I whipped up this Thai-Style Ground Turkey Stir Fry recipe because I’ve been in a bit of a food rut. We all get there—when you’re short on time and have go-to meals. My diet is a rotating cast of ground turkey, chicken, veggies and brown rice or sweet potatoes for most meals.
Since I have less time to cook and have been tracking my macros more closely, I haven’t taken the time to get creative in the kitchen until now. I needed a bit of a flavor change that still centered on lean protein choices. In the past, I would have ordered in when my flavor cravings would hit. But since eating out isn’t guaranteed safe from gluten contamination, it was back to the cutting board.
I had ground turkey on hand (like I usually do), so I hit the store for a few more items and put together this Thai-Style Ground Turkey Stir Fry. I also managed to forget a few things while at the store—namely, fish sauce. But, despite leaving it out, my taste buds were more than pleased with the resulting dish.
The kick of flavor comes from the combination of garlic, onion, fresh lime juice, gluten-free low sodium tamari and siracha.
The list of ingredients is long, but this recipe comes together in about twenty minutes with just a few simple steps. Perfect for getting out of a food rut, even with that ever-busy schedule.
Note:
If you don’t like spicy food, leave the red pepper flakes out of the sauce.
Authentic Thai-Style Ground Turkey Stir Fry
Ingredients
Main Ingredients
1 pound ground turkey (minced turkey)
1 medium red pepper (red capsicum) - cut into thin strips
1 small red onion - cut into thin strips
1 ½ cup green beans
1 cup cabbage - thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cooking oil - with a high heat index
1 ½ tablespoons garlic - minced
1 cup Thai basil - chopped
1 sprigs chives - for garnish
Sauce Ingredients
1 medium lime juice
1 tablespoon sriracha
1 tablespoon tamari - gluten-free
1 tablespoon fish sauce - optional – mine turned out fine without it
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes - crushed
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients for the sauce, then set aside. Cut onion and red bell pepper into thin strips and snap ends of green beans. Also, chop basil.
- Heat a tablespoon of oil over high heat. Then, add the minced garlic. Cook garlic until it becomes fragrant and starts to brown. Add the green beans and cabbage, then stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Then, add the red pepper and onions, stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes or until they start to soften. Remove the veggies to a bowl and set them aside.
- Heat the other tablespoon of oil and add the ground turkey, breaking it apart as it cooks. Heat until most liquid has cooked out and turkey is lightly browned.
- Add back the veggie mixture and stir to combine. Add chopped basil, and stir together for another minute.
- Top with sauce mixture and distribute evenly. Cook until all sauce is absorbed into the meat, about 2 more minutes.
- Garnish with chopped chives.
- Serve hot as is or with brown rice.
