This ground turkey sweet potato bowl is the kind of lunch you look forward to all morning. Cubes of sweet potato roast in a warm, smoky spice blend until the edges turn golden, while lean ground turkey cooks on the stove with onion and garlic. Then it all goes into bowls with crisp romaine, black beans, and diced avocado.
You may have seen a sweet potato cottage cheese bowl with hot honey on your social media feed. This turkey version keeps that pairing because it works so well. The cool cottage cheese melts into the warm turkey and sweet potatoes, and the hot honey adds just enough sweetness and heat to tie each bite together.
It's a simple recipe that makes 6 bowls, so it's an easy pick for ground turkey meal prep. Cook once on Sunday, pack your containers, and lunch is taken care of through Thursday. For more meals built around lean protein, take a look at our collection of high protein recipes.
A healthy sweet potato bowl depends on what goes on top, and that's where many bowls go off track with heavy dressings and salty sauces. This one gets its flavor from a spice blend with no salt in it, so the sweet potatoes and turkey taste seasoned all the way through without reaching for the salt shaker. Choosing 99% lean ground turkey keeps saturated fat low, and the sweet potatoes, beans, and greens make the meal filling enough to keep you going until dinner. Our registered dietitian, Erin McNamara, RDN, LDN, CLT, reviewed the recipe to make sure it fits a heart-healthy way of eating.
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Both are great choices for a healthy meal. Lean ground turkey gives you protein with very little fat, and sweet potatoes add fiber, potassium, and vitamin A. A bowl of this recipe has 433 calories and enough protein and fiber to keep you full, which can make it easier to stick with a weight loss plan.
It depends on the recipe, but each of our bowls has 32 grams. The ground turkey supplies more than half of it, and the cottage cheese and black beans add the rest. Turkey and cottage cheese are both complete proteins, which means they have all 9 essential amino acids your body can't make on its own. Sweet potatoes have very little protein, so pairing them with turkey, dairy, or beans is an easy way to turn them into a balanced meal.
This recipe uses cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, dried thyme, and a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. The sweet potatoes get the same blend plus sage and cinnamon, which connects the two parts of the bowl. None of these spices contain salt, so you get plenty of flavor without the sodium found in most packaged seasoning mixes.
They're a great match. Ground turkey has a mild, savory flavor that soaks up whatever spices you cook it with, and sweet potatoes turn soft and caramelized in the oven. Put them in the same bowl, and the savory turkey balances out the natural sweetness of the potatoes. That's why the two show up together in so many easy dinners.
You won't need a separate dressing. The cottage cheese and hot honey do that job, and they mix into the turkey and sweet potatoes as you eat. For a smoother, more sauce-like texture, blend the cottage cheese for a few seconds before you spoon it on. You can also stir in a squeeze of fresh lime juice for a tangy twist.
Leftover roast turkey works well here, and it makes a nice change from another turkey sandwich. Since the meat is already cooked, it only needs a few minutes in the pan to soak up the spices. Look under Ingredient Substitutions for how much to use and a quick note about nutrition.
If you like having lunch ready to grab from the fridge, these bowls follow the same idea. Each one pairs lean protein with fresh vegetables and a bright homemade sauce.
Roasting is only one way to enjoy sweet potatoes. In these dinners, they're mashed, baked, tucked into tortillas, and tossed into a hearty salad, and each recipe turns them into a filling main dish.
Once you've made this sweet potato ground turkey bowl as written, these easy changes keep it interesting from week to week:
Recipe yields 6 servings
Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large mixing bowl, add the sweet potatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon thyme, ½ teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon black pepper, sage, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes; stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and bake until fork tender, about 25 to 30 minutes, stirring and rotating pan about halfway through.
While the sweet potatoes roast, cook the turkey. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the remaining ½ tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until beginning to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the lean ground turkey and break up into crumbles using a spatula. Season with the remaining spices (cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and the remaining thyme and paprika). Cook until no longer pink, about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In six (6) shallow bowls or meal prep containers, divide the sweet potatoes, ground turkey, romaine lettuce, and black beans (Note: if meal prepping, add the lettuce and avocado just before serving). Divide the cottage cheese and avocado among the bowls. Drizzle each bowl with 1 teaspoon hot honey and season with freshly ground black pepper.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Store the lettuce and avocado separately to prevent them from wilting and browning.
Between the turkey, beans, and sweet potatoes, this bowl is a full meal on its own. On a chilly night, a cup of low sodium tomato soup makes it feel a little cozier, and a light fruit salad with lemon-mint dressing is an easy way to end the meal.
Leftover Thanksgiving turkey turns this into a great day-after meal. Use about 2½ cups (12 ounces) of chopped, skinless white meat. Cook the onion and garlic as directed, stir in the spices with a splash of water, and then add the turkey for 2 to 3 minutes, just until it's warmed through. Dark meat, skin, and brined turkey can add fat and sodium, and the nutrition information reflects the recipe as written. For more ways to use up the holiday bird, browse our healthy Thanksgiving leftover recipes. Lean ground chicken also works and cooks the same way as the turkey.
Plain nonfat Greek yogurt gives you the same creamy texture and plenty of protein, with a tangier flavor.
Stir a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes into regular honey. For a bowl with no added sugar, leave the honey off and finish with a little extra red pepper.
No-salt-added pinto beans or chickpeas work just as well and keep the sodium low.
Baby spinach or chopped kale holds up even better in meal prep containers.
Cubed butternut squash roasts in about the same amount of time and has a similar sweetness.
Whether you're working with a pack of lean ground turkey or a container of holiday leftovers, these recipes are easy ways to put it to good use. You'll find even more ideas in our healthy ground turkey recipes.
