A fast and healthy weeknight dinner recipe, ground turkey is sauteed with seasonal vegetables and simmered in a fragrant Indian spiced tomato sauce.
We eat a lot of ground turkey in our house and I imagine many of you do, too. Versatile, affordable, and packed with protein and minerals, it is a busy cook’s best friend!
Acting like a blank canvas, I love using ingredients and spices from around the world to add flavor to ground turkey. Szechuan Green Beans and Ground Turkey is a staple in our house and I frequently make Turkey Black Bean Chili with Sriracha and Yogurt for lunches throughout the week.
Ground Turkey and Zucchini with Indian Spices was created on a whim to use up all of the summer vegetables I bought at the farmers market during the summer but it’s great all year round to use up whatever you have on hand.
Naturally gluten-free, high in protein and low carb, my Ground Turkey and Zucchini with Indian Spices turned out to be the perfect lunch that I could prep in bulk and enjoy for several days. In fact, the flavors developed and got better over time. I love when that happens. Serve on brown rice or as is with a side salad.
What is Garam Masala?
Garam Masala is a combination of 30+ spices. Some of the ingredients it would include would be star anise, bay leaves, fennel seeds, garlic, ginger, turmeric, and more.
Where can I buy Garam Masala?
Many grocery stores including Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods sell it in their spices section. Amazon stocks it as well.
What’s good to serve with a ground turkey recipe?
Brown Rice would be a nice addition or one of my Lebanese salads.
Spice level:
The cayenne to the recipe is optional and does add a little bit of heat to it. Leave it out if you would like to serve mild.
Is this recipe freezer friendly?
Yes!
What are your favorite ground turkey recipes? Any questions I can answer for you? I’d love to hear from you. Your fork is waiting.
📖 Recipe
Ground Turkey and Zucchini with Indian Spices
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 1 pound ground turkey breast
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded and diced
- 1 large zucchini diced
- 1 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 tablespoon lemon grass minced, optional
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garam masala
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne optional
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1 cup tomato sauce low sodium
- 1/2 cup diced scallions
Instructions
- Heat a deep skillet over medium high heat and spray with cooking spray. Sautee onions until tender, about 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add ground turkey and salt. Cook until turkey is half-way cooked through, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in bell peppers, zucchini, ginger, lemon grass, cumin, smoked paprika, garam masala, cinnamon, cayenne and allspice. Saute until veggies are tender, about 8-9 minutes.
- Add tomato sauce and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook for additional 5 minutes or until everything is cooked through and tender.
- Sprinkle with scallions right before serving.
- Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Chef's Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by The Lemon Bowl
Looking for more dinner ideas? Check out my Healthy Entrees board!
Alene
Actually, this was good. I’m not a big fan of ground turkey meat, nor is my husband. I buy it, though, to try to lower our meat consumption. But I upped the spices by about half and added a very hot pepper, sliced thinly, that I had laying around. I also decided that I wasn’t in the mood for a tomato flavor so I exchanged the tomato sauce for about 3/4 of a can of coconut milk. It worked perfectly with basmati rice. Even my husband liked it. So, thank you for the inspiration! And for the recipe.
Liz DellaCroce
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!!
June
What is Garam masala?
Liz DellaCroce
It’s an Indian spice you can find in most grocery stores or ethnic markets!