Skillet Ground Turkey Curry with Garbanzo Beans and Dates

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Jessa Nowak Recipes

Easy, healthy, light, high protein and low carbohydrate. Nothing could be better than this skillet ground turkey curry with spinach, garbanzo beans and dates. Perfect for a weeknight meal, it’s made in one pan and is ready in 15 minutes.

This recipe was a fluke that instantly turned into a favorite. I had attempted to quickly throw together a dinner that used ground turkey that wasn’t spaghetti and meat sauce or meatballs. I recall wantingto create something close to the Thai dish larb, which is often ground chicken, served room temperature with a light lime dressing. (If you haven’t tried it, it’s really great for a lighter, high protein lunch.)

My vision wasto create something light…with meat…which is a challenge!

Heaven only knows how I came up with this, as it’s so different, but it’s been a favorite on the rotating weekly menu for years now! And if you love this recipe, you’d love the Greek Turkey Lentil Skillet.

It’s low calorie.
It’s high protein and low carbohydrate.
It’s easy and quick, ready in 15 minutes.
It’s made with minimal mess: 1 pan!
It’s a balanced meal that incorporates fruits, vegetables, beans and lean protein.
It’s high fiber.
It’s cheap!

Brown it!

Nothing tastes better than brown food. How do you do it?

Heat a large cast iron skillet, like my favorite Le Creuset, with a bit of high smoke point oil (not olive oil) until shimmering.
Press ground turkey into pan in 1 even layer.
DO NOT MOVE IT.
Let it cook in that spot for about 5 minutes.
Flip and do the same to the other side, avoiding the tempting “stir”.

And after adding the dry spices, be sure to let them cook and be in contact with the dry heat of the pan. Yes, they need to be cooked too. It richens the flavor.

Let the steam from the turkey wilt the spinach. Just dump it right on top. After a minute or so, you can fold it into the dish.

Turn off the heat and mix everything together before serving. THEN add the citrus juice. If you add the lemon or lime juice too early the heat will kill the tang. This dish is awesome served hot, warm or cold. But wait. What do you serve it with?

Serve it on top of my famous cabbage, cilantro and green onion mix. The crunchy, cool, flavorful cabbage beautifully compliments theturkey curry and chewy dates. Oh, and don’t forgetthered wine and some humus and pita chips.