Turkey sweet potato skillet is an easy main dish dinner that the whole family will love! With cumin, chili powder, and cheese, this Mexican-inspired skillet is flavorful, comforting, and hearty. A great healthier comfort food meal!
Article Summary:
In today's post we will be making a ground turkey sweet potato skillet. This dinner recipe is savory, comforting, hearty, and made in just a few simple steps. Read on to learn about the recipe, how to make it, and more!
Want a sure-fire way to satisfy the family taste buds come dinner time? Make this ground turkey and sweet potato skillet. This quick recipe (ready in under 40 minutes!) is a hit for family members of all ages. Let me show you how to make this recipe so you can experience ubiquitous dinner time enthusiasm, too!
Let's Chat About This Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet:
- Ease: with just a few simple steps and no hard to find ingredients, this recipe is a perfect weeknight dinner option. Though I recommend serving the recipe with steamed rice or quinoa, the recipe itself only takes 1 pan. To save on the extra pan for the rice or quinoa, purchase a pre-cooked package of either.
- Versatility: this sweet potato skillet is also delicious made with ground beef, bison, or ground chicken (dark meat). So, enjoy it with whichever protein you have on hand.
- Flavor: Mexican-inspired seasonings enhance both turkey and sweet potato well. This recipe also has great depth thanks to fresh minced garlic. I recommend 5 minced cloves. This amount mellows as it cooks down, offering exceptional dimension, but you can reduce the amount of garlic to fit your preferences, if desired.
- Comforting: we love making this skillet for dinner in the fall and winter. The melty cheese, savory spices, and ability for the dish to "fill in all the cracks" leave me feeling satisfied and content, but not in a food coma. It's a perfect healthy comfort food recipe!
- Family-friendly: with full flavor that will satisfy grown up taste buds, this sweet potato ground turkey skillet still isn't spicy or overwhelming for kids (see my notes below about ground red pepper being an optional ingredient). It's a recipe that will satisfy everyone in the family!
Ingredients:
- Ground turkey - a mixture of light and dark meat, or at least 93% lean (or less) is best. 97-99% lean (or ground white meat turkey) will be dry and flavorless
- Sweet potatoes - peeled and cubed, though you can also leave the skin on too (see my notes below!)
- Sweet red pepper
- Onions - one or yellow
- Celery
- Shredded mozzarella cheese
- Spices - ground cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, ground red pepper (optional), and salt
- Olive oil
Substitutions:
- Potatoes - red garnet yams can replace the sweet potatoes
- Ground beef - lean ground beef or ground bison meat can substitute for the ground turkey
- Peppers - any color of sweet pepper (green, orange, yellow, etc.) can substitute for the red pepper
How to make this ground turkey and sweet potato dinner...
Use these helpful photos as your guide as you make this recipe.
- Heat olive oil in a large non-stick skillet. Add the sweet potatoes and sauté, stirring frequently, or until the potatoes are golden brown.
- Pour the water into the skillet. Sprinkle with salt. Cover the pan and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and tender.
- Return the skillet to medium heat. Add olive oil and heat. Add the onion, sweet red pepper, celery. Cook, stirring and crumbling as you do, or until the onions are beginning to turn translucent.
- Add the turkey to the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring and crumbling, or until the turkey is cooked through and no longer pink.
- Add salt, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and red pepper (if using) to the turkey mixture. Cook, stirring as you cook, or until the garlic is golden and the mixture is fragrant.
- Return the sweet potato to the pan with the turkey mixture. Stir in well and cook until the potatoes are heated through.
- Reduce the heat to low. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the turkey and sweet potato mixture. Cook until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with rice or quinoa and your favorite toppings.
Recipe pro-tips:
- Cut the sweet potato uniformly. This helps the potatoes to cook evenly.
- Add extra water as needed to the sweet potato while simmering. If all of the water evaporates from the sweet potatoes before they are cooked through and tender, add extra water by ¼ cup and simmer until the potatoes are done.
- Steam the sweet potatoes covered. This will trap the moisture in the pan, cooking the potatoes faster and keeping them moist as they cook. Also, since the water won't evaporate from the pan as fast, you won't have to add as much water to the pan to cook the potatoes.
- Adjust the ground red pepper to your liking. The red pepper will add heat to the dish. If you prefer dinner mild or are making this dish for children or other people who prefer mild food, either limit or omit the red pepper from the dish.
