Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (2024)

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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.

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (1)

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.

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (2)

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.

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (3)

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.

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (4)

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.

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (5)

  • 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 dicedonions and fry for a minute or until softened and fragrant.

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (6)

  • 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.

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  • 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.

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (8)

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 Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (9)

5 from 16 votes

Print

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.

Coursemain

CuisineAsian, Clean Eating, Gluten-free

KeywordAsian rice bowl, ground turkey rice bowl, rice bowl with turkey

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Servings 4 servings

Calories 244 kcal

Author Marie

Ingredients

  • ½tablespoonolive oil
  • 1onionfinely chopped
  • 1lb/ 500 g ground turkey
  • 2garlic clovesfinely minced
  • 1red bell pepperfinely chopped (see notes)
  • 4scallionsgreen and white parts
  • 2tspsesame seedsto serve
  • ½cupcilantro leavesroughly chopped, to serve
  • Sriracha and limeto serve - optional

Sauce

  • ⅓cupreduced salt soy sauce
  • 2tablespoonsrice wine
  • ½tablespoonfish sauce
  • ½tablespooncornstarch

Instructions

  1. 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.

  2. Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium high heat.

  3. Cook onion for a minute or until softened and fragrant.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

Nutrition Facts

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowls

Amount Per Serving (1 bowl without rice)

Calories 244Calories from Fat 99

% Daily Value*

Fat 11g17%

Saturated Fat 2g13%

Cholesterol 83mg28%

Sodium 1340mg58%

Potassium 428mg12%

Carbohydrates 8g3%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 3g3%

Protein 24g48%

Vitamin A 1270IU25%

Vitamin C 43.3mg52%

Calcium 55mg6%

Iron 2.3mg13%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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 onInstagram,PinterestandFacebookfor more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More Asian-inspired recipes you would love:

  • Asian Glazed Meatballs
  • Cauliflower Fried Rice
  • Asian Slaw with Ginger Peanut Dressing
  • Chicken Lettuce Wraps

« Healthy Strawberry Muffins

Lemon Blueberry Breakfast Smoothie »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Pam Greer

    I was looking for a healthy lunch for this week and I definitely found it! I forget how good ground turkey is!!

  2. Catherine

    Healthy and hearty! What more could a girl ask for?! This looks and sounds delicious.

    • Marie

      Right?! Thanks girl!

  3. 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 😉

  4. 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!

  5. 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!

  6. 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 🙂

  7. 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.

  8. 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! 🙂

  9. 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!

  10. Diana

    So good and easy, I added some chili garlic paste and mushrooms. Easy and delicious

    • Marie

      Nice additions Diana, thanks for sharing!

  11. 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!

  12. L

    Man I am eating this as leftovers and it is even better.

    Excellent recepie.

    • Marie

      Tasty leftovers for the win! Thanks again 🙂

  13. 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 🙂

  14. Gina

    Whole family loved it. Definitely a keeper. Thanks!

    • Marie

      Super happy to hear, thank you Gina!

  15. Manila

    Delicious! I topped it off with a fried egg.

    • Marie

      Lovely addition, yum!

Asian Ground Turkey Rice Bowl | Healthy Meal Prep Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to add flavor to ground turkey? ›

There are plenty of easy ground turkey recipes out there. But, you will always need spices like olive oil, kosher salt and pepper, chili powder, and garlic powder. You can add minced garlic, and freshly chopped onions and peppers, for an extra edge.

What is in a Asia Bowl? ›

Rice bowls are a big staple of Asian cuisine, and nearly all contain these basic elements: A base consisting of a rice, noodle, vegetable, or grain; toppings such as vegetables, proteins, and/or dairy; a sauce (teriyaki, soy sauce, gochujang, sriracha, mirin); and a garnish (shredded vegetables or chopped herbs, ...

Do you season ground turkey before cooking? ›

Before you start cooking, be sure to season the ground turkey well with salt and pepper. Also consider including dried herbs and spices for additional flavor. If you're cooking meatballs or meatloaf, pinch off some of the seasoned mixture and cook it in a skillet to taste. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

How do you cook ground turkey in the microwave? ›

Remove turkey from packaging and put it in a microwave-safe bowl. Cover the bowl, and microwave for 4 minutes, or until soft enough to mash with a fork. Add kosher salt (optional). Cover again, and continue to microwave in 1-minute increments until the meat is no longer pink, about 7 minutes.

