Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet (30-Minute)

This ground turkey sweet potato skillet is an easy one-pan dinner ready in 30 minutes. Lean ground turkey browns with tender sweet potatoes and baby spinach, then gets tossed with melty cheese and a quick homemade chipotle honey sauce for a healthy weeknight meal.

Easy Ground Turkey and Sweet Potato Bowl

Meet my family’s latest one-pan obsession: this ground turkey sweet potato skillet with a homemade chipotle honey sauce! What really takes this one over the top is the sauce, a quick whisk-together of chipotle peppers in adobo, honey, lime juice, and garlic that gives the whole pan a smoky-sweet-tangy finish. Shredded cheese melts into the warm turkey and sweet potatoes, baby spinach wilts in at the end, and dinner is on the table in 30 minutes. So good!

A few things to keep in mind to keep things simple. First, be sure to dice the sweet potatoes smaller than you think, about ½-inch cubes, so they cook through in the time it takes the turkey to brown. Anything bigger and they’ll stay firm in the center. Second, I use 93% lean ground turkey for the best flavor and texture, and I cook the turkey and sweet potatoes in separate stages in the same pan, which keeps the turkey from steaming and lets the sweet potatoes get tender without turning to mush. Finally, the chipotle honey sauce can be made up to 5 days ahead and kept in a mason jar, which makes this perfect for busy weeks. A little goes a long way, so start with half the batch and add more to taste.

Serve this skillet as-is or go wild with toppings for a ground turkey sweet potato bowl like sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, sour cream, or warm tortillas for a taco-style meal. Leftovers reheat beautifully and make incredible lunch bowls over rice or greens! And if you love ground turkey skillet dinners, my turkey taco skillet is another 30-minute reader favorite, and my southwest beef sweet potato skillet is the perfect swap when you want to use ground beef instead!

Testing Notes for Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Bowls

• Cover the Pan for Tender Sweet Potatoes After adding the splash of water, put a lid on the skillet. The steam cooks the sweet potatoes through faster and more evenly than sautéing uncovered.
• Remove the Turkey Before Cooking the Sweet Potatoes Don’t try to brown both at the same time! Pull the cooked turkey out of the pan and set it aside, then use the same skillet for the sweet potatoes.
• Chop the Chipotle Before Measuring Chipotles in adobo are slippery and hard to measure whole. Mince them first on a cutting board, then scoop the packed teaspoons into the sauce. Save the rest of the can in a small container in the freezer, as it keeps for months.
• Add Cheese Off the Heat Turn off the burner before sprinkling on the cheese. Cover the pan for 2-3 minutes and it comes out perfectly melted!

5 stars (5 ratings)

Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet (30-Minute)

Developed and tested by Robyn Conley Downs

Servings: 4 servings

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 25 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Easy ground turkey sweet potato skillet with spinach, melty cheese, and a homemade chipotle honey sauce. A healthy one-pan dinner in 30 minutes.

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Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 4 cups sweet potatoes, diced into small, 1-inch pieces
• ¼ cup water

For the Chipotle Honey Sauce

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-2 teaspoons minced chipotle peppers (from a can of chipotles in adobo)
• 2 teaspoons honey
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons avocado oil
• freshly ground pepper

To add at the end

• 1 cup packed baby spinach
• ⅓ cup grated cheese of choice

Equipment

• Skillet

Instructions 

• Cook the Turkey: In a large 10” non-stick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the turkey, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of the salt and granulated garlic, stirring to break into small pieces.
• Cook, stirring the ground turkey occasionally, until it’s browned and just cooked through, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.
• Cook the Sweet Potatoes: After removing the turkey, to the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sweet potatoes, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon of salt, and stir to combine.
• Add the water, stirring to scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add a splash more water if the pan starts to dry out.
• Make the Sauce: While the sweet potatoes cook, make the sauce by whisking together the garlic clove, ¼ of the salt, chipotle peppers, honey, lime juice, avocado oil and pepper in a small bowl, or shaking together in a mason jar.
• Bring it Together: When the sweet potatoes are cooked, uncover, and add the cooked turkey along with the spinach, and the Chipotle Honey Sauce until the turkey is warmed through and the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute.
• Turn off the heat and sprinkle on the cheese, allowing 2-3 minutes for it to melt.
• Taste and add with remaining sauce if desired. Serve as-is, or with any topping you like.

Notes

• Sweet Potatoes: Make sure you dice the sweet potatoes small enough. If they are too large they will take a lot longer to cook. Also make sure to use a pan with a lid so you can cover, and have extra water ready if they start to stick.
• Chipotle: Start with 1 teaspoon while making the sauce, taste, and add more if you like spice. If you don’t have chipotle in adobo on hand, substitute 1/2-1 teaspoon chili powder in its place.

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 4), Calories: 464kcal, Carbohydrates: 32g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 6g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 14g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 793mg, Potassium: 762mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 9g, Vitamin A: 19753IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 142mg, Iron: 2mg

Nutrition disclaimer

Did you make this recipe?If you do, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag me at @realfoodwholelife so I can see!

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