. It’s a perfect ONE-PAN meal for your family to enjoy!
When I first made this recipe back in November 2014, it was a chilly Sunday, and I was in search of comforting food. I was thinking of making my zucchini lasagna or my eggplant lasagna.
But I decided to make something using sweet potatoes because I had a lot of sweet potatoes in my kitchen and I also love the flavor of sweet potato. 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.
This sweet potato skillet meal 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. You can’t go wrong with one-pan meals when it comes to effortless clean up and cooking convenience!
- 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 cloves — 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.
- Large 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!
Saute the Ingredients
- In a cast iron skillet ( a large pot works as well), 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 large cast iron 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!
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 Cast Iron Skillet Recipes and 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.
- 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.
Recipe Tips
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- 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.
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- Cover the skillet with a lid and reduce the heat to medium to cook the sweet potato faster.
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- Or, you can first cook the sweet potato and add it into the pan when the ground turkey is cooked.
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- 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.
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- And, some readers said that they added kale, spinach, and mushroom as well, which make this recipe even more delicious. 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.
- Make sure to store all your portions in an airtight container and, if you prefer, you can also add some rice to the container to serve with. 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.
- Before serving it, top with some fresh cilantro, sour cream and even Greek yogurt for an extra protein boost.
- Ground Beef Zucchini Sweet Potato Skillet: It’s very flavorful, easy, quick-to-make, healthy, a one-pan meal and gluten-free! It’s great as leftovers to take to work for lunch.
- Ground Turkey Skillet with Green Beans: A 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 one-pan meal that takes only 30 minutes to be on your table for dinner.
As a memory, I kept this original photo from 2014!
Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Video
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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?
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Yummy! Great dish for thanksgiving table! 🙂
Thanks a lot!
Sounds like you are going to have such a great trip! I’m glad you’ll get to be there with your sister thru the birth and first 2 months with her new son. I can’t imagine being away from my sister when having a new baby. What a special time for you! And Christmas in Brazil sounds wonderful! We’re doing Christmas in Mexico, so we’ll both be having very warm and tropical holidays : ) Loving this sweet potato and turkey skillet! What a great one pot meal. Yum!
I am enjoying Brazil so much, Nat. I also couldn’t imagine being away from my sister when having a new baby. We are very close and I couldn’t miss this especial moment! I hope you have a great warm holidays in Mexico, my dear 😉
I am so excited for Christmas, too! I’m just itching to pull out my Christmas decorations now. This sweet potato skillet looks incredible, Olivia! I love the ground turkey and cheeses in here. Sounds delicious!
Me too, Gayle. This week I will pull out my mom’s Christmas decorations. The best Holidays 😉
OMG… Brazil for Christmas… Amazing. 🙂 I am super excited for Christmas, I will be in Thailand…. YAY! The dish looks epically delicious, just went down to the kitchen and asked them to make me this for dinner. LOL!
Wow… Christmas in Thailand is awesome, too! What a paradise, right? You will have fun 😉
How did you like it?
Wow! What a wonderful way to spend the holidays! I hope you have a great trip! This dish looks really tasty, I just love simple comfort food like this!
Thanks, Kelly! I hope you have a great Holidays too 😉
This dish looks like something my husband would inhale in 2 seconds!
Also, I’m so excited for you that you’re going to Brazil. Even though I also agree that Christmas and cold weather go better together, Brazilians do know how to celebrate this date! 🙂 I won’t be able to go this year, unfortunately! 🙁 But have fun for me!!!
So glad your husband would enjoy this dish, Olivia!
Thanks. I am very happy here in Salvador. It is pretty hot, but this is what I was looking for 😉
I hope next year you would be able to spend Christmas with your Brazilian family too 😉
This looks like such a hearty and delicious dinner – too perfect for fall! Pinned.
Thanks a lot, Rachel!
This does look so comforting and yummy. Love those colors for a fall meal!
Olivia this is a perfect dish to have the day after Thanksgiving to continue the celebrations. My family will love it.
I couldn’t agree more with you 😉
this would be a great hash for breakfast or a dinner. yum!
I totally agree with you 😉
Oh yum, this looks like such an easy and simple meal with SO MUCH FLAVOR! Sweet potatoes are my fave!!
Thanks a lot for your king words, Jess!
So excited for your nephew’s arrival! That will be so special 🙂 Loving this skillet dish! I am a sucker for sweet potatoes and wish this was dinner tonight! Yum!
Thanks a lot sweet Kelly 😉
Does this day chile pepper?!
It is chili powder!
This looks so delicious! Quick question, do you have an idea about how much 1 serving would be? I c, 1.5 cups, etc? Thanks so much! looking forward to making this!
Hi, Sarah. If you cook 1 lb of ground turkey and 1 1/2 cup of sweet potato, you will have 1 cup for serving. Thanks for your question 😉
This recipe calls for chili pepper. I have chili powder and roasted red pepper flakes… is chili pepper referring to one of these, or something else?
Sorry – i mean crushed red pepper flakes, not roasted.
I used the chili powder and it came out great! I also just used ½ an onion, 1 yellow pepper, and 2 sweet potatoes, which were all more than the recipe called for, but it was just perfect for my 12″ skillet. My husband loved it too. Will definitely make again.
So glad you and your husband love this recipe! Thanks for your comment 😉
How much chili powder did you use? I don’t have chili pepper, but wanted to try this tonight. Thanks!
A pinch of chili pepper. Thanks for your question 😉
Just made this. Delicious!!!! All the right ingredients for a balanced meal.
Thanks for your comment, Jada 😉
Hi there! I found this recipe through pinterest and decided to give it a go. My father has recently discovered he has high blood pressure and I’ve been trying to get him to eat healthier but he’s extremely picky when it comes to food. So its saying a lot when I say that he loved this recipe 🙂 I’ll definitely be making it more in the future, thank you very much!
I am so happy you and your father enjoyed this recipe, Tas! Thanks so much for your kind message 😉
Made this last night – DELICIOUS!!! How many calories would you guess are in this dish?
I just made this dish and it was the best thing I have ever made!! Used green peppers versus yellow and american cheese/feta versus mozzarella and it turned out wonderful!! Definitely will be making this dish a lot
Rachel, I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe! Thanks for your feedback 😉
Olivia! Muito Bom!!!
Essa receita é tão bom! Meu namorado gostei tanto tambem de me! Nós comemos com tortiallas de milho e um aperto de limão… delicioso !! Eu vou fazer isso de novo !!!
Obrigada querida po recomendar!
-Elysia
Estou super feliz que você fez a receita e amou!
Espero que faça mais vezes e teste novas receitas 😉
Muito obrigada pelo seu feedback 😉