Alright, folks, let me introduce you to my easiest weeknight dinner, Ground Turkey Stir Fry! It’s easy, super fast, sneaks in loads of veggies and is made with leanest protein out there… You guessed it right. This is one of the healthiest and tastiest ground turkey recipes!!
I raid my fridge for whatever colorful veggies I’ve got, whip up a quick sauce from pantry staples, and then it’s wok time! In less than 25 minutes, I’ve got a healthy, delicious dinner on the table that’s sure to please everyone. Trust me, this recipe is a game-changer for those busy evenings!
Busy weeknights are demanding, and there is always the question of what to cook that is tasty, yet nutritious and healthy for the whole family. You are tired at the end of the day, and looking for quick cooking time in the kitchen.
This is when stir fries come into play. A quick chop time, then everything happens in a flash. And if you use the correct amounts of aromatics and sauces, it turns into one delicious, satisfying meal.
I love my stir fries, all with tons of flavors, be it our Pork Stir Fry, Beijing Beef or Hunan Shrimp.
Any kind of protein is great in this Asian avatar, loaded with veggies. But ground turkey is a total win-win, as not only is it delicious, but being a lean protein, it’s the first choice when looking for a healthy meal option.
When I whip up this ground turkey stir fry, I often make extra for meal prep. It’s a game-changer for weekday lunches! Whether I pair it with rice, noodles, or go low-carb, having it ready in the fridge makes lunchtime a breeze.
Ingredients Needed
You can find exact measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here is what you will need:
- Ground turkey – I wouldn’t recommend anything leaner than 93/7. The 99% fat free ground turkey breast will be too dry.
- Veggies – Bell peppers (use multi colored for good color in your stir fry), zucchini, carrot, mushrooms and scallions (white and green parts separated).
- Aromatics – Fresh ginger and garlic.
- Stir fry sauce – I use a combination of different Asian sauces to create an amazing tasting stir fry sauce for this recipe. But if you miss one or two, you can definitely work with whatever you have in your pantry. This time I went with a mix of soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, honey, rice vinegar (can be subbed with white vinegar), and sriracha.
- Oil – Any neutral oil with a fairly high smoke point like vegetable or canola.
- Sesame seeds – For garnish.
How to Make Ground Turkey Stir Fry
As I said earlier, this happens in a few blinks. So I gather all the ingredients and prep the veggies by cutting or dicing them. It’s important to keep them all about the same size for even cooking.
Next, I whip up the stir fry sauce in a bowl and set it aside.
Then, I heat up some oil in my wok or skillet over medium-high heat. Once it’s nice and hot, I add in the ground turkey. I cook it until it’s no longer pink, usually about 7-8 minutes. Then, I stir in the garlic and ginger and cook for another minute.
Once that’s done, I toss in all my diced veggies and cook them for about 3-4 minutes, stirring often. I like my veggies to still have a bit of crunch, but you can cook them to your liking.
Finally, I pour in the stir fry sauce and cook everything together for another 2-3 minutes until it’s all coated nicely. Then, I take it off the heat and sprinkle on some chopped scallions and sesame seeds for extra flavor. Delicious!
Variations
- I use any of my favorite vegetables that I have on hand. I love broccoli, snow or snap peas, regular peas, spinach, green beans, water chestnuts, cabbage, red cabbage or baby corn with ground turkey.
- Some days I use different protein like ground chicken, ground pork or ground beef in place of the ground turkey.
- I like to turn it into a ground turkey egg roll bowl by adding a bag of coleslaw or shredded cabbage. I scramble some eggs and mix them in. Great low carb option.
- Give it a Thai Basil spin by adding hot red Thai chilies, a cupful of basil or Thai basil, along with a a tablespoon of fish sauce.
- On lazy days, instead of chopping, I use pre cut fresh veggies or frozen mixed veggies.
- Add in crushed nuts like peanuts or cashew nuts for some great crunch.
Serving Suggestions
- I like to serve it over hot, fresh jasmine or basmati rice with garnishes like sesame seeds and the green parts of scallions.
