13 Delicious Recipes That'll Have You Choosing Ground Turkey Over Ground Beef

An extreme close up shot of a sloppy joe sandwich on a Kaiser roll.
DebbiSmirnoff/istockphoto

Turkey Takeover

Ground beef gets a lot of hype, but if you're a real one, you know ground turkey can be just as much of a stunner (it's often cheaper, too!) When a Redditor asked for some inspiration on what to do with a freezer full of ground turkey, the community had a lot to say about their favorite ground turkey recipes.

Whether you’re in the mood for meatballs, stir fry, or a hearty breakfast, here are 13 delicious, easy ground turkey recipes.

CaseyHillPhoto/istockphoto
CaseyHillPhoto/istockphoto

Breakfast Burritos

If last night’s turkey tacos didn’t get eaten up, save the leftovers for the morning. Just roll it up into a tortilla with eggs, cheese, and salsa. Or, better yet, make your own breakfast sausage.

Recipe: Allrecipes

Turkey Burger
Brent Hofacker/shutterstock

Turkey Burgers

Healthy ground turkey recipes can simulate classic comfort foods, too. For an easy dinner, whip your turkey into some burger patties and make it burger night. Want to up the ante on the healthy, protein-packed vibes? Turn those patties into turkey lettuce wraps instead.

Recipe: Killing Thyme

Turkey Meatballs

Roll that lean ground turkey up with breadcrumbs, eggs, and a few other simple ingredients and you’ve got all kinds of possibilities.

Recipe: New York Times Cooking

Related: Quick & Easy Ground Beef Recipes That Make Dinner a Breeze

photo of Larb Gai with Rice - Mint Thai
photo of Larb Gai with Rice - Mint Thai

Larb

Though usually made with ground chicken, the Thai meat salad works well with ground turkey since they’re both lean proteins. Keep some tiny lettuce cups on hand.

Recipe: Sainsbury’s

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boblin/istockphoto

Turkey Lasagna

Just about any lasagna recipe that calls for ground beef will work for this classic substitution. This is the exact type of dish I’d choose to fool myself into thinking I’m making the healthy choice. Check out former nuclear budget analyst Ina Garten’s recipe below.

Recipe: Food Network

Japanese Beef Stir-Fry with Soba Noodles. Flat lay top-down composition on wooden background. Horizontal image with copy space.
luchezar/istockphoto

Ground Turkey Stir Fry

With the right veggies and aromatics, you can substitute ground turkey for a huge number of ground pork stir fry recipes. This one from Gypsy Plate looks great.

Recipe: Gