31 Ground Turkey Recipes That Make the Best Weeknight Dinners
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Ground turkey recipes are essential to our weeknight cooking rotation. They’re easy. They’re speedy. And everyone at the table happily digs in. If you have a pound of ground turkey in the fridge and you’re not sure how to use it, let us guide you to our best spins on comfort foods like meatloaf, shepherd’s pie, and burgers, plus lots of options to add to your own weekly meal plan.
When we’re making recipes with ground turkey, we tend to shop for the type that includes at least some dark meat from the turkey legs. It’s richer and less prone to drying out than lean ground turkey breast. However, the two are relatively interchangeable, so feel free to use whatever you have on hand. And, the truth is that ground turkey can sub in for pretty much any ground meat, so you may want to peruse our archives for ground pork and ground chicken recipes as well. But before you jump over there, scroll down for a few of our favorite ground turkey recipes, each one primed and ready for dinner tonight.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell1/32Kufteh-Ye Pesteh-o Anar
You may think of ground turkey recipes as Tuesday night dinner material, but some of them are worthy of a celebration. These herby meatballs get flavored with pistachios and sauced with tangy pomegranate juice plus both pomegranate and grape molasses. Wrap each juicy bite in lavash and lettuce.
Photo by Travis Rainey, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton2/32Simple Turkey Chili With All the Toppings
Photo by Isa Zapata, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca, Food Styling by Yekaterina Boystova3/32Turkey Meatloaf
This classic Gourmet turkey meatloaf is perfectly tasty served with plain ol’ ketchup, but we love it with this roasted red pepper tomato sauce.
Lara Ferroni4/32Turkey Meatball Garlic Bread Heroes
Turkey takes center stage in this hearty sandwich. Give the rolls a glow-up by turning them into buttery garlic bread before you add the meatballs.
Photo by Sarah Leung and Kaitlin Leung6/32Curry Puffs
Not sure what to serve as an appetizer at your next dinner party? Grab some puff pastry at the store. These sweet-and-savory bites from The Woks of Life cookbook are a guaranteed hit.
Photo by Alice Gao, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Diana Yen7/32Turkey Meatballs With Cranberry Sauce
Holiday flavors like cranberry and sage are the backbone of this recipe, while ginger adds warmth. These little guys are great as an appetizer or piled into a sub—and they make a great post-Thanksgiving dinner if you didn’t end up with any leftover turkey.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Beatrice Chastka, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell8/32Spiced Turkey Chili With Spaghetti Squash
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich9/32Double-Stack Mushroom Cheeseburgers
Finely chopped mushrooms do double duty by adding earthiness and helping keep these burgers juicy. They work well with turkey or chicken, so you’ve got options.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Pearl Jones10/32West Indies Shepherd’s Pie
Ginger, habanero, and fresh lime—plus Angostura bitters—give this take on shepherd’s pie bright bursts of the tropics. Readers report that it works great with ground turkey.
Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Anna Stockwell11/32Freeform Meatballs With Carrots and Yogurt Sauce
Freeform meatballs offer lots of variety in texture, and the whole sheet-pan dinner comes together swiftly.
13/32Zucchini Burgers
Here’s another chicken recipe that can be made with ground turkey. Fresh veggies like bell pepper and zucchini keep these burgers juicy while lending lots of flavor. Don’t skip the lemony yogurt sauce.
14/32One-Pot Turkey Bolognese With “Spaghetti”
This Instant Pot recipe puts a fresh spin on classic Italian bolognese. Not feeling spaghetti squash? The sauce also works wonderfully as a lasagna filling if you’re looking for ground turkey dinner ideas that can feed a crowd.
Copyright © by Ben Fink Photography15/32Old-Fashioned Turkey Meat Loaf
Here’s the formula for an extremely cozy evening. Serve this meatloaf with your favorite mashed potato recipe.
Photo by Brian Leatart16/32Tamarind-Glazed Turkey Burgers
Fresh ginger ties the burger and glaze together, giving warmth and spice, while tamarind adds tangy sweetness.
Catherine McCord17/32Cheesy Turkey Meatloaf Bites
This cheese-packed meatloaf recipe can be baked in muffin tins for mess-free (and adorable!) serving.
Photo by Joseph De Leo, Food Styling by Micah Marie Morton18/32Meatballs With Molokhieh, Garlic, and Cilantro
Photo by Shutterstock19/32Instant Pot Turkey Chili Verde
Poblanos, jalapeños, and serranos give this green chili great flavor and heat. Top each bowl with creamy Monterey Jack. Keep this one saved for the next time you’re looking for gluten-free dinner recipes.
Photo by Audrey Johns22/32Cheddar-Stuffed Turkey Burgers
Turkey burgers sometimes fall apart if you stuff a big piece of cheese in the center. So here you’ll dice some sharp cheddar so it's in small pieces before mixing throughout the meat. A little Worcestershire sauce punches up the flavor nicely.
23/32Chili of Forgiveness
Photo by Maraia Charles24/32Old-Bay Turkey Cheeseburgers
These turkey burgers use English muffins instead of buns, and the Tabasco ketchup adds some perky heat.
Stephanie Gaudreau25/32Spinach and Olive Turkey Burgers
Spinach, olives, and fresh herbs give this ground turkey recipe a burst of Greek-inspired flavor. We suggest a garnish of sliced tomato, crumbled feta, and cucumber.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Thu Buser, Prop Styling by Stephanie De Luca31/32Herby Sheet-Pan Meatballs With Green Beans
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Emma Ringness32/32Falafel-Spiced Turkey Burgers
We’re guessing you have plenty of ideas for what to make with ground turkey now, but we’ll round out this list of our best ground turkey recipes with just one more burger—it’s a good one. Crisp the patties in a skillet then pile on the red onion, mint, and lemony yogurt sauce. Want to skip the bun? These work as lettuce wraps too.
