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This super simple, one pan Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet Dinner is an easy way to get a hearty, veggie packed dinner on the table. Inspired by everyone's favorite: taco night! This meal is great straight from the pan, in tortillas or with tortilla chips. A winner of a dinner!

Ground turkey sweet potato skillet dinner with cheese melted on top and fresh chopped cilantro.

This ground turkey sweet potato skillet dinner was partly inspired by a fan favorite--these Sweet Potato, Turkey and Black Bean Enchiladas. I like to consider this recipe sort of the lazy version.

In making a one pot meal variation, the extra work that is needed for enchiladas is not necessary, but I still get all of my very favorite flavors of course! This is going to be a new family favorite for you!

Why You Will Love This Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet Dinner:

One pot means less dishes. Who wants extra cleaning to do after dinner? Using one pan allows you for way less mess to deal with after your meal. Enjoy the food and not all the clean up!
It's super easy to adapt to your needs. This recipe is naturally gluten free. You can omit the cheese or use a dairy free cheese to make the recipe dairy free.
A great option when trying to add more veggies. Lots of veggies already in this ground turkey sweet potato skillet and easy to add more. Stir in some chopped spinach or kale, more of your favorite peppers and more to add even more!
Simple to vary. You can easily omit an ingredient like the beans or corn and still have a great dinner. You can use pinto beans instead of black beans, use pepper jack cheese or cheddar--lots of options to vary and never make it the same twice.
Great for meal prepping. If you like to do a big Sunday meal prep, this recipe is a good one. Re-heats nicely so you can eat off of it throughout the week.

Recipe Ingredients:

ground turkey: don't go too lean when it comes to ground turkey if possible. I often opt for about 85% lean ground turkey for the most flavor and juiciness.
sweet potatoes: about 2 medium sweet potatoes should work, you will need 4 cups. Feel free to peel them if you prefer, but that is an added step I am usually too lazy to do.
black beans: I like to use low or no salt black beans. Rinse and drain them before adding.
fire roasted tomatoes: keep the juices, no need to strain the tomatoes
onion: yellow onion is my preference but I have used red onion as well and it has been great
bell peppers: I use one red and one green. You can use any combo of colors you like.
corn: any kind of corn works fine, frozen, canned, freshly grilled from the cob.
diced green chiles: the canned works great!
spices: a combo of chili powder, cumin, oregano, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. These give it a taco seasoning like flavor. The smoked paprika is a must in my opinion as it adds a level of flavor that is unmatched. If you only have regular paprika, you can use it but it will lack in a smokiness for sure.
cheese: freshly shredded cheese will melt best, but pre-packaged is fine if it's what you have

How To Make This Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet:

In a skillet, heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium high heat. Add in the diced onions and peppers and sauté for several minutes until the onions start to become translucent. (step 1)
Shift the onions and peppers to the side and add the ground turkey, breaking it into pieces, stirring occasionally until browned and no pink is visible. When turkey is cooked, remove it from the pan and set aside. I typically just pour it into a mixing bowl. (step 2)
Turn the heat down to medium and add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan. Add in the sweet potatoes. Sauté the sweet potatoes for about 10 minutes, shifting them around every couple of minutes to keep them from burning. If they start sticking to the bottom of the pan, add a touch more oil. If they are getting blackened and burnt, turn the heat down slightly. (step 3)
Once sweet potatoes are cooked, add in the tomatoes, beans, corn, green chiles and spices and stir to combine. (step 4)

Step by step photos showing bell peppers and onions, ground turkey and other ingredients cooked for recipe.

Transfer the cooked turkey and peppers back into the skillet and stir to combine. Sprinkle the shredded cheese over top and allow the mixture to simmer for a few minutes to melt the cheese. If your pan is oven safe, you can transfer the skillet to the oven and broil on high for about 2 minutes to melt the cheese. Add the chopped cilantro over top. (steps 5-6)
Serve as is or over rice, with tortilla chips or whatever your preference. Top with a dollop of sour cream, sliced avocado, jalapeños and more.

Skillet with cooked sweet potatoes, beans, peppers and other ingredients and then with cheese melted over top.

Chef's Tips:

Make sure you have plenty of oil so that your sweet potatoes don't burn. Many skillet dinners with sweet potatoes simmer the potatoes in broth or tomato juices. I don't prefer my sweet potatoes that way and like them a bit more crispy and browned, so I sauté them instead in this recipe. Make sure you have plenty of oil coating your pan and don't leave it unstirred for too long to keep from burning them.
To stretch this meal, serve with rice or another addition. You can easily get about 6 servings from this ground turkey sweet potato skillet. To stretch it even more, serve over rice or with tortilla chips. Another option is to serve in warm tortillas and have more like a taco. A fried egg and sliced avocado on top is great as well!
Use an oven safe pan if you want to broil the cheese to melt. You can simply sprinkle the cheese on top a few minutes before serving and allow it to melt. However, I also like to pop the pan in the oven and broil it to get that slightly browned, melted cheese. Just make sure your pan or skillet is ok for the oven!
You could easily use ground beef in this recipe. If you do, you will want to drain any excess grease out of the pan after browning the beef with the onion and pepper. I have made this with ground sirloin and have loved it so much that way as well!