Hearty skillet of caramelized sweet potato cubes and spiced ground turkey with wilted spinach for a warm, slightly smoky and lightly sweet plate finished with bright lime and cilantro. Serve hot from the pan, optionally topped with avocado or a fried egg.
Skillet Sweet-Potato and Turkey Comfort
A one-pan, paleo-friendly hash that balances caramelized sweet potato cubes, warmly spiced turkey, and bright lime and cilantro for an easy weeknight or weekend meal.
This skillet hash exists to solve the eternal weeknight dilemma: hearty, flavorful dinner that doesn’t require babysitting a dozen pots. Cubed sweet potatoes caramelize on the pan’s surface until they’re tender with golden edges, while spiced ground turkey cooks up quickly and picks up a faint smoke from paprika and a whisper of warmth from cumin and cinnamon. The result is a plate that’s at once slightly sweet, gently smoky, and deeply comforting.
The seasoning is intentionally simple but specific: smoked paprika for that campfire note, cumin for earthiness, cinnamon to echo the sweet potato, and red pepper flakes for a polite sting of heat. Technique matters—start the sweet potatoes over coconut oil and steam-then-sizzle them until fork-tender, then push them aside so the turkey can brown properly. Fold in fresh spinach at the end so it just wilts into the mix, keeping color and a touch of green freshness.
Finish each serving with a squeeze of lime and a scatter of cilantro to cut through the richness; an avocado slice or a fried egg brings creamy contrast and makes the dish feel indulgent without fuss. It’s excellent hot from the pan for dinner, cozy for brunch, or portioned into containers for make-ahead lunches—reheat briefly in a skillet to revive the sweet-potato edges and the turkey’s caramelization.
Feeds four comfortably and adapts easily: swap in ground beef or turkey thighs for more fat, use kale if you prefer sturdier greens, or add a roasted red pepper for extra sweetness. Simple prep, straightforward spices, and a single skillet mean this hash becomes a dependable, flavorful weeknight staple.
Ingredients
How to Make Spiced Sweet Potato Turkey Hash
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into roughly 1/2-inch cubes so they cook evenly; finely chop the onion and red pepper, and mince the garlic.
- Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon coconut oil; add the diced sweet potato and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, stir to coat, then cover and cook 8–10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the cubes are fork-tender and beginning to brown.
- Push the sweet potatoes to one side of the skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil to the empty space, and add the ground turkey; sprinkle with the ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, breaking the meat into bite-sized pieces with a spatula.
- Cook the turkey 4–6 minutes, stirring and turning until no longer pink and starting to brown, then mix the sweet potatoes back with the turkey so everything is distributed in the pan.
- Add the chopped onion, red pepper, and minced garlic to the skillet and cook 3–4 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and release their juices.
- Stir in the fresh spinach a handful at a time and cook 1–2 minutes until wilted; taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and the juice of the lime to brighten the flavors.
- Serve hot straight from the skillet; optionally top each portion with sliced avocado or a fried egg for extra richness.
Recipe Card
Spiced Sweet Potato Turkey Hash
Hearty skillet of caramelized sweet potato cubes and spiced ground turkey with wilted spinach for a warm, slightly smoky and lightly sweet plate finished with bright lime and cilantro. Serve hot from the pan, optionally topped with avocado or a fried egg.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into roughly 1/2-inch cubes so they cook evenly; finely chop the onion and red pepper, and mince the garlic.
- Heat a 12-inch skillet over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon coconut oil; add the diced sweet potato and 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, stir to coat, then cover and cook 8–10 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the cubes are fork-tender and beginning to brown.
- Push the sweet potatoes to one side of the skillet, add the remaining 1 tablespoon coconut oil to the empty space, and add the ground turkey; sprinkle with the ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground cinnamon, red pepper flakes, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, breaking the meat into bite-sized pieces with a spatula.
- Cook the turkey 4–6 minutes, stirring and turning until no longer pink and starting to brown, then mix the sweet potatoes back with the turkey so everything is distributed in the pan.
- Add the chopped onion, red pepper, and minced garlic to the skillet and cook 3–4 minutes more, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and release their juices.
- Stir in the fresh spinach a handful at a time and cook 1–2 minutes until wilted; taste and adjust seasoning with additional salt or pepper if needed.
- Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the chopped cilantro and the juice of the lime to brighten the flavors.
- Serve hot straight from the skillet; optionally top each portion with sliced avocado or a fried egg for extra richness.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 41
- Saturated Fat
- 9
- Sodium
- 640
- Fiber
- 7
- Unsaturated Fat
- 8
- Protein
- 29
- Fat
- 17
- Cholesterol
- 125
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 435
- Sugar
- 10