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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Absolutely loved it! I added some additional spices: cayenne pepper, chili powder, and cinnamon. It kind of gave it a “turkey chili” flavor.
Awesome!
This is delicious. I made it for 2 meals. Breakfast as a turkey sweet potato hash for my husband to eat with an egg on top and a side of corn tortillas. No cheese. Also served it with a side of asparagus for dinner. I pre-roasted a purple sweet potato and used a white onion, yellow pepper, cilantro, spinach with some cinnamon, cumin, chili powder, cayenne and a bit of fresh jalapeno. What a gorgeous looking and tasty dish. This recipe will replace my original sweet potato hash recipe. Thanks so much.
Awesome! It sounds delicious 😉
I made this for the family tonight. reading thru the ingredients list, I felt like there was not enough spice in this dish. I added a teaspoon minced ginger and 2 teaspoons jerk seasoning. I also didn’t want to burn the garlic, so I didn’t add it until after the meat, onion, and pepper had sauteed together. The flavor, as amended, was good.
I hardly ever come back to write reviews, but this recipe is totally worth it! I never thought I liked sweet potatoes, but after making this, I realized I like them if they are prepared in a savory way. I make this skillet meal ALL the time. My husband and picky two year old gobble it up. I’ve made it so many times, I have it memorized. I usually add a little chopped spinach and wilt it right before adding the cheese, just for a little green. Honestly. If you’re on the fence, MAKE THIS RECIPE!
Kate thank you so much for stopping by and for leaving me this beautiful feedback. It truly made my day 😉
Can I use regular potatoes instead of sweet potatoes?
Yes you can.
This looks yummy, might just add some scallions and a box of boursin!
These are great ideas!
Could butternut squash be substituted for the sweet potato? I have one i need to use up soon.
Yes I think so.
This is one of my go to dinner meals, we absolutely love it. I did change the turkey out for spicy sausage and wow, the spice with the sweet is fabulous, I don’t add the cheese but everything else is the same.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Happy you liked it!!
Really loved this recipe!!! I’m looking forward to making it again next weekend!!! Thanks for this wonderful recipe!!
You’re very welcome!
This is my all time favorite. I have added chopped dried cranberries at times. My Emeril skillet does a fantastic job in preparing this dish.
Dried cranberries sound like a delicious addition to this recipe 😉
My family loves this dish. It’s a go-to weeknight meal for us. I’ve added a few tbsp of water after I add the sweet potatoes to allow them to steam without burning the turkey, and that works out well. I’m a health coach and I’ve shared this link with lots of clients. Really simple, healthy, and well done dish!!
That’s awesome! Thank you for sharing this recipe with your clients. I appreciate it 😉
This was awesome. My version…..added mushrooms and chopped (frozen) broccoli and a dash of curry powder. Amazing!
Why do I need to scroll through your life story before getting to what I actually need-the recipe. Just post it at the top.
On the top of the page there is a bottom called “jump to the recipe”. Hit it and problem solved 😉
I cook for my 100 year old mom once a week. Always looking for new recipes that are easy for her to chew.
I loved the ingredients but seemed a little bland so I added Thyme, Sage, more red pepper flake, poultry seasoning and paprika. All subtle spices, but upped the savory factor. I also added fresh Parmesan to the Mozzarella. Par boiled the sweet potato first, which helps peeling them and sped up cooking time considerably. I would make it again. Very healthy and tasty too. Oh, I also threw in fresh baby spinach to up the nutritional value. My mom liked it. Can also see this with Indian spices. Very nice recipe. Thanks!
I like the addition of spinach in there 😉
Thanks for sharing this piece, i will sure share it with my contacts.
Thumps Up
Thanks!
Love this recipe! Make it often for weekly meal prep! Never. Change a thing!
We love this recipe too. So flavourful and so easy to make!
I made this meal once and I loved it! Now I’m going to make it again! I’m not really an experienced cook, so just curious, do the sweet potatoes have to be cooked beforehand?
No it’s not necessary. Just close the skillet with a lid while the sweet potato is cooking. The steam will help to cook it.
Hi!
How can I cook this if I don’t have a cast iron skillet? Looks amazing and I’m SO EXCITED to try it for the first time!
You can use any skillet you have.
This is a delicious and easy recipe to make. I added fresh thyme and broccoli to mine. I also added parmesan cheese along with the mozzarella. I like how versatile this recipe is.
Mm… Yummy!
We love this recipe! I did add something that works well and adds a different twist.
I put Craisens in when I add the sweet potatoes. It makes it delicous and makes it like a Thanksgiving dinner!
That’s awesome. Happy to hear that!
Instead of water I substitute chicken broth. I also didn’t have cumin on hand, so instead I used a tablespoon of medium curry. I’ve also used ground chicken instead as well.
Super delicious with all of these ingredients.
Glad you liked it!