Ground turkey and sweet potato meal prep bowls
Roasted sweet potatoes and smoky garlic turkey with black beans, spinach and a lime yogurt sauce, portioned into four meals that keep 4 days in the fridge.
- 45 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $3.31 a serving
- 480 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 2 sweet potatoes, large, cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
- 4 cups baby spinach
- ¾ cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
From your pantry
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1¼ tsp salt, divided
- 1½ tsp smoked paprika, divided
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp chili powder
Each serving has about 480 calories, 35 g protein, 47 g carbs and 18 g fat, and costs about $3.31 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No ground turkey? Ground chicken works.
- No black beans? Pinto beans or kidney beans work.
- No baby spinach? Kale or arugula works.
- No plain Greek yogurt? Plain yogurt or sour cream works.
- No limes? Lemons work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the oven to 425°F. the sweet potatoes on a with 1 tablespoon of the oil, ½ teaspoon of the salt and 1 teaspoon of the paprika.
Preheat. Preheating means turning the oven on before you start, so it’s fully hot when the food goes in. Food that starts in a cold oven cooks unevenly and doesn’t brown the same.
How you’ll know: The oven beeps or its light clicks off, usually 10 to 15 minutes after you turn it on.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Sheet pan. A sheet pan is a flat metal baking tray with a low rim all the way around. The rim catches juices, and the wide surface lets food spread out and brown.
How you’ll know: Everything fits in one layer with a little space between the pieces.
25 minutes, turning them halfway, until tender and at the edges.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Timer: 25 min
While they , heat the remaining oil in a large over medium-high. Add the turkey, let it sit 2 minutes, then break it up and cook 5 to 6 minutes, until no pink remains.
Roast. Roasting means cooking in a hot oven, around 400°F to 450°F, usually spread out on a sheet pan. The dry heat browns the outside and brings out sweetness, especially in vegetables.
How you’ll know: The edges are browned and a little crisp, and a fork slides easily into the thickest piece.
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: 8 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 garlic, cumin, chili powder, remaining ½ teaspoon paprika and ½ teaspoon of the salt 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 beans and spinach and 2 minutes, until the spinach .
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.
Wilt. Wilting means cooking leafy greens just until they go soft and collapse. Greens shrink a lot, so a big pile of spinach becomes a small handful, and that’s normal.
How you’ll know: The leaves turn soft and deep green and slump into the pan, usually within a minute or two.
Medium heat
the yogurt, lime and juice and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt together for the sauce.
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.
Zest. Zest is the thin, colored outer layer of citrus peel, rubbed off on the smallest holes of a grater. It holds the fruit’s fragrant oils, so it adds bright flavor without the sourness of juice.
How you’ll know: You see bright flecks and smell citrus right away; stop when you reach the white layer, which is bitter.
Divide the sweet potatoes and turkey between 4 containers, with the sauce in small containers on the side.
Dolly’s tip: They keep 4 days in the fridge. Keep the sauce separate and add it after reheating so it stays cool and tangy.
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.
