Ground Turkey and Zucchini. Ground turkey sautéed with garlic, onions, and diced tomatoes.
I enjoy making ground turkey. In fact, I use ground turkey in place of ground beef is most instances. I find it less fatty and prefer the texture is chili, meatloaf, and in stuffing.
The only real exception are for my meatballs and as part of the filling for lasagna or baked ziti. This is more of a nostalgia thing than taste, texture, or nutrition. I just couldn’t image telling my Nonna that my meatballs are made with turkey!
However, ground turkey would make wonderful meatballs.
In this ground turkey and zucchini recipe I am serving this dish over white rice. You can also use the ground turkey as a tasty topping for nachos, as a filling for rice balls, or as stuffing for peppers.
NOTE
Before beginning the recipe remember to read the “Invent Your Recipe” section below for additional suggestions, recipe combinations, or ingredient alternatives.
How to Make Ground Turkey and Zucchini
Preparing the Ground Turkey and Zucchini:
- Place a large skillet on high heat. Next, add 2 tbsp. of canola oil and bring to a high heat.
- Add the garlic, onion, zucchini, salt, and ground black pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally.
- Next add the ground turkey and sauté for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally.
- Finally, add in the diced tomatoes and sauté for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally.
How to Serve Ground Turkey and Zucchini
- Serve the ground turkey and zucchini as the main entrée and pair with brown rice, quinoa, buckwheat, or couscous.
- Additionally, you can use this ground turkey and zucchini as a stuffing, as I did in this Zucchini boats recipe.
More Recipe Options
Turkey Bites with Broccoli
Pan seared turkey bites in a honey butter garlic sauce with broccoli.
Easy Garlic Butter Turkey
Pan seared turkey breast finished in the oven and served with sautéed onions.
Turkey Bolognese
This is a great alternative to traditional Bolognese sauce and has the added bonus of less calories per serving.
The Recipe
Ground Turkey and Zucchini
Ingredients
- 1 lb. ground turkey
- 1 large zucchini cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 can diced tomatoes 15-16oz.
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic sliced
- 2 tbsp. canola oil
- ½ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions
Preparing the Ground Turkey and Zucchini:
- Place a large skillet on high heat. Next, add 2 tbsp. of canola oil and bring to a high heat.
- Add the garlic, onion, zucchini, salt, and ground black pepper and sauté for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally.
- Next add the ground turkey and sauté for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally.
- Finally, add in the diced tomatoes and sauté for 5 minutes, mixing occasionally.
How to Serve Zucchini Boats with Ground Turkey:
- Serve the ground turkey and zucchini as the main entrée and pair with your favorite grain.
Invent Your Recipe
Nutrition
Invent Your Recipe:
For this recipe, ground turkey and zucchini, I am using ground turkey, however, I have used ground beef, ground chicken, shredded chicken, and pulled pork before. Give those a try as well and see which one you like the most.
Zucchini is a great vegetable for this dish, however, you could also make this recipe with yellow summer squash, eggplant, peppers, large tomatoes, acorn squash, or butternut squash.
If you are looking for some more flavor or spice, feel free to add in what you like. Try some red pepper flakes or chili powder. How about some peppers to sauté with the dish? Use the ingredients that you have on hand or really enjoy.
Frequently Asked Questions About Ground Turkey
What to add to ground turkey to give it flavor?
I season ground turkey the same way I would ground beef, ground chicken, or ground pork. My favorite seasoning combination is simple: salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. Sometimes I will include paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, dried basil, or crushed red pepper flakes.
What to add to ground turkey to keep it moist?
When I pan sauté ground turkey I like to use olive oil or butter to keep the turkey moist. Additionally, I will sauté the ground turkey with other vegetables, such as garlic, onions, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, or asparagus. The moisture from the vegetables helps to keep the turkey from drying out.
Do you Season ground turkey before cooking?
Yes. I usually keep the seasoning simple. Salt, ground black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder. You could also incorporate herbs such as sage, thyme, oregano, or basil.
What is ground turkey good for?
Ground turkey is great as a substitute in any recipe that uses ground beef. Recipes such as burgers, meatballs, meatloaf, lasagna, bake ziti, tacos, dips, or hash recipes.
For more ideas like this ground turkey and zucchini recipe, click on the link below. Try some of our chicken dishes.
For even more ideas check out our Pinterest page.
