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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Ok, I had my hesitations about this recipe but made it anyway because of all the positive comments. I thought it was going to lack depth of flavor because of the small number of herbs/spices. I had my arsenal of backups to save it if necessary. Well oh my! This is one delicious combo of ingredients. It turned out fantastic. I did add fresh sage because I had some on hand but I know it would have been just as good without. I mashed about half of the sweet potato for a combo of chunks and mashed just because I love different textures.
Thank you so much for this recipe. It has now been added to my 5 star healthy meals pinterest board.
Fondly,
-Lisa
Thank you so much for your lovely comment and feedback. I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe 😉
When you list yellow pepper, does that mean yellow bell pepper?
yes, yellow bell pepper!
Did you use yams or sweet potatos? Because in the pictures it looks like yams.
I would like to know this too. They are quite different from one another.
Hi Olivia – will this recipe freeze well?
Do you have a suggestion to replace the cheese? I am dairy free, so not sure if this will work.
I was a little hesitant to make this for my picky eaters but I needed to use my ground turkey before it went bad. I did not have yellow pepper or parsley but it was still a delicious hash! My nine year old daughter loved it for dinner and even ate it for her after school snack the next day. Thank you for the recipe!
This recipe is amazing. I make it 3 times a week after the gym. I can’t get enough of it. I add habaneros and serrano peppers when I add the onions and the yellow peppers and onions. I love this recipe and will be eating it for years to come.
I found this looking for a recipe with sweet potatoes that wasn’t sweet potato casserole, or fries!
It was SO yummy!! I don’t like the texture of onions, so I subbed onion powder. I also used a little bit more chili pepper because I’m from the south and like things spicy! It wasn’t even that spicy, just nice and flavorful!
Thanks so much for the recipe! I’m excited to eat the leftovers for lunch today!
Has anyone tried making this for the freezer to stock up on for later? I’m due with Baby #2 in May and trying to build a healthy stash for afterwards! Would love advice on how to do this with this meal!
Yum! I just made this tonight (with ground beef) as I was desperately searching for something to make with the few things I had on had on hand. We all loved it, including my picky 2 and 5 year olds! Quick, easy and delicious! I WILL be making it again! Thank you!!!
Katie I am very glad to hear that. Thanks a lot for your comment 😉
Well this was unexpectedly delicious! We happened to have most of the ingredients on hand… I googled recipes for ground turkey and saw this and thought.. heck I will give it a shot. My 2 & 3 year olds loved it and so did I! It was delicious! Will definitely be adding this to the monthly calendar of dishes!
can u use butternut squash
Yes, for sure!
Made this morning – love it! Added fresh rosemary and will be making it again. Thank you!
I loved this dish! Do you think it would work if I made it ahead of time without putting it in the oven and freezing it?
Then, I could take it out whenever and after it thawed I’d add the mozzerella cheese and put it in the oven??
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I actually fixed up a red apple when I turned the burner off for a bit of crunch and it was excellent. Thank you!
Do you need to have a cast iron skillet?
Not necessary, Anne! You can use any oven safe skillet!
This was a great dinner! Healthy, yummy, and enough leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
So glad to hear that 😉
Glad to hear that 😉
Was so excited to try this … but it ended up being a lot more bland, which I found surprising given how much sweet potatoes add to any recipe. It seems like it’s missing something, and I can’t quite put my finger on what.
This was delicious! I used red instead of yellow peppers (because that’s all I had), and I added some mushrooms. Quick to cook and very healthy! Great job!
Wow mushroom is an awesome ingredient to be added in here 😉
I made this for dinner tonight and was thrilled with how flavorful, light, and filling it turned out! I added spinach and some avocado since I didn’t have fresh parsley and wanted some green to the dish and they were great additions. Thanks for the easy recipe for a healthy dinner!
You are very welcome! Glad you enjoyed this recipe 😉