Blog

Well it may be snowing outside, but inside I’m pretending it’s spring and loading my bowl with fresh ingredients! In keeping with the theme of things I make at least once a week (check out my whole wheat bread post if you don’t know what I’m talking about!), I bring you Ground Turkey Nourish Bowls! What are nourish bowls, you ask? It’s basically a fancy term that refers to a bowl of nutrient dense foods including a healthy carb source (think rice, quinoa, roasted sweet potato, etc) , healthy fats (olive oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, etc), protein (turkey, beef, chicken, tuna, beans, greek yogurt, hummus etc), and micronutrients (greens, colourful veggies, fresh herbs, citrus, etc). All you really need to know is it’s incredibly fresh and delicious, you can use basically whatever you have on hand, and it will take you less than 30 minutes to get on the table. Have I convinced you? 

Before we dive into the recipe, you should know that you don’t need to follow the ingredient list to a “T”. This recipe came to be on a night long ago when I felt like we had “nothing to eat” with supper fast approaching. I had a pack of ground turkey in the freezer which I put straight in the pan frozen. Yes, frozen! We must pause for a hot tip: If you want to cook frozen meat quickly (this works best for ground meat or sausage), just add it to the pan with a little bit of water, cover, and simmer on medium heat and it will thaw fairly quickly. Open the lid now and then and bash at the meat with a wooden spoon and once it breaks apart easily you can remove the lid and finish cooking as usual. Any remaining water will evaporate. Magic! Ok, where were we? Yes, I put the frozen meat on, I threw in some rice to cook in my Instant Pot (this thing is literally my most used kitchen appliance and I couldn’t rave enough about it so if you’re wondering if they are worth the purchase, I can tell you unequivocally, THEY ARE!). I had a can of black beans in the pantry, some random veggies in the fridge, and some plain yogurt I could use for a super quick topping with some fresh squeezed lemon and red pepper flakes. It was so easy and such a hit we have probably had some form of “Nourish Bowl” once a week ever since. 

Have I lost you at ground turkey? I use my own seasoning blend along with beef broth to give it that yummy beef flavour (kind of like taco meat) and I would wager you wouldn’t even guess it wasn’t ground beef. And all that lean protein? It’s a major win! But, of course ground beef or really any other meat would be a great option as well. So, use what you have on hand and let your imagination take flight! Because it’s served bowl style, your family can pick and choose from what you offer what to put on their bowls – perfect for picky eaters, allergies, etc.  Whether you use the ingredients I have here or you let your inner home chef soar with creativity, let me know how it goes in the comments below. I’d love to hear from you! Now, let’s dive into the recipe!

Print Pin

5 from 1 vote

Ground Turkey Nourish Bowls

A quick, healthy, super customizable meal the whole family will love!

Course Main Course

Keyword bowls, fresh, ground turkey, healthy, nourish bowls, rice

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 4 people

Author Garnish At Home

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tbsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp seasoning salt I like Lawry’s (no MSG)
• 1/2 tsp salt, to taste kosher or pink himalayan
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, to taste fresh ground
• 1 onion small diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup beef broth I use organic Better Than Bouillon
• 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce I use liquid aminos
• 1 tsp maple syrup or honey
• 1 cup rice, quinoa, or blend I use Truroots Sprouted Rice & Quinoa Blend
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth or sub water
• 1 tbsp butter room temperature

Toppings

• 2 handfuls baby spinach fresh
• 1 carrot peeled and grated
• 1/2 pint cherry tomatoes sliced lengthwise
• 1 can black beans drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese or substitute nutritional yeast
• 1 cup greek yogurt plain
• 1 lemon quartered
• 1 handful fresh cilantro washed and chopped
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes for garnish
• 1 tbsp chia seeds for garnish
• 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin

Instructions

• Cook you rice/quinoa according to package instructions. I like to use chicken broth for my cooking liquid since I have copious amounts of homemade broth on hand in the freezer but water works just fine also. I cook my rice in the Instant Pot using the Rice button – for normal rice I do a quick pressure release at the end of the cycle and for the sprouted rice/quinoa blend I let it natural pressure release for 10 minutes before releasing the pressure. Add the tbsp of butter and a splash of soy sauce (liquid aminos) and let it rest until ready to serve. Fluff and stir it up with a fork before serving.
• Meanwhile, prepare the ground turkey. Set a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground turkey to the warmed pan. Break it up with a wooden spoon and add the diced onion (they will cook together, don’t worry!). Stir occasionally. While its cooking add in the dry seasonings – oregano, chilli powder, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper.
• While its cooking add in the dry seasonings – oregano, chilli powder, cumin, paprika, seasoning salt, salt and pepper.
• Once the turkey is fully cooked (turns a light brown colour, no pink remaining)and the onions are nice and soft, add in the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute stirring constantly.
• Add the beef broth to deglaze the pan and scrape up all the brown bits with your wooden spoon. Add the maple syrup, soy sauce (liquid aminos), and worcestershire sauce. Let the mixture simmer until all but a few tbsp of liquid has evaporated. 
• Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. For example, if it needs more spice add more chili powder, more depth of flavour add more cumin and salt, more richness add more broth, more sweetness add more maple syrup or worcestershire sauce. 
• Cover and set aside off the heat until ready to serve.
• While the meat is cooking you can gather, wash, and chop all of your toppings – none of these require cooking so it should be pretty simple!
• You can serve each element separately and let everyone assemble their own bowls, or assemble yourself – whatever you prefer!
  
• This is how I like to assemble them: Start with a scoop of rice and a good serving of the ground turkey, along with a scoop of black beans. Add the cheese (if using) on top so it gets nice and melty. Now add the fresh ingredients in little bundles around the bowl – a handful of baby spinach, a few cherry tomatoes, a handful of grated carrot. And for my favourite part – Garnish! I finish the bowls with a generous dollop of greek yogurt toped with a quartered lemon squeezed fresh (chipotle aioli is also a favourite), a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, chia seeds, nutritional yeast (if using), a generous pinch of fresh cilantro, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Dig in!
  

Products Used In This Post:

This post includes affiliate links, meaning I made a small commission at no extra cost to you, should you decide to click through the links and purchase anything. These are my honest opinions and I would never recommend anything to you I didn’t absolutely love and use on a regular basis. Hope you find these lists helpful!

8 Quart Instant Pot – I got this as a birthday gift given to me from my sweet Mother-In-Law (shoutout to Karen!) and I cannot tell you how much use I get out of it. Hard boiled eggs, perfectly cooked rice, soups galore, unbelievably tender meat, oh I could go on. I cannot recommend it enough!

Lodge 12-inch Cast Iron Pan – My husband got me this for Christmas this past year and I cannot believe it took me this long to get into cast iron pans. I keep it on my stovetop because its become one of the only pans I ever use. I love the sear it gives to meat and I haven’t had any issues with sticking as long as I follow proper cast iron care and procedures (keys are having a hot pan before adding food and keeping it nicely oiled). I love the large size, it is so versatile!

Tempered Glass Lid for Lodge 12-inch Pan – It’s so handy having a lid for my cast iron pan to lock in the heat when I want to focus on steaming or cooking through foods after a good sear. Also so nice for keeping food warm if you need to let it sit for awhile. I was getting weary of ripping off sheets of tinfoil for this purpose – what a waste!

Please follow and like us: