Uses for ground turkey that are not burgers, meatloaf or fake bolognese?

I have 1.5 lbs. of ground turkey and am looking for an inventive way to use it. Or should I just upgrade the dogs dinner?

Summer of Eggplant
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18 Comments

HomeRemedy June 6, 2012
Two quick ideas: Moroccan-inspired spiced ground turkey (try cumin, cardamom, saffron etc) with raisins, onions, carrots, pistachios and rice... Or stuffed bell peppers with sauteed tomato/onion/meat inside and melted cheese on top.
 
aargersi June 6, 2012
I use it to make stuffed cabbage leaves - and mix olive oil in - that combined with a good tomato sauce keeps it juicy. And all of the other suggestions are great too! In general, I add olive oil to ground turkey ... and shredded onions help keep it moist and add flavor too!
 
cookcrys June 6, 2012
Sorry I mean can bake beans... Gotta luv auto correct!
 
cookcrys June 6, 2012
You can make a bake bean side dish. Cook the ground turkey.. Add 1 lrg CDMA of bush's original baked beans and about a regular size original bbq sauce. Comes out tasty.. Always get complements on it. You don't have to use that BBQ sauce of you don't want, just depends how you like it!
 
lapadia June 6, 2012
Hi I just saw this, I make Lemon Glazed Meatballs with ground turkey and add grated zucchini & carrot to help keep them moist. Can serve as cocktail or make larger size...something different and flavorful for dinner; rave reviews from everybody who has had them: http://www.food52.com/recipe/lemon%20glazed%20meatballs

 
Summer O. June 5, 2012
Thanks you guys! Great answers as usual.
 
savorthis June 5, 2012
I have used it in sausage (agree to adding some fat...bacon?!) or in a picadillo type dish. Saute onions, chilis, garlic. Add turkey and brown. Add some tomato paste, broth, cinnamon stick and simmer. Add s&p to taste, raisins, chopped olives then finish with a small spoon of peanut butter or ground almonds or cashews to thicken and add that much needed fat flavor. Serve on rice with cilantro, lime wedges, green onion.
 
mrscorkhoarder June 5, 2012
@pierino - totally agree but have tried that one personally and found it surprisingly tasty. wouldn't have recommended it otherwise.
 
pierino June 5, 2012
I'm sure you have kel_russell and I wasn't picking on you at all. I just find RR's stuff outrageously silly. Like a "30 Minute Bouef Bourguignon". Yes, she really did that.
 
HalfPint June 5, 2012
I sometimes make turkey pesto meatballs by mixing the ground turkey with ~1/2 c basil pesto, 1 c breadcrumbs, and 1 egg. Form into golfball-size balls, place into a flat skillet or pan with a lid, in a single layer if possible. Gently pour your marinara or tomato sauce over the turkey balls, bring to a boil then cover and simmer until the meat is cooked, ~25-30 minutes depending on how big your turkey balls are. It makes a really good tasting moist meatball that you can either put on a sandwich or mix with pasta.

Or you can make turkey sloppy joes: http://cookthis.menshealth.com/recipes/cook-turkey-sloppy-joes
 
HalfPint June 5, 2012
Just occurred to me that ground turkey also makes a really good Thai larb/laab.
 
amysarah June 5, 2012
Potstickers, meatballs, moussaka, lasagna...but I've often combined ground turkey and ground pork - less fat (it's a matter of degree right?) and the pork adds flavor and moistness. Also a lot less costly than ground turkey alone.
 
passifloraedulis June 5, 2012
Potsticker filling. Add scallion, white pepper, gulf of sesame oil, glug of soy sauce, veg (e.g. Chives). Make sure the meat is a bit fatty (thighs, as opposed to breast).
 
pierino June 5, 2012
That's a tough one as ground turkey is inherently dry. Unless it's a fat issue I would think about cooking it in LARD and possibly seasoning it for filling burritos---or tacos.
 
ChefOno June 5, 2012

Did someone say lard? Excellent idea!

Brown the meat, make a mole and stuff that all into a burrito.

 
ImprovCuisine June 5, 2012
Chili with lots of spices and tomato.
 
mrscorkhoarder June 5, 2012
This sounds kind of weird on paper with the whole "ranch style" thing but actually comes out quite delicious!! http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/ranch-style-turkey-chili-recipe/index.html
 
pierino June 5, 2012
Practically all of Rachael Ray's recipes are "kind of wierd", and not just on paper.
 
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