Italian Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet is a flavorful, family-friendly, one-pan meal easy enough to make any night of the week. It’s a healthy dinner recipe made with ground turkey, sweet potatoes, vegetables, and seasonings.
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You might think as a work-at-home food blogger mom that I’d have time to put an elaborate meal on the table every night of the week. Nope. By the time dinner rolls around, our house is just as crazy and busy as the next.
I am exhausted come 5pm. And, we are all hungry. If I haven’t made a dinner recipe to photograph and share on this website, I’m not going to feel like making anything too involved.
With this recipe for Italian Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet, my catalog of quick and easy, yet family friendly and delicious, recipes continues to grow.
Why This Recipe Works
It’s quick, easy, and delicious. The secret to the perfect one-pan meal? A delicious combination of simple, healthy ingredients.
It’s not spicy so it’s kid-friendly.
And, the clean up afterwards is a cinch, and who doesn’t appreciate that?
How to Make Italian Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Prep!
The only prep work I recommend doing is dicing the sweet potato. You should have time to dice or mince the garlic, onions, and peppers while the sweet potatoes are cooking.
Create!
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sweet potatoes and give them a toss to coat with the oil. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper.
Cover the skillet and let the sweet potatoes cook, stirring occasionally, until just fork tender. This takes about 7-10 minutes.
While the sweet potatoes are cooking, mince the garlic, finely chop the onion, and dice the peppers.
Once the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, toss in the garlic, onion, and peppers. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the ground black pepper, and the Italian seasoning. We are seasoning as we go so that all the components of the dish are evenly seasoned.
Cook an additional 3-4 minutes until the onions and peppers are just soft, then remove the vegetables to a plate or bowl.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the ground turkey to the skillet over medium heat. Season with the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
Cook, breaking up with a spoon or spatula, until no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes.
Add the vegetables back to the skillet and toss to mix.
Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
Place the skillet in the oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Present!
Remove the skillet from the oven and top with fresh sliced green onions or parsley, if desired.
Tips and Techniques
- To save time, you can prep the garlic, onion, and peppers while the sweet potatoes cook.
- If you don’t have an oven-proof skillet, you can melt the cheese right in the skillet on the stove top. Spread the cheese on top of the turkey mixture, place the lid on the skillet and cook for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- To change up the flavor of the recipe a bit, you can try using ground beef and/or white potatoes.
- Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
FAQ’s
Can You Freeze Leftovers?
Yes, leftovers can be frozen for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
Is Ground Turkey Better For You Than Ground Beef?
Ground turkey typically has less calories and fat than ground beef.
More Turkey Recipes
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Italian Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Ingredients
- 4 cups sweet potatoes * diced in 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil * divided
- 2 teaspoons salt * divided
- 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper * divided
- 4 cloves garlic * minced
- 1/2 cup sweet onion * finely diced
- 3 sweet peppers * diced (I use red, orange, and yellow)
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 pounds lean ground turkey
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded * more or less to taste
- sliced green onions or parsley * optional garnish
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, deep, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the sweet potatoes and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper. Cover and let the sweet potatoes cook, stirring occasionally, until just fork tender, about 7-10 minutes.
- Once the sweet potatoes are fork-tender, toss in the garlic, onion, and peppers. Season with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, 1/4 teaspoon of ground black pepper, and the Italian seasoning.
- Cook an additional 3-4 minutes until the onions and peppers are just soft, then transfer the vegetables to a plate or bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and the ground turkey to the skillet oven medium heat. Season with the remaining teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
- Cook, breaking up with a spoon or spatula, until no longer pink in the center, about 10 minutes.
- Add the vegetables back to the skillet and toss to mix.
- Top with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Place the skillet in the oven for about 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and top with fresh sliced green onions or parsley, if desired.
Notes
Tips and Techniques
- To save time, you can prep the garlic, onion, and peppers while the sweet potatoes cook.
- If you don't have an oven-proof skillet, you can melt the cheese right in the skillet on the stove top. Spread the cheese on top of the turkey mixture, place the lid on the skillet, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melted.
- To change up the flavor of the recipe a bit, you can try using ground beef and/or white potatoes.
- Store any leftovers in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Use within 3-4 days.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on November 12, 2018. It was updated with some new images, more thorough instructions, tips, techniques, FAQ’s and video in December 2020.
