Need Recipes for Ground Turkey

amelliso

I've never used ground turkey, but it's on sale this week, buy one get one free. Since I'm on a budget it seems like a deal! But I don't really know what to make with it. What does it taste like?
I'm 57, 5'1", 171 lbs. So I'm at 1200 kcals a day. Any suggestions would really help me out!

1poundatax

I made Turkey Taco Salsa Verde from the website Slender Kitchen last night. My husband loved it- asked me to make it again and he rarely asks me to make anything again. I served it with quick refried beans also from Slender Kitchen. Like you I am at 1200 per day.

kosseychick

Anything you make ground beef with, you can substitute turkey with. I do it all the time.

HeidiCooksSupper

It wants seasoning and something to add moisture because it's very lean. You can make wonderful meatballs out of it for the freezer. Make sure to add some veggies to keep it moist, like fresh parsley, etc. I make a slurry of eggs and veg in the food processor and then add that and some (not many) bread crumbs to the meat. I'd then bake them on a sheet pan and put in the freezer. Once frozen, you can move them to a plastic bag and pull out how many you want when you want them. Figure out calories for the whole batch, divide by the number of meatballs, and use a laundry pen to write calories per meatball on the bag.

B_Plus_Effort

mix it 50/50 with cheap ground beef add an egg and a cup of Italian bread crumbs, sprinkle in some garlic powder and onion powder, salt and pepper, and bake it at 350 till done, and you got yourself a meat loaf, you're welcome, ha ha

amelliso

Thank you for all the info. I'll be sure to try them!!!

healthierorbust

We make turkey meatballs or burgers. I put onion, salt+pepper, garlic, cumin, fresh parsley, and fresh thyme or cilantro into the food processor and chop that up. Add it to the ground turkey with an egg and then make little balls or patties and cook it over medium heat in a little coconut oil. Serve it with fresh green beans, sweet potatoes. If you have more calories available and want to make it Mediterranean, you can do hummus, a few olives, tzatziki or labneh, tomatoes and cucumbers, and part of a whole wheat pita.

healthierorbust

HeidiCooksSupper wrote: »

It wants seasoning and something to add moisture because it's very lean. You can make wonderful meatballs out of it for the freezer. Make sure to add some veggies to keep it moist, like fresh parsley, etc. I make a slurry of eggs and veg in the food processor and then add that and some (not many) bread crumbs to the meat. I'd then bake them on a sheet pan and put in the freezer. Once frozen, you can move them to a plastic bag and pull out how many you want when you want them. Figure out calories for the whole batch, divide by the number of meatballs, and use a laundry pen to write calories per meatball on the bag.

I just write something similar before reading yours. Yum!

suzij27

I agreed with using it anywhere you would normally use ground beef. My mom uses it in spaghetti sauce. I use it for taco meat. My family is so accustom to it that way that when I used ground beef, they didn’t like it.

On the web there are lots of recipes for stuffed peppers that use ground turkey. Some use bell peppers - green or colored. I even saw one that used poblano peppers that I want to try. I live in the southwestern U.S. so a lot of these ingredients are plentiful year round which I know is not the case in other areas. Just pick a recipe that sounds yummy, the ingredients appeal you, and it fits your calorie budget. Adding extra veggies to the stuffing and foregoing or limiting the amount of rice will help to keep the calorie count lower.

AlexiaC47

Many years ago when I started eating ground turkey, I would mix it with ground beef. Then I got used to the taste, so I just use it without the beef. Like others have said, anything you use ground beef in you can use turkey. I use it for chili, tacos, meatloaf etc. Also agree it needs extra seasoning and I add a splash of olive oil if it's the very lean (99). My favorite is the 93/7 fat. there is also 99 fat free that tastes very bland to me. And 85/15 fat, which I feel is fattier.

pandsmomCheryl

Turkey Chili:

Ingredients:
• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 + pound package of lean ground turkey meat
• 1/2 cup each - chopped carrot, celery, red bell pepper, green bell pepper and finely diced onion plus 1 clove garlic chopped
• 1 can black beans (low sodium just as good)
• 1 can small red beans (low sodium just as good)
• 1 large can or 2 small cans diced tomatoes (yes, low sodium is fine as an option)
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1-2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 cup ketchup
• a few dashes of Worcestershire
• a few dashes of hot sauce (if you have it)
• Salt - scant
• 1 tsp. black pepper

Step 1:
Heat 1 TBSP olive oil in sauté pan (have stock pot handy) - add all of the chopped veggies (carrot/celery/peppers/onion/garlic)
Sweat veggies until they begin to soften over medium/low heat- approx. 10min
Remove veggies to stock pot, or crock pot

Step 2:
Heat 1 TBSP oil in sauté pan and cook turkey (I sometimes add a little water; it helps to break the meat down).
Once turkey is cooked add that to veggies in stock/crock pot - and turn heat on medium

Step 3:
Add cans of tomatoes and all of the seasonings
If it seems too thick - add about 1/2 cup of water - you want it a little watery as it will cook down for several hours in total

Step 4:
About an hour into cooking add the black and kidney beans (drained and rinsed) and continue cooking the chili for another hour-2 hours.

amelliso

Thanks!! These all sound so yummy!

spiriteagle99

I've used ground turkey for chili, spaghetti, and fajitas/tacos. It usually is about 93% fat free, so having some sort of sauce helps keep it from tasting too dry.

ronibeads

You can make mustard green soup ! Start with oil and ginger , garlic. Add your ground turkey let it brown, Then add in water. Seasoning is simple , just chicken stock powder , & salt. Once ready to eat add mustard green ! Let it cook til soft.

It’s usually made with ground pork but you can use ground turkey.

IronIsMyTherapy

I ain't picky so this is just thrown together but I eat rice, ground turkey, pasta sauce and boiled spinach.

It's also good with scrambled eggs or you could make meatloaf or turkey burgers.

yirara

amelliso wrote: »

I've never used ground turkey, but it's on sale this week, buy one get one free. Since I'm on a budget it seems like a deal! But I don't really know what to make with it. What does it taste like?
I'm 57, 5'1", 171 lbs. So I'm at 1200 kcals a day. Any suggestions would really help me out!

Ground turkey sounds gross to me.
re: the bolded. You're likely on 1200 calories per day because you want too much too fast. If you reduce your calorie deficit you can eat more. It's actually really likely that you won't get the weightloss goal you selected as MFP would not give you less than 1200 as 1200 is the bare minimum a woman should eat. More is better, and slow and steady wins the race - and gives you much more calories to eat yummy things.

qhob_89

I use ground turkey for my stuffed peppers- it’s a staple around my house because my kids love it too! Many things that use ground beef could be substituted. I wouldn’t substitute in a meatloaf (personal preference), but could easily do so for things that carry other flavors- chili, spaghetti sauce, etc.

Erinloveable

Extra lean ground turkey/chicken is my main protein. I use it like ground beef.
Just note that the more 'naked' it is, the more it tastes like chicken (I think here the turkey is actually chicken) and it's more beefy covered in things like chili.