This turkey sweet potato skillet is a healthy way to repurpose leftover turkey (or chicken) with sweet potatoes, black beans, peppers, greens and onions. A nutritious grain free meal ready in under 30 minutes!
This is what I like to call a double duty meal. It’s perfect for Thanksgiving leftovers and just as good for an easy weeknight dinner.
Either way, it’s cooked all in one skillet, ready in under 30 minutes and you can easily swap out chicken leftovers for turkey if that’s what you have on hand.
If you’re like me, the flavors of Thanksgiving get old after a day or so and I need to find a totally different way to repurpose whatever’s still left in the fridge at that point (which is usually turkey).
That’s why this turkey and sweet potato skillet goes in a Mexican direction.
With peppers, onions, black beans and Mexican spices along with lime and avocado garnishes, your taste buds will thank you for not continuing the Thanksgiving flavor assault.
This ground beef sweet potato skillet is another great one-pan meal that uses similar ingredients and flavors.
Turkey stew is another option too for leftover repurposing with a different flavor direction.
I’ve made a few Thanksgiving leftover themed meals like this turkey avgolemono soup, turkey cranberry enchilada sandwich melts and this Thanksgiving breakfast frittata which works just as well with leftovers as it does fresh ingredients on Thanksgiving morning.
But, this turkey sweet potato skillet is definitely a new favorite for pure simplicity’s sake.
And as I said in the roasted romanesco recipe, I’m all about the simplicity lately.
WHAT YOU’LL NEED FOR THIS TURKEY SWEET POTATO SKILLET
Gather up the following ingredients:
- leftover shredded turkey
- yellow onion
- sweet potatoes
- yellow bell pepper
- black beans
- baby spinach or kale
- garlic powder, cumin, smoked paprika
- salt and pepper
- avocado and lime wedges for serving
HOW TO MAKE THIS TURKEY AND SWEET POTATO SKILLET
Place a large skillet over medium heat. Pour some avocado oil (or other neutral oil of choice) to the pan.
Add the onions and sweet potatoes and cook until onions are slightly softened, about 3 minutes.
Add a bit of broth or water to the pan, cover with a lid and steam for 8-10 minutes until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
Remove the lid, add the peppers, black beans and spinach/kale. Stir until combined and cook for 3-5 minutes until peppers have softened slightly and the greens are wilted.
Add seasonings and remove from heat.
Serve with ripe avocado slices and lime wedges.
If you have cilantro on hand, that’d be a great addition too since this is a very Mexican vibe meal.
Want another Mexican inspired use of leftover turkey? Look at this turkey enchilada skillet. Drool worthy, right?
POSSIBLE SUBSTITUTIONS
With an easy skillet meal like this, you can easily swap out ingredients for what you have on hand.
Peppers – use any color bell pepper you may have. Want some extra heat? Throw half (or a whole!) jalapeño in too! You can even use cubanelle or poblano peppers.
Sweet potatoes – as is this recipe reminds me a lot of my sweet potato hash recipe but, feel free to swap out sweet potatoes for another type of potato instead. Purple sweet potatoes, baby potatoes, regular Idaho/Russet or even a yam would all work.
Turkey – as I mentioned above, you can easily use leftover chicken instead of the turkey here. This is an especially great recipe for leftover rotisserie chicken!
Alternatively, try ground turkey in this skillet recipe instead of turkey breast/thigh meat.
If you choose to use ground meat, add it to the skillet after the sweet potatoes have cooked with the broth/water and cook until browned, breaking up with a spatula into smaller pieces.
I would use anywhere from half to one pound meat.
TURN IT INTO BREAKFAST!
Looking for a breakfast recipe instead of dinner?
Simple! Just crack a few eggs on top of the skillet at the end, cover with a lid and cook until the whites are opaque.
Congratulations, you’ve basically just made a hash!
And I loooove a good hash. Evidenced by this brisket hash and my favorite way to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day leftovers, this corned beef hash breakfast sandwich.
NEED MORE EASY SKILLET RECIPES?
Creamy Skillet Turmeric Chicken with Chickpeas
Buffalo Turkey Cauliflower Skillet
Chicken Artichoke Olive Skillet
Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 medium yellow onion chopped
- 1 large sweet potato peeled and chopped into cubes (about 2 cups)
- 1/3 cup vegetable or chicken broth or substitute water
- 1 cup leftover shredded turkey or chicken
- 15 ounce can black beans drained and rinsed
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped
- 2 cups baby greens spinach, kale, etc.
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- salt and pepper to taste
- lime wedges for serving
- avocado slices for serving
Instructions
- Place avocado oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Once hot, add onions and sweet potatoes and stir to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onions have softened a bit.
- Add broth (or water) to the skillet, cover and simmer on medium-low heat for 8-10 minutes until sweet potatoes are fork tender.
- Remove the lid from the skillet, add the turkey, black beans, peppers and baby greens. Stir to combine and cook another 3-5 minutes until peppers have softened slightly and greens have wilted.
- Add the spices, season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with lime wedges and avocado.
Nutrition Facts
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator based on the actual ingredients you used in the recipe.
Gina Matsoukas is the writer, founder, photographer and recipe developer of Running to the Kitchen — a food website focused on providing healthy, wholesome recipes using fresh and seasonal ingredients as much as possible. Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets both digital and print, including MSN, Huffington post, Buzzfeed, Women’s Health and Food Network.
Jan
Thursday 22nd of September 2022
When do you add the turkey?
Gina Matsoukas
Friday 23rd of September 2022
Sorry about that, add it in step 4. The recipe has been updated to include it. Thanks for pointing that oversight out!
Noelle
Wednesday 25th of November 2020
Yum! Delicious, great combo with the turkey and sweet potatoes!
Diana Johnson
Wednesday 25th of November 2020
What a great way to use up leftover turkey! Love simple skillets like this.
Beth
Wednesday 25th of November 2020
Yummy! This looks so delicious and flavorful! My husband is going to love this recipe!
Mirlene
Wednesday 25th of November 2020
Talking about delicious. We cannot get enough of this recipe. My family loves it.