Turkey and Sweet Potato Skillet Dinner
What do you turn to, recipe-wise, when you’re in a hurry? For me, it’s usually eggs. If I’m in a true, white-hot panic to get dinner on the table, I’ll often scramble some eggs and then roll them up in a tortilla with grated cheese, sliced avocado and some salsa. Actually, I would eat that at any time of day and be very happy. My kids, too. But I’ve been wanting to add some other options to our speed-round roster. And this dinner is a great example. It’s not fancy, it’s not that adventurous, but it’s healthy and really quick. I’m going to say it’s 20 minutes in and out.
I always have ground turkey in the freezer as I’ve got so many recipes that use it – pasta sauce, chili, burgers – so I’ve usually got that on hand. And if you know you’ve got a busy week coming up you could shave some more time off by buying pre-peeled and chopped butternut squash as an alternative to sweet potatoes. And if you’re reading this thinking that your kid won’t eat sweet potato or butternut squash, remember that melted cheese over anything is highly persuasive.
What are the dinners you make when you’ve got little or no time? Let us know if you give this one a try – we love hearing from you!
photo by Maya Visnyei
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 Tsps chili powder
- 1 1/2 cups yellow pepper, diced
- 1 1/2 cups sweet potato, peeled and diced
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup mozzarella, grated
Method
In a large, oven-safe skillet, brown your turkey over medium heat, breaking it up with the back of a spoon. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onions and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes until they are fragrant and begin to soften. Sprinkle the chili powder over top and give it all a good stir.
Add the yellow pepper and allow to soften for another 3 minutes or so. Stir in the sweet potatoes, cover and cook for about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally and add a bit of water if things dry out. Check to see that sweet potatoes are tender. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Sprinkle the grated cheese over top.
Turn broiler on. Place the skillet under the heat for a minute or two - watch it! - until the cheese melts and just starts to brown. Remove carefully from the oven and serve.
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We're Ceri and Laura, a couple of magazine-editors-turned-food-bloggers. Also, we're mothers obsessed with delicious, healthy, family food. We're constantly thinking of ways to make your time (and our own!) in the kitchen easier and more productive, but still nostalgic for the days when dinner was cereal eaten over the kitchen sink.
3 Comments
Gail
November 26, 20:11This is one of my family’s favorite meals. I will use turkey or ground beef- whatever I happen to have on hand (or is on sale) and red, yellow or orange peppers. Sometimes they like to throw it in a soft taco shell too. It’s a crowd favorite.
Vi
October 18, 09:09Too bland for my taste. I added more chili powder, cumin and coriander. Also added dry and fresh parsley and some spinach. It turned out great.
Laura
October 30, 16:49Thanks so much for the feedback. I know that recipe is a bit older so we were likely a bit tame so it appealed to our kids. Your additions sound awesome. Thank you for taking the time to write as it helps other readers.