Name: One-Pan Ground Turkey, Sweet Potato and Kale Skillet Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 450 g ground turkey; 50 g kale; 345 g sweet potato (1 large ); 2 tsp cumin; 1 tsp paprika; 1 tsp garlic powder; ½ tsp onion powder; ½ tsp salt; 1/8 tsp pepper; 250 ml stock; 50 g cheese (Optional)

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A one-pot ground turkey, sweet potato and kale skillet dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes is just what you need on a busy weeknight.

A ground turkey, sweet potato and kale skillet has all the nutrients and flavour that you want in a one-pot meal. We combine very simple ingredients with some very common spices to give you a one-pot weeknight meal in under 30 minutes.

I recall seeing a similar recipe years ago that I started making and then morphed into my own concoction. If I can track down the original I will be sure to post it here, I’m sure it’s not drastically different.

This dish is perfect for a family meal especially if dinner is an afterthought. Peeling and chopping the sweet potatoes is the hardest part of the whole dish. It really is that simple!

Preparing One-Pan Ground Turkey, Sweet Potato and Kale Skillet

Ingredients

Ground turkey: Ground turkey is a mixture of dark and light meat, fat and skin from a turkey and minced to a ground state. Ground turkey meat is lean and lower in fat and calories per 100g compared to its beef and pork counterparts. It is also high in protein and vitamin B6.

Kale: Kale is a cruciferous vegetable and a member of the cabbage family, though it does not come in a head the way cabbage does. It has large dark green or purple leaves that are almost frilly at the ends. Kale can be eaten raw or cooked, though mature leaves can be a bit tough.

Sweet potato: Sweet potatoes are a starchy and sweet root vegetable. The flesh of this vegetable is orange in colour, once peeled. They are a good source of fiber, potassium, and Vitamins A and C.

Cheese: I like to use old cheddar in this recipe to add a bold flavour. The longer the cheese is aged the sharper the flavour will be. Medium cheddar will also work as well.

Cumin: Cumin is a seed from a plant that is part of the parsley family. Though the plant is native to Asia and the Mediterranean, the spice is used in cuisines all over the world. I would describe the flavour as pungent and earthy. It is definitely a unique taste and as such should be used carefully as it can easily overpower a dish.

Paprika: I use sweet paprika, or just paprika which is most commonly found in grocery stores. It is not sweet in the sugary sense, but compared to its spicy and smoked siblings it is definitely the sweetest of them all.

Garlic powder: Garlic powder is dehydrated garlic ground to a powder. It’s sweeter than raw garlic so it just adds a hint of garlic flavour without the sharpness.

Onion powder: Onion powder is made from dehydrated onions which are then ground. White, yellow or red onions can be used to make onion powder. It is a very common spice that is used in many spice

mixes.

Stock: Stock adds the base for this delicious sauce so the flavour it brings is very important. Make sure you don’t have one that’s too salty. If it is, reduce the amount of salt you add to the recipe.

How to Make Ground Turkey, Sweet Potato and Kale Skillet

As usual, we start cooking while we prep but if you are not comfortable in the kitchen, start with step 2 then go to step 1.

Step 1: Brown the Ground Turkey

Heat a cast iron skillet or large pan and add the ground turkey. Using a wooden spatula break the meat up into small pieces.

Cook for about 5 minutes tossing occasionally and continuing to break it up into smaller parts.

Step 2: Prep the produce

While the meat is cooking, wash the kale and roughly chop it.

TIP: The stems of the kale can be quite tough so make sure to cut those away and just use the soft parts of the leaves.

Now peel the sweet potato and chop it into ¼-inch cubes. To do this I slice the potato into ¼-inch slices then cut those slices into 4 or 6 pieces.

Step 3: Cook the Ground Turkey, Sweet Potato and Kale Skillet

Once the meat is almost cooked, add the sweet potatoes and spices to the pan and toss to coat. Sautee for a couple of minutes to let the spices toast a little.

Then add the stock and kale and cook covered for 10 minutes.

Step 4: Finish off the skillet

While the ingredients are cooking, grate some cheese. I like to use the fine grater as it makes it easier to incorporate the cheese into the skillet.

TIP: You can reserve some of the cheese for topping your plate or just grate more afterward.

Substitutions

Ground Turkey: You can use another lean protein like ground chicken or extra lean ground beef. You can also use tofu instead to make this a vegetarian meal.

Kale: If you don’t have any kale handy or you aren’t a fab you can use bok choy, spinach or swiss chard instead. If you use spinach you can add it in the last couple of minutes of cooking.

Sweet Potato: A decent substitute for sweet potato in this recipe is butternut squash. Whether you have it fresh or frozen it will be great in this recipe. It is not as sweet as sweet potatoes but will add a great texture to this meal.

Serving Ground Turkey, Sweet Potato and Kale Skillet

I like to serve this dish topped with freshly ground salt and pepper and a little more grated cheese. It has all the nutrition you need in a meal so it really stands alone as a meal.

Let us know in the comments if you have any other questions. And if you like this recipe be sure to leave us a five-star rating below.

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One-Pan Ground Turkey, Sweet Potato and Kale Skillet