Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet

This easy to make healthy Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet meal is one to save for a quick weeknight meal. Full of fresh delicious flavors from black beans, sweet potatoes, spices, tomatoes, ground turkey, and I can’t forget that easy 2 ingredient sauce. This is a perfect meal for when you are short of time but looking for full flavor!

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Sweet Potato Ground Turkey Skillet

This is one of those winner dinners. Like when you have 30 minutes until you have to leave the house to be somewhere you can still get this one made and have 10 whole minutes to sit and eat it (for real this is a true story that happened to me).

This recipe truly comes together because of one special ‘cheat’, the microwave oven. The microwave is used in this recipe to help speed up the cooking process of the sweet potatoes. The diced potatoes are added to a plate and pre-cooked before adding them to the skillet. This ensure that everything is done at the same time and ready to eat!

Besides the sweet potatoes we are using heart heathy ground turkey, black beans, and spices for the main portion of the dish.

Over the top of the dish cheese is melted at the very end to get all melty and delicious. Then it is topped with diced tomatoes and green onions.

Lastly comes to what my husband refers to as the ‘super sauce’. Amply named because it was the “cherry on top” that really helped our kids eat up this meal. I mean what kid doesn’t love a fun sauce?! In reality it is the simple combination of salsa and sour cream, which is really good on anything? But it takes 1 minute to make and definitely elevates this whole meal!

Ingredients

• Ground Turkey – At the base of this dish, use whatever fat content you would like, any will work here!
• Sweet Potatoes – You should just need one large sweet potato, it should come out to about 2 cups. If you are using little sweet potatoes you might need 2.
• Black Beans – Adding the black beans both add extra texture to this dish but also a power house of nutrients. You will want to make sure the can is drained and well rinsed before adding to the skillet.
• Kosher Salt – I recommend kosher salt (or sea salt) for all cooking but if all you have available is table salt start by using half of the amount and then taste test from there towards the end before adding more if needed.
• Chipotle Chili Powder – Now I would like to point out that this is Chipotle Chili Powder, not regular Chili Powder. The Chipotle Chili Powder has that lovely smokiness flavor that you think of when you think of Chipotle peppers. A little goes quite a long way in this dish. And if you hate buying a single spice for one meal no worries I have your back, it is also in my Crockpot Carnitas, Southwest Sauce, or my Southwest Chicken!
• Cumin – To go along with the southwest flavors of this dish the cumin is a great companion to the chipotle chili powder.
• Cheddar Cheese – I always like to recommend getting a block of cheese and grating it yourself because it gets a better melt. The pre shredded cheese comes with anti-caking powder which makes the cheese less melty. You can also feel free to use a different cheese as you wish, if I was just making this for myself (and no kids) I would totally use pepper jack on top!
• Green Onions – These add a bit of freshness! My kids don’t care for them too much so I just include them on the adult plates.
• Tomato – Just one medium to large tomato diced, this is for some added freshness. It contrast beautifully with the southwest flavors.
• Sour Cream – One part of the sauce. You will use equal parts. You can also use greek yogurt or plain yogurt in its place.
• Salsa – The second part of the sauce. You whatever salsa your family enjoys best. I use Mild Pace Salsa for my family. If you are a family that doesn’t like chunky salsa or sauce try using taco sauce instead.

For a complete detailed list of the ingredients continue towards the bottom of the page.

Instructions

Add diced sweet potatoes to a microwave safe plate. Cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Carefully remove and set aside until you are ready to use.

Make sauce by combing the sour cream and salsa in a small bowl. Set aside for serving. 

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat (I like to use my cast iron). Add the ground Turkey. Cook and crumble for about 5 minutes until just a little pink remains. Drain the skillet if necessary. 

Add in the hot sweet potatoes, black beans, salt, chipotle chili powder, and cumin. Cook stirring occasionally 5 minutes until sweet potatoes are soft and turkey is fully cooked. Remove from heat and sprinkle on the cheese to melt. Top with the green onions, diced tomatoes, and sauce for serving. Serve immediately. 

Tips, Tricks, and Questions

• If you are in a situation where everyone eating this dish loves thier food spicy you can add an extra 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of the chipotle chili powder!
• If you don’t have a microwave oven available to you you can pre-cook the potatoes in the oven. Preheat the oven to 400º F. Add the potaotes to a sheet tray and let them cook until the are slightly soft about 10 to 15 minutes.

Is this turkey sweet potato skillet spicy?

Sort of. I know that isn’t the best answer. The Chipotle Chili powder does have a slight kick. But it isn’t so spicy that when the sauce is put on top my kids will still eat it. If you have a person particularly averse to spicy this dish might not be for them. I will say my 6 year old is a big ‘not spicy’ kid and he will eat it with the tomatoes and sauce on top and he thinks it is okay!

If you like this Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Skillet you might also like?

• Baked Turkey Meatballs in Marinara Sauce
• Korean Ground Turkey & Rice Bowls
• Turkey Veggie Meatloaf Muffins
• Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
• Easy One-Pot Southwest Quinoa

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