This ground turkey and rice skillet is healthy, flavorful, filling, and super quick to make for dinner! It is one of the best easy meals with ground turkey and leftover rice and you will love how simple, yet tasty it is.
Made with fresh ingredients and packed with protein this healthy ground turkey recipe will save you time, money and your hands, because there won’t be many dishes to clean up. You only need one pan and a cutting board to make this simple homemade dinner!
What’s In This Ground Turkey and Rice Skillet
The ingredients for this rice and turkey skillet are fresh, yet affordable and super healthy:
Ground turkey. This is a great way to add more protein to your meals to make them more satisfying and filling.
Leftover rice. Use whatever type of cooked rice you enjoy! White, long-grain, brown, even cooked quinoa or bulgur can be a great option for this skillet.
Chickpeas. Add some more fiber and extra plant-protein by throwing some canned chickpeas into the skillet. You will love this healthy addition!
Spices. Chili flakes, paprika, cumin and dried mint are great for this tasty dinner recipe. If you don’t love mint, you could try this dish with basil or oregano.
Vegetables. I used garlic, scallions, fresh parsley and sweet red peppers. You can also add a handful of any type of vegetables you have in your kitchen. Some great nutritious options you could try are spinach, arugula, carrots, zucchini or broccoli.
Olives and olive oil.
How To Make Ground Turkey And Rice
The process of making this ground turkey dinner recipe is easy and pretty quick.
Start by cooking the ground turkey in a large pan with olive oil, paprika, chili flakes, cumin and mint for 3-4 minutes or until the turkey starts to get nicely brown.
While the turkey is cooking, you can chop up the scallions, pepper and parsley and rinse and drain the chickpeas.
When ready, add the scallions, pepper and one clove of minced garlic to the ground turkey. Stir in the chickpeas and let cook for about 2-3 minutes at medium heat.
Add another teaspoon of olive oil and add the leftover rice. Stir for 2-3 more minutes, add the last clove of garlic and parsley, cook for one last minute!
Now your ground turkey with rice is ready to eat!
How To Serve This Rice and Ground Turkey skillet
This ground turkey and rice skillet is super delicious as is, but if you’d like you can definitely serve a small vegetable salad or some avocado on the side for a healthy dinner option. If you like you can also drizzle some sriracha sauce on top for some added spice.
More Options
Use ground chicken or beef. Depending on what you have and what you love, you can try making this one-pan meal with any type of ground meat.
Make it low carb. You can use green beans instead of chickpeas and cauliflower rice to make this meal more low carb! Make sure to add the cauliflower rice a bit earlier, right after the turkey. You might also like to add in another clove of garlic if you choose this option.
Other vegetables. Use up zucchini, spinach, or even broccoli in this delicious recipe.
More Ground Turkey Recipes
If you’ve got even more ground turkey to use up, make sure to also check out these amazing ground turkey recipes:
- Turkey Meatballs Without Breadcrumbs
- Sweet Potato Ground Turkey Moussaka
- 20-Minute Spicy Ground Turkey Cauliflower Rice
I hope you enjoy this tasty healthy ground turkey and rice skillet for dinner or whenever you choose to have it!

Ground Turkey and Rice Skillet Recipe
This ground turkey and rice skillet is healthy, flavorful, filling and super quick to make! It is one of the best ground turkey recipes to make for an easy dinner and you will love how simple, yet tasty it is.
Ingredients
- 8oz/220 grams ground turkey
- 2 scallions, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup cooked rice
- ⅔ cup chickpeas, canned
- ½ cup sweet red pepper, chopped
- 1 tbsp paprika
- 1 tsp dried mint or oregano
- 1 tsp chili flakes
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp chopped pitted olives
- ½ cup parsley, thinly chopped
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Cook the ground turkey in a large pan with olive oil, paprika, chili flakes, cumin, some salt and pepper, and mint for 3-4 minutes at medium-high heat or until the turkey starts to get nicely brown.
- While the turkey is cooking, you can chop up the scallions, pepper and parsley and rinse and drain the chickpeas.
- When ready, reduce heat and add the scallions, pepper and one clove of minced garlic to the ground turkey. Stir in the chickpeas and let cook for about 2-3 minutes.
- Add another teaspoon of olive oil and add the leftover rice. Stir for 2-3 more minutes, add the last clove of garlic, the olives and parsley, and cook for one last minute!
- Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield 3 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 432Total Fat 24gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 17gCholesterol 78mgSodium 217mgCarbohydrates 31gFiber 5gSugar 3gProtein 25g