What makes ground turkey taste good? ›

With ground turkey, you need fresh aromatics to season it. Chopped yellow onions, scallions, cilantro, and red bell pepper all help add flavor.

What gives turkey a good flavor? ›

Instead of filling your bird with stuffing, fill it with aromatics. (News flash: Cooking stuffing inside a turkey can be dangerous.) The basics, like onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sage, help lend that traditional Thanksgiving flavor. Take your aromatics up a notch by adding halved lemons or oranges.

What is the best rice for rice bowls? ›

Rice: use your favorite rice – brown rice, basmati rice, jasmine rice, cauliflower rice or even quinoa and lentils. I suggest keeping the rice flavor profile simple, seasoning with just salt and pepper because the rest of the bowl ingredients are so flavorful.

What is the rice bowl of Asia? ›

Thailand: Thailand is another major rice exporter and is known as the "rice bowl" of Asia.

What is the rice bowl in Chinese culture? ›

Double happiness rice bowls are small rice bowls decorated with a double happiness character, which denotes love, romantic fulfillment, and marriage. ... The bamboo pattern, which is also heavily symbolic, denotes conventionally “masculine” virtues like perseverance, strength, and integrity.

How do you moisten ground turkey? ›

Even 93 percent lean ground turkey—often the fattiest preground turkey you can buy—can still taste too lean and can easily dry out during cooking. To temper those effects, we added 2 tablespoons of melted butter to the meat, along with a panade of milk and panko.

Is ground turkey healthier than ground beef? ›

Ground beef and turkey are both nutritious meats that provide protein, fat, and a variety of vitamins and minerals. Turkey is generally lower in saturated fat than beef. As such, it may be a better choice for heart health. Fat-free turkey is also the lowest calorie option if you're interested in weight loss.

Why is my ground turkey rubbery? ›

Is turkey supposed to taste rubbery? Rubbery texture comes from cooking too long with too low a heat. Most land fowl like chicken, turkey, pigeon, guineafowl, peafowl, etc. are best when cooked hot and fast.

How do you know if ground turkey is cooked thoroughly? ›

Your ground turkey will need about 14-16 minutes in total to cook. It will be cooked when it is all browned evenly, juices run clear and when your thermometer is at least 165 degrees F.

Can I brown ground turkey in the microwave? ›

Simply brown it in a skillet on the stove or heat it in a microwave until it's at food safe temperature (165 degrees F or 70 degrees C). If there's any grease, just drain it before using the meat. You can use the cooked ground turkey in any of your favorite recipes that call for ground meat.

How do you cook ground turkey without drying it out? ›

Ok, here's a game changing tip for you – add mushrooms when cooking ground turkey! This may sound odd, but it's a really nice addition, especially if you have lean ground turkey breast. The mushrooms add moisture and umami flavor to the ground turkey, which can otherwise end up on the dry side.

How to season ground turkey to taste like hamburger? ›

Whenever I made turkey burgers, I would dissolve some beef bouillon in a little water and add it to the turkey with a little canola oil, then season and form the patties. The bouillon gave it some flavor and the water and oil helped with moisture. Just make sure not to overcook.

How do you spice up a bland turkey? ›

There are two main ways you can season a turkey.
  1. Dry brine: Combine salt, pepper, dried herbs, and spices and rub the mixture under the turkey skin, inside the cavity, and then over the skin. ...
  2. Compound better: Combine butter, salt, pepper, fresh chopped herbs, citrus zest, and other flavorings.
Nov 3, 2023

How do you make ground turkey taste more savory? ›

You could try adding some Worcestershire Sauce, or some smoked paprika, savory, chili powder. What are some ways to cook chicken breast or ground turkey so that it is not plain? After you brown the meat, use it in a recipe. Most recipes that work for ground beef will also work for ground turkey.

How do you make 99% lean ground turkey taste good? ›

Enhance Flavor with Seasonings

While ground turkey has a mild flavor, adding the right seasonings can make it truly delicious. Experiment with a variety of herbs and spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, or dried oregano. Don't be afraid to get creative and adjust the flavors to your liking!

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