- Some days I love it over noodles. It’s great with my easy Spicy Noodles. Alternately, you can mix pre cooked noodles straight into the pan and make it a noodle stir fry.
- If you’re watching carbs, this goes great over cauliflower rice.
- I also like to turn it into lettuce wraps. This stir fry will go great as a lettuce wrap mixture for another low carb option.
Alpana’s Tips
- I always use a wok or heavy bottomed skillet: Your cookware matters. Using the right pan ensures even heat distribution, making sure all your ingredients cook perfectly.
- Stir frying: I’ve learned that when stir-frying, it’s important to keep everything in motion in the pan. By lifting and turning the ingredients frequently, I make sure they cook evenly, yet retain their crunch.
- Be mindful of veggie sizes: Dice your vegetables in uniform sizes so that they cook evenly. No one wants a stir fry with mushy bell peppers and undercooked zucchini.
- Prep ahead: Time is of the essence. Have all your veggies chopped and sauce mixed before you start cooking. This will make the cooking process smooth and enjoyable.
- Taste and adjust: Feel like it needs more salt? A bit more spice? Make those adjustments before serving.
Now you know exactly what to cook with ground turkey. It’s such a pretty and delicious, super easy dinner recipe that you will cook again and again.
Be sure to check our other cracking Ground Turkey Recipes on GypsyPlate, and come back again for all the new flavors coming to you…
Ground Turkey Stir Fry, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Enjoy these easy and delicious stir fry recipes!
Mongolian Ground Beef
Thai Cashew Chicken
Vietnamese Shaking Beef
Ground Beef Bulgogi
Kung Pao Chicken
Korean Ground Beef
Ground Turkey Stir Fry
This Ground Turkey Stir Fry is one of the easiest weeknight dinners you could image. Plus, it's tasty and nutritious!
Ingredients
Stir Fry
- 1lb lean ground turkey
- ½ yellow bell pepper, diced
- ½ green bell pepper, diced
- ½ orange or red bell pepper, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 carrot, diced
- 6oz mushrooms, diced
- 4 green onions, white and green part separated and diced
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp oil
Stir Fry Sauce
- 3 Tbsp soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ Tbsp honey
- ½ Tbsp rice vinegar or white vinegar
- 1 Tbsp sriracha
For Garnish
- sesame seeds
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the stir fry sauce in a bowl and set it aside.
- Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high heat. Once hot, add the ground turkey. Stir and cook until the turkey is cooked through, about 7-8 minutes. Add in garlic and ginger and cook for a minute.
- Add in all diced vegetables and cook them for 3-4 minutes, stirring often. Cook the veggies to your preferred tenderness.
- Add in stir fry sauce and cook, stirring, for another 2-3 minutes till everything is coated with stir fry sauce.
- Remove from heat and garnish it with the green parts of the scallions, along with sesame seeds.
- Serve over hot rice or noodles.
Notes
- I wouldn’t recommend anything leaner than 93/7. The 99% fat free ground turkey breast will be too dry.
- Customize with other veggies. Think broccoli, snow or snap peas, regular peas, spinach, green beans, water chestnuts, cabbage, red cabbage or baby corn.
- Dice your vegetables in uniform sizes so that they cook evenly.
- Time is of the essence. Have all your veggies chopped and sauce mixed before you start cooking. This will make the cooking process smooth and enjoyable.
- Leftovers: This is a great meal prep contender, as leftovers are great for five days refrigerated in an airtight container. Make a large batch, you can double the recipe. Divide it into portions. Simply reheat it before digging in. To reheat the stir fry, microwave it or heat it in a pan on the stove top for a few minutes over medium heat until heated throughout.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 400Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 118mgSodium 1196mgCarbohydrates 25gFiber 5gSugar 12gProtein 36g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
Get griddling! Try these Blackstone Recipes!
Never miss a recipe!
Join the GypsyPlate mailing list and get easy dinner recipes right in your mailbox. From homestyle comfort food to exotic dishes from around the world.