Cajun smothered potatoes with ground turkey
A Louisiana weeknight classic of tender potatoes and seasoned turkey smothered with onions, peppers and celery until everything turns soft and savory.
- 50 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.49 a serving
- 370 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- ½ green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp Cajun seasoning
- 1½ lb russet potatoes, peeled, quartered and sliced ¼ inch thick
- 3 stalks green onions, sliced
- 1 tsp hot sauce (optional)
From your pantry
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 cup water
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 370 calories, 26 g protein, 39 g carbs and 13 g fat, and costs about $2.49 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No ground turkey? Ground chicken works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No green bell peppers? Red bell peppers or yellow bell peppers work.
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
- No hot sauce? Sriracha works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Heat the oil in a large, deep with a lid over medium-high. Add the turkey, let it sit 2 minutes, then break it up and cook 5 minutes more, until no pink remains.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Ground turkey is lean and sticks more than beef. Let it sit 2 minutes before you break it up so it browns instead of steaming.Food safety: Ground turkey and ground chicken are done at 165°F, with no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Add the onion, pepper and celery and cook 5 minutes, , until soft.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning and 1 minute.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heat
Add the potatoes, water, salt and pepper and well, .
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Scrape up the browned bits. It means loosening the brown bits stuck to the pan with a wooden spoon, usually right after adding liquid. Those bits are concentrated flavor, and they melt into the sauce.
How you’ll know: The bottom of the pan looks clean again, and the liquid turns darker and richer.
Cover, turn the heat to low, and cook 20 to 25 minutes, every 5 minutes, until the potatoes are tender and some break down into a thick gravy.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Low heatTimer: 22 min
Dolly’s tip: Scrape the bottom each time you stir. Those browned bits are the best part.Uncover and cook 3 minutes to , then scatter the green onions on top and serve with hot sauce.
Thicken. Thickening means cooking a sauce or soup until it’s less runny, by simmering it down or adding something like cornstarch. A thicker sauce clings to food instead of pooling on the plate.
How you’ll know: It coats the back of a spoon, and a line drawn through it with your finger holds its shape.
Medium heatTimer: 3 min
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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