This Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl recipe is a quick, healthy, and convenient weeknight dinner that comes together in only 20 minutes! You can prep this on the weekend for healthy and delicious lunches throughout the week.
Dreaming of take-out for lunch every day? Oh, trust me I've been there. Come 11.30 all I can think of is a big old stir-fry with a little bit of sweet, and a little bit of salty – and a TON of flavor! I got you, friends! Don't reach out for that menu and you shall be rewarded with some homemade fakeout-takeout deliciousness.
This easy Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl Recipe is for all you takeout lovers.
Ground turkey and diced bell peppers tossed in a simple yet finger-licking food Asian stir-fry sauce. Guys, this one is a winner! Truly, you can use any veggies you like or have laying around. That’s the beauty of this healthy meal prep recipe. IDEAL for getting rid of those bits and bobs in your veggie crisper.
Oh wait, you don’t like fish sauce and are thinking about skipping it because the smell is just too gross? Don't worry, once mixed up with other ingredients, you can’t taste it – promise. If you skip it, you'll be missing out on a ton of depth of flavor. And I want you to have the best flavor experience, you know. Just looking out for you.
This Ground Turkey Rice Bowl recipe is a total meal prep miracle:
These ground Turkey Rice Bowls are so incredibly easy to put together. A meal prep recipe that literally anyone could make! And it's quick too - as in food on the table in 20 minutes!
This healthy rice bowl is also freezer-friendly for up to 2 months! You can freeze the whole meal right in your meal prep containers. Simply let the whole thing defrost overnight in the fridge, then heat in the microwave until steaming hot. Meal prepping does not get easier than this.
Why ground turkey is my favorite protein to use for meal prep:
- Ground turkey is a SUPERB healthy alternative to ground beef and you can use it as an easy substitution in pretty much every recipe that calls for minced pork or beef. It makes a mean chili or bolognese!
- Yes, you can use low-fat ground turkey and it will still taste amazing,
- Minced Turkey lasts really well in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- It takes on whatever flavors you add - a high protein canvas for all your favorite flavors. What's not to love!?
- I added some diced veggies to stretch the ground turkey a bit. This not only gives you more bang for your buck but it is also a great way to get kids to enjoy eating their veggies.
How to make Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowls - step by step:
- Steps 1 & 2 - In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, rice wine, and fish sauce.
- Steps 3 & 4 - Stir in ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk well to avoid clumps from forming.
- Step 5 - Have all your ingredients prepped before you start.
- Step 6 - Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onions and fry for a minute or until softened and fragrant.
- Step 7 - Add the ground turkey, and break it into small pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Step 8 - Stir in minced garlic and your diced bell pepper and continue to break down the chunks of ground turkey as it fries.
- Step 9 - Cook everything for 5-7 minutes or until almost cooked (almost no longer pink), stirring often.
- Step 10 - Pour the sauce on the meat and mix. Let the mixture simmer for a few moments to let the flavors blend and get all happy. You want the sauce thickened and coating the turkey mixture well. This is when you turn off the heat. Stir in the scallions, saving about one third for serving.
Assemble your Ground Turkey Rice Bowl:
I like to serve my Asian Ground Turkey over a bed of rice but you can use cauliflower rice if you prefer a low-carb version. Top your rice bowl with the remaining scallions, sesame seeds, and chopped cilantro.
If you like it spicy, go ahead and serve this Bowl with a generous drizzle of sriracha sauce. A wedge of lime is also a really nice touch as it adds some acidity and freshness to this healthy Asian Rice Bowl.
Tips for making this rice bowl recipe:
- Feel free to use any veggies you have in your fridge. My favorite is bell pepper but you can also use broccoli, carrots, snap peas, zucchini… Just make sure to cut them in small pieces so they cook quickly.
- You can also use more veggies and double the amount of bell peppers.
- When cooking with ground turkey seasoning is important, since it has a very mild flavor! Taste it before you serve it, adding more salt if necessary.
- If you are serving this as a rice bowl, you’ll want to start cooking the rice before you start cooking the meat.
Variations on this recipe:
- You can easily customize the ground turkey recipe to include your favorite veggies. Carrots, peas or chopped green beans would work great.
- I love to serve this over brown or white rice, but the Asian ground turkey can easily be eaten alone, in lettuce wraps, cauliflower rice, over pasta, or even quinoa!
- The soy sauce may be swapped for tamari or coconut aminos.
Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowls
This Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl recipe is a quick, healthy, and convenient weeknight dinner that comes together in only 20 minutes! You can prep this on the weekend for healthy and delicious lunches throughout the week.
