Spicy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-fry - Slender Kitchen (2024)

Spicy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-fry Recipe

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This easy Ground Turkey Green Bean Stir Fry takes only 15 minutes to make and is the perfect quick dinner for a busy night. Plus it's low carb, Paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30 friendly. Serve it with some Asian Zucchini Noodles, Cauliflower Rice, Sesame Edamame.

I don't know about you but after last week I need a week full of clean meals that are quick and easy. After four straight days of cooking, it's time for some simple, fast recipes that are kind to my waistline.

This meal is just the thing. Packed with green beans, lean ground turkey, and a simple spicy Asian stir-fry sauce - this dinner is ready in under 15 minutes and delish.

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The key to making this dish stand out from a typical stir-fry is broiling the green beans so they get a nice char. This adds a ton of flavor to the green beans and adds a hint of smokiness to the stir-fry.

From there it is just a simple sauce of coconut oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), rice vinegar, and some Asian garlic chili paste.

You can adjust the spice level depending on what you like and could also add a touch of brown sugar or honey if you like things sweet. Just stir it into the soy sauce before adding it to the pan. Served with some brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice and you have a healthy, easy, delicious meal.

Recipes Tips for Spicy Green Bean and Turkey Stir Fry

• Almost every time I post a spicy recipe, I get asked if it can be made without the spice. In this case, absolutely! It is still really tasty without the spice and if anyone wants it spicy, you can serve it on the side.
• This recipe will work with all kinds of veggies, not just green beans. However, no matter what you choose, I recommend sending it for a quick trip to the broiler so that you can create some char and smokiness. Broccoli, sugar snap peas, asparagus, and cabbage all are great options.
• For Paleo and Whole30 diets, or anyone looking to lower the sodium count, I recommend going with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. It has the same salty, savory, umami flavor but with about 65% less sodium than standard soy sauce.

• Some people need something sweet in their Asian stir-fries. If you fall into that campy, you can add brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, or coconut sugar to the stir fry sauce. Just taste as you go to get it to the sweetness you like.
• If ground turkey isn't your favorite protein, you can substitute in ground beef, chicken, pork, or even vegetarian crumbles instead of the turkey. I imagine it would be delicious with shrimp as well but I haven't tried it yet.

Meal Prep Ideas for Ground Turkey Stir Fry

I love making stir-fries on Sundays and packing them up for easy lunches all week long. This recipe is a great one to prep ahead of time since it reheats well and keeps well in the fridge. Here are some ideas and tips for meal prep.

• Always let it cool completely before packing it up for meal prep. Let the dish cool completely and then divide it up.
• For quicker meal prep, reach for frozen brown rice or cauliflower rice. Add it frozen right to your container and then add the stir fry. This works with frozen rice, veggie rice, and quinoa.
• If you get bored easily, consider prepping the meal slightly different every day. Pack it with rice one day, carrot noodles the next (the frozen ones from Trader Joe's are great), with lettuce wraps for the third day, and as an Asian salad with crunchy coleslaw mix and peanuts for the last day.

What's the best ground turkey to buy? Is it healthy?

Looking in the meat section at your local store, you probably see a few different options for ground turkey. You can buy 99% lean,93% lean, 85% lean, and ground dark meat turkey. You also may be able to buy an organic ground turkey or a seasoned ground turkey option. It can be tricky to know what to buy.

For this recipe, I wanted to keep it light and lower in fat, so I reached for 99% lean ground turkey. This option is made with almost all-white meat turkey and is the leanest option. It works great for this recipe since there is plenty of added flavor and sauce. If this recipe didn't have a flavorful sauce, I would probably have reached for a more flavorful blend with a bit more fat.

In terms of health, ground turkey is a great lean protein with lots of vitamins and minerals. It can be a great alternative to ground beef with lower levels of saturated fat. We love using it as a protein source for healthy dinners.

Looking for more healthy Asian recipes:

• Thai Basil Ground Beef and Cauliflower Rice Bowls
• Healthy Kung Pao Chicken
• Spicy Thai Basil Ground Turkey
• Healthy Mongolian Ground Beef
• More healthy Asian recipes

Here are some of the products and tools I used to prepare this recipe:

• Sambal olek is my favorite Asian garlic chili paste and something I use all the time in recipes and as a condiment. Compared to Sriracha, it's a thicker sauce that has a lot more garlic flavor. If you like spicy things, I highly recommend trying it.
• I like to use coconut oil in this recipe because it adds a subtle coconut flavor to the dish. Coconut oil also is a healthy saturated fat that can help reduc HDL cholesterol levels among a number of other benefits. Since I like the coconut flavor in the oil, I choose an unrefined oil like this one.
• Rice vinegar is an important ingredient in this stir-fry but it can be tricky to know what to buy when there are so many on the market. Make sure to look for one that has no added sugar or sweetener. Usually I buy this one.

The Recipe

Spicy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-fry

PREP TIME: 5 Min

COOK TIME: 15 Min

TOTAL TIME: 20 Min

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