Recipe FAQs:
How long do you cook turkey in a skillet?
You cook ground turkey in a skillet over medium heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring the turkey often and crumbling it as it cooks.
Should you peel sweet potatoes?
For a skillet recipe such as this, I recommend cutting the sweet potatoes but you don't have do if you prefer to have the skin on or want to save the time of peeling the potatoes.
How long does it take for sweet potatoes to be cooked?
If cooking sweet potatoes diced on the stovetop, the total cooking time is only about 13 minutes. Sauté the potatoes first for 6-7 minutes. Once the potatoes are golden, add water and steam covered for 4-6 more minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through.
Serving suggestions:
Serve this skillet with almost any of your favorite grain sides, though steamed white or brown rice and quinoa are our favorites with this dish.
Dietary adaptations:
This recipe is naturally gluten-free and processed sugar-free. To make this recipe paleo, whole 30 compliant, or dairy-free simply omit the mozzarella cheese. This skillet can also be made dairy-free by using a nut-milk or vegan mozzarella cheese.
Storage directions:
Leftovers store covered in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. They do not freeze well.
Tools needed to make this recipe:
- Cutting board
- Chef knife
- Measuring cups & spoons
- Large non-stick skillet with lid
- Heat-safe spatula or turner
More delicious & easy dinner recipes:
- Walnut Chicken with Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- Ground Turkey Enchiladas
- Herb Panko Crusted Chicken
- Turkey Bolognese Sauce
- Instant Pot Turkey Chili
- Sheet Pan Sausage & Veggies
- Healthy Mac & Cheese
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Peas
More Sweet Potato Recipes:
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Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Email FacebookTurkey sweet potato skillet is an easy main dish dinner that the whole family will love! With cumin, chili powder, and cheese, this Mexican-inspired skillet is flavorful, comforting, and hearty. A great healthier comfort food meal!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes cut into ½ inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1 cup water plus more, optional
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 large sweet pepper diced
- 2 large ribs celery diced
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- 1 ½ teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ⅛-1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper optional
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- Hot steamed rice or quinoa to serve
- Toppings: cilantro lime, salsa, sour cream (optional)
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet Add the sweet potatoes and sauté for 6-7 minutes, stirring frequently, or until the potatoes are golden brown.
- Pour the water into the skillet. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt. Cover the pan and simmer for 4-6 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked through and tender. If any water remains once the potatoes are cooked through, remove the lid and cook the water off until evaporated. Conversely, if the potatoes need more water when cooking, add more by the ¼ cup until the potatoes are tender. Pour the sweet potatoes into a medium-size mixing bowl and set aside.
- Return the skillet to medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and heat. Add the onion, sweet red pepper, celery. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring and crumbling as you cook, or until the onions are beginning to turn translucent.
- Add the turkey to the vegetable mixture and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring and crumbling as you cook, or until the turkey is cooked through and no longer pink.
- Add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, minced garlic, cumin, chili powder, smoked paprika, and red pepper (if using) to the turkey mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring as you cook, or until the garlic is golden and the mixture is fragrant.
- Return the sweet potato to the pan with the turkey mixture. Stir in well and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the potatoes are heated through.
- Reduce the heat to low. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the turkey and sweet potato mixture. Cook for 2-5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Serve hot with rice or quinoa and your favorite toppings.
Notes
- Leftovers. Leftovers last covered in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. They do not freeze well.
- Garlic. This recipe has great depth thanks to fresh minced garlic. I recommend 5 minced cloves. This amount mellows as it cooks down, offering exceptional dimension, but you can reduce the amount of garlic to fit your preferences, if desired.
- Add extra water as needed to the sweet potato while simmering. If all of the water evaporates from the sweet potatoes before they are cooked through and tender, add extra water by ¼ cup and simmer until the potatoes are done.
- Steam the sweet potatoes covered. This will trap the moisture in the pan, cooking the potatoes faster and keeping them moist as they cook. Also, since the water won't evaporate from the pan as fast, you won't have to add as much water to the pan to cook the potatoes.
- Adjust the ground red pepper to your liking. The red pepper will add heat to the dish. If you prefer dinner mild or are making this dish for children or other people who prefer mild food, either limit or omit the red pepper from the dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/6 of skillet without riceCalories: 434kcalCarbohydrates: 28gProtein: 29gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 99mgSodium: 676mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9g
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