Ingredients
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 lb / 500 g ground turkey
- 2 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped (see notes)
- 4 scallions green and white parts
- 2 tsp sesame seeds to serve
- ½ cup cilantro leaves roughly chopped, to serve
- Sriracha and lime to serve - optional
Sauce
- ⅓ cup reduced salt soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine
- ½ tablespoon fish sauce
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
-
Prepare the sauce. In a small bowl, mix together soy sauce, rice wine and fish sauce. Stir in cornstarch and whisk thoroughly so it's not clumpy. Set aside.
-
Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.
-
Cook onion for a minute or until softened and fragrant.
-
Add ground turkey, and break into small pieces with a wooden spoon. Stir in garlic and bell pepper and continue to break down the turkey. Cook for 5-7 minutes or until almost cooked (almost no longer pink), stirring often.
-
Give the sauce a stir and pour on the meat. Mix until sauce has thickened and coats the mixture well. Turn off heat. Stir in scallions, saving about one third for serving.
-
Serve over a bed of rice or cauliflower rice. Top with remaining scallions, sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve with sriracha and lime, if using.
Recipe Notes
Switch up the veggies:
Feel free to use any veggies you have in your fridge. My favorite is bell pepper but you can also use broccoli, carrots, snap peas, zucchini, chopped green beans…
Just make sure to cut them in small pieces so they cook quickly.
You can also use more veggies and double the amount of bell peppers.
Serve this with:
- white or brown rice
- cauliflower rice
- in lettuce wraps
- or even over pasta or quinoa
Freezing:
You can freeze the meat mixture or the whole meal right in your meal prep containers for up to 2 months! Simply let the whole thing defrost overnight in the fridge, then heat in the microwave until steaming hot.
If you tried this Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl Recipe, don’t forget to rate the recipe below and let me know how it went in the comments – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook for more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!
Pam Greer
I was looking for a healthy lunch for this week and I definitely found it! I forget how good ground turkey is!!
Marie
Love turkey, it's so versatile, easy and healthy! Thanks Pam 🙂
Catherine
Healthy and hearty! What more could a girl ask for?! This looks and sounds delicious.
Marie
Right?! Thanks girl!
Jordin
Sooo many flavors, and it looks so delicious! Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
Marie
Thanks Jordin! Quick, easy and delicious, my kind of dinners for those busy weeknights 😉
Caitlyn Erhardt
WOW! This looks so healthy and tasty! Can't wait to try this for meal prep!
Marie
Thanks so much Caitlyn! It really is ideal for meal prep!
Suzy
I love that you used turkey in this bowl! I wouldn't feel bad at all about eating this!
Marie
Yep, no feeling bad when it comes to good food!
Susan
This sounds very good. As I have come to expect from you. 🙂
Marie
Oh hello Susan, lovely to hear from you! Thanks a lot 🙂
Annie Smith
The lime was the kicker! This was really good! My sauce never really thickened in any way and the whole dish was watery, but I think I cooked it too long? Anyway, I wanted "comfort food" and this was perfect. Thank you!
Marie
So glad to hear you loved it Annie! Regarding the sauce, did you use cornstarch? I'm really surprised it didn't thicken at all! If there's a next time and you find the whole dish too watery again (could be the turkey!), add more cornstarch. Make another cornstarch slurry (say about 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water), add it to the dish, and stir with the heat on until it thickens.
Sheena Higgins
This dish is delicious! I served it over riced cauliflower and no one was the wiser. My husband and daughters (and me) LOVED it!
Marie
So happy to hear Sheena, thanks for letting us know! 🙂
Alexa
Loved this! I’ve been trying to build up a new library of meal prep / quick healthy weeknight dinners to accommodate our new schedule with busy weeknights. This one will definitely be a keeper! I chopped all the veggies early in the day, and everything else came together in about 10 minutes when we got home. I omitted sesame seeds (highly allergic) but everything else was as-is. I served it over a mixture of cauliflower rice and brown rice. So good!
Marie
Amazing! So happy you liked it! Thanks so much for sharing Alexa!
Diana
So good and easy, I added some chili garlic paste and mushrooms. Easy and delicious
Marie
Nice additions Diana, thanks for sharing!
Orr
I'll be honest, I did this with no expectations and it came out pretty good. You can do both meat and rice in 20 minutes.
Thank you.
Marie
Yay super happy to hear!
L
Man I am eating this as leftovers and it is even better.
Excellent recepie.
Marie
Tasty leftovers for the win! Thanks again 🙂
Allison
I just made this while camping, it was so quick and easy! Very tasty, though I would prefer a little sweetness to the sauce, but then I guess it wouldn't be as healthy.
Marie
Thank you Allison! You could add a teaspoon or two of honey in the sauce next time for more sweetness 🙂
Gina
Whole family loved it. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!
Marie
Super happy to hear, thank you Gina!
Manila
Delicious! I topped it off with a fried egg.
Marie
Lovely addition, yum!