Spiced Turkey Rice Bowls (Printable)

Cumin-spiced ground turkey with vegetables served over fluffy rice for a quick nourishing weeknight bowl.

# What You'll Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 1 lb ground turkey

→ Grains

02 - 1¼ cups long-grain white rice, uncooked

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 red bell pepper, diced
04 - 1 zucchini, diced
05 - 1 cup frozen peas
06 - 2 spring onions, sliced

→ Spices and Aromatics

07 - 2 tbsp olive oil
08 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1 tsp ground cumin
10 - 1 tsp smoked paprika
11 - ½ tsp ground coriander
12 - ½ tsp ground turmeric
13 - ¼ tsp cayenne pepper (optional, to taste)
14 - Salt and pepper, to taste

→ Toppings

15 - Fresh cilantro, chopped
16 - Lime wedges

# Steps:

01 - Prepare the long-grain white rice according to package directions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork and keep warm while preparing the remaining components.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until mostly browned throughout, approximately 5 minutes.
03 - Add the minced garlic, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander, ground turmeric, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to the skillet. Sauté for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until the spices are fragrant and evenly coat the turkey.
04 - Stir the diced red bell pepper and zucchini into the spiced turkey mixture. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes until the vegetables have softened and released their moisture.
05 - Fold in the frozen peas and continue cooking for an additional 2 minutes until heated through.
06 - Taste the turkey and vegetable mixture and adjust salt, pepper, or cayenne as desired.
07 - Divide the warm rice among four bowls. Spoon the spiced turkey and vegetable mixture over the rice. Garnish each bowl with sliced spring onions, chopped fresh cilantro, and a lime wedge. Serve immediately.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The spice blend transforms plain ground turkey into something that tastes like you spent hours on it.
  • Everything cooks in one skillet, which means cleanup is almost embarrassingly easy.
  • It reheats beautifully, so making extra is never a bad idea.
02 -
  • Do not skip blooming the spices in the hot pan with the turkey fat, raw spices stirred in at the end taste flat and dusty.
  • Frozen peas go in last because overcooked peas turn gray and mealy, which ruins the whole look and texture.
03 -
  • Let the turkey sit undisturbed for the first two minutes of cooking so it actually develops a crust instead of steaming in its own liquid.
  • Toast your whole spices in a dry pan before grinding them if you want to take the flavor to a level that surprises even you.

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