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This chipotle turkey sweet potato skillet has 47 g of protein per serving and takes 50 minutes from first cut to first bite. The protein comes from lean ground turkey, black beans, pepper jack and a spoonful of Greek yogurt, not powder, so it tastes like the real thing.
It feeds 4 at about 450 g a plate. I make it in my garage-sale cast iron pan, but any 30 cm / 12-inch skillet with a lid works.
Chipotle in adobo brings smoke and medium heat, and the sweet potato soaks up the sauce. The one thing that goes wrong is oversized cubes. Anything bigger than about 2 cm stays hard in the middle after everything else is done, so cut them to 1.5 cm.
Brown the sweet potatoes first, set them aside, then build the turkey and sauce in the same pan. It’s one extra step and it’s worth it.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- 47 g protein per serving from turkey, beans and cheese
- One skillet, so cleanup is a pan and a cutting board
- Smoky chipotle and sweet potato balance each other
- Four portions reheat well for weekday lunches
Ingredient Notes
- Where the protein comes from: Roughly 127 g from the turkey, 25 g from pepper jack, 17 g from black beans, 12 g from Greek yogurt and 11 g from sweet potatoes. That’s about 190 g across the pan, or 47 g per serving. No protein powder is used.
- ground turkey, 93% lean: 93% lean browns well and stays juicy. 99% lean turns dry and tastes flat, and 85% adds fat without adding protein. Ground chicken swaps in 1 to 1.
- chipotle peppers in adobo: Two minced peppers plus 1 tbsp of the sauce gives medium heat. Use one pepper for mild. Freeze the leftover can contents in tablespoon portions.
- pepper jack: Grate it from a block so it melts smoothly. Sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack works if you want less heat.
- plain nonfat Greek yogurt: It cools the chipotle and adds 12 g of protein across the batch. Sour cream works for taste, but you’d lose most of that protein.
Smoky Chipotle Turkey and Sweet Potato Skillet Dinner
Ingredients
Method
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut them into 1.5 cm cubes. Dice the onion and bell pepper, mince the garlic and chipotles, drain and rinse the beans, and mix the cumin, paprika and oregano in a small bowl.
- Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a 30 cm / 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add the sweet potatoes in one layer with 1/4 tsp of the salt and cook for 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until the edges are browned and the centers are still firm. Move them to a plate.
- Add the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil and lower the heat to medium. Cook the onion and bell pepper for 3 minutes until softened, then add the turkey. Break it up and cook for 7 to 8 minutes until no pink remains and it reads 165 F / 74 C.
- Stir in the garlic, chipotles, adobo sauce, tomato paste, spice mix and the remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Cook for 1 minute until fragrant and the paste darkens, then pour in the water and scrape up the browned bits.
- Return the sweet potatoes to the skillet and stir to coat. Cover, lower the heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes, stirring once, until a fork slides into a cube with no resistance. If the pan looks dry, add 2 tbsp of water.
- Stir in the black beans and lime juice and cook uncovered for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the cheese on top, cover and cook for 2 minutes until melted. Serve with 2 tbsp Greek yogurt per plate and cilantro.
Notes
- Cut sweet potatoes to 1.5 cm cubes so they soften on schedule.
- Use 93% lean turkey, since 99% lean turns dry in the pan.
- Rest the browned sweet potatoes on a plate while the turkey cooks.
- Check the turkey with a thermometer: 165 F / 74 C means done.
Tips for Success
- Cut sweet potatoes into 1.5 cm cubes so they turn tender in the same 10 minutes the sauce needs to come together.
- Brown the sweet potatoes first and move them to a plate, otherwise they steam in the turkey juices and turn mushy.
- Check the turkey with an instant-read thermometer in the thickest clump, and cook until it reads 165 F / 74 C with no pink left.
- Mince the chipotles finely and taste before serving, then add extra adobo sauce a teaspoon at a time if you want more heat.
- Squeeze the lime in at the end, not earlier, so the acid cuts through the smoke and cheese.
Variations
- Swap the pepper jack for sharp cheddar and stir in 1 cup of frozen corn with the black beans for extra sweetness.
- Stir in 150 g of chopped baby spinach after the beans and let it wilt for 1 minute before adding the cheese.
- Spoon the filling into 4 large flour tortillas for burritos, or make four wells and crack in eggs, covering until the whites set.
Storage and Reheating
Chipotle turkey sweet potato skillet keeps in the fridge for 4 days in an airtight container. Cool it within 2 hours of cooking, and store the Greek yogurt and cilantro separately.
Reheat one portion in a skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of water for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring often. Or microwave it covered for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring halfway. It’s ready when it’s steaming and reaches 165 F / 74 C in the center.
It freezes well for up to 3 months in portion-sized containers. Thaw overnight in the fridge. The sweet potato softens a little after freezing, so the texture lands closer to a stew.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the skillet at the table straight from the pan, with 2 tablespoons of Greek yogurt, a squeeze of lime and chopped cilantro on each plate.
Warm corn tortillas turn it into loose tacos. A crunchy cabbage slaw dressed with lime juice and salt gives a cool contrast to the smoke.
For meal prep, portion it over 150 g of cooked rice into 4 containers and keep the yogurt in a separate small cup.
FAQ
Why are my sweet potatoes still hard in the chipotle turkey skillet?
Your cubes are probably larger than 2 cm, or steam escaped around a loose lid. Cut them to 1.5 cm and keep the skillet covered for the full 10 minute simmer. If a fork still meets resistance, add 2 tablespoons of water and cook covered for 3 to 5 more minutes.
Can I use ground chicken instead of turkey in this skillet?
Yes, 680 g of ground chicken swaps in one to one and drops the protein by only about 2 g per serving. Cook it until it reaches 165 F / 74 C, same as the turkey. Chicken is milder than turkey, so keep both chipotle peppers.
Can I freeze chipotle turkey sweet potato skillet?
Yes, it freezes for up to 3 months in airtight containers. Leave off the yogurt and cilantro, and thaw it overnight in the fridge. The sweet potato cubes soften a little after freezing, so the texture is closer to a stew than a fresh skillet.
What do you serve with a chipotle turkey and sweet potato skillet?
Warm corn tortillas are the easiest partner, since the skillet works as a taco filling. A crunchy cabbage slaw with lime or a scoop of rice also works. I skip extra sides most nights because the dish already has about 54 g of carbs per serving.
Is chipotle turkey sweet potato skillet gluten free or dairy free?
It’s gluten free as written, with no flour or grains, but check the labels on the adobo, tomato paste and spices. For dairy free, skip the cheese and yogurt and the protein drops from 47 g to about 38 g per serving. An extra 120 g of black beans wins back a couple of grams.
How spicy is chipotle turkey sweet potato skillet and how do I tone it down?
Two chipotle peppers plus 1 tablespoon of adobo sauce gives medium heat. For mild, use one pepper, seed it before mincing, and skip the extra sauce. The Greek yogurt on top also takes a lot of the edge off.
