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Wondering what to make tonight? Quickly throw together this hearty one pot meal of turkey and potatoes! Serve over roasted veggies, traditional rice, or cauliflower rice for a healthy and satisfying dinner.
Update: This recipe was originally published in 2020 and has been republished with all new photos.
This Ground Turkey and Potato Skillet was loosely inspired by a classic picadillo. It has very different flavors – a picadillo includes olives and raisins. That’s not going to fly with my children. Or my husband, if I’m being honest. But I wanted to take that general idea and make it family friendly with very simple ingredients. We all need hobbies and that’s mine.
This meal is an accurate reflection of my favorite kind of meal to make at home. It may not be the prettiest, but it’s tasty. The addition of potatoes keeps it hearty. And it’s just so easy! This is exactly the sort of comfort food I need in my life right now. How about you?
Ingredients for Ground Turkey and Potato Skillet
- Ground turkey: Lean ground turkey or lean ground beef are both great options. Another lean ground meat like ground chicken can also be used.
- Potatoes: I prefer yellow or gold potatoes. Russet, sweet, or red would all work beautifully too!
- Olive or avocado oil: The oil helps sauté the diced potatoes until tender. I recommend olive or avocado oil but you can use any oil you’re comfortable cooking with.
- Canned tomato sauce: You can find canned tomato sauce in the grocery store on the aisle with canned tomatoes. This will add a rich tomato flavor to our dish.
- Garlic: You can mince your own garlic or use a jarred variety.
- Seasonings: Dried oregano, dried basil, dried parsley, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper are the simple herbs and spices we’ll use to flavor this one pot meal. You can also experiment with whatever you have in your own pantry!
How to Make Ground Turkey and Potato Skillet
To create this meal, you’ll start by seasoning and browning the ground turkey. Set aside. (Of course you can easily use a lean ground beef if that’s what you have on hand or prefer.)
Then the potatoes go in the pan to get a little color. Now incorporate the turkey, garlic, tomato sauce, water, and more seasonings. Reduce the heat, cover, and let it all simmer until your potatoes are tender.
It’s next to impossible to screw this up. It’s just that easy!
How to Serve This
Oh there are so many ways to serve up this easy meal. You can clearly enjoy it as is and it’s just perfect. Flavorful. Healthy. Satiating thanks to those potatoes.
But perhaps you want to add something to stretch this dish a bit further? I know I always like something green on our plates! Pile this delicious combo of turkey and potatoes over roasted veggies like my Spicy Roasted Broccoli or Easy Roasted Broccoli (if you don’t like heat). That will give you an added boost of vegetables! This is also crazy delicious over traditional or cauliflower rice!
Other veggies that work beautifully either layered under or just served beside this skillet meal are Garlic Green Beans, Simple Sautéed Cabbage, or Roasted Green Beans with Almonds.
Want to add a salad to your meal? My Easy Homemade Italian Dressing will beautifully flavor a side salad.
No matter how you choose to serve this, you’re going to love it. This recipe earns rave reviews on Instagram for good reason!
More recipes like this:
Beef & Veggie Bowls with Comeback Sauce
Green Chile Chicken & Potato Skillet
Ground Turkey and Potato Skillet
Ingredients
Ground Turkey
- 1 pound lean ground turkey, I use 93/7. You can use ground beef if you prefer.
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Potatoes
- 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 4 cups diced potatoes, Dice small to ensure they cook quickly.
- 8 ounces canned tomato sauce
- ½ cup water
- 2 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- ½ teaspoon dried parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Add your ground turkey (or beef) to a skillet on the stovetop. Use your spatula to crumble the meat. Cook on medium high, stirring occasionally, until browned. Stir in salt, pepper, garlic powder, chili powder, and oregano. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the oil to the skillet. Once the oil is hot, add the diced potatoes. Sauté on medium high heat, stirring occasionally until sides of potatoes have browned. This can take 5 to 10 minutes depending on your stove and the size of your potatoes.
- Reduce heat to medium. Add your cooked ground turkey, tomato sauce, water, minced garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, salt, pepper, and onion powder to the skillet with potatoes. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes, or until potatoes are tender.
- Taste and add more salt or pepper if desired.
- Serve over roasted vegetables (I recommend my Spicy Roasted Broccoli or Easy Roasted Broccoli), traditional rice, or cauliflower rice.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
My husband found this recipe and I’m so glad he did! It was delicious!! Do you/anyone have any advice on how to make it a freezer meal?
I read the comments and made sure to dice the potatoes small! Potatoes were very tender! Super comforting but great macros.
Is the nutrition facts per serving or for the whole thing? It’s a delicious meal
Delicious! I have made this recipe several times whenever I have ground turkey and potatoes and it gets better and better. This recipe is so flavorful and filling! It’s fairly simple to put together too. The potatoes will cook fastest when they are diced small. The only addition I make is that I dice an onion and cook over medium heat in some olive oil until soft before I cook the ground turkey. I just love having the onion in this recipe. I have even fried an egg and added on top for the ultimate comfort meal. This recipe is a keeper!
Yay! Thank you, Alex!
My absolute favorite. Great flavor. Thank you for this recipe. When I am feeling uninspired as my family’s cook, I use this recipe and it lifts my spirits. Easy to make and it’s always delicious! Everyone loves it too! I’ve served it over steamed broccoli, green beans, pasta, or jasmine rice. All are equally delicious. I also don’t have onion powder so I SUB it with minced onion and add to the meat with the spices.
I totally understand that feeling of being uninspired some evenings! So happy you enjoy this recipe when you’re feeling that way. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave such a kind comment!
I don’t comment on recipes very often, but I need to say, this recipe is AWESOME! It’s on regular rotation in my home and is a huge hit with both my husband and 2 year old. I’ve made it with both ground turkey and beef, and I’ve added additional vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, and zucchini. It tastes great every time, and the leftovers are excellent. It’s such an easy recipe and makes dinner a breeze. Thank you so much for sharing this!!
That thrills me to hear! It’s such a simple and versatile dish! Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, Karthryn!!
I only had 3 cups of potato, but I did everything else per the recipe. My husband and I both found it a little spicy. I don’t know what it was that gave it such a kick…..or maybe our palate is getting a little more sensitive in our old age. Maybe I should have reduced the spices since I was short on potatoes.
Hi! Yes, if you’re decreasing the potatoes I’d definitely reduce the seasoning.
Super good,❤️
Thank you!
Words don’t give justice to this delicious dish. Amazing as tacos, over scrambled eggs, dinner or breakfast this a go to dish. Great combo of ingredients. Thank you!!
Love the idea of this for tacos!! So happy you enjoyed this so much, Zairna. And thank you for taking the time to leave such a kind comment!
Very Good. Everything was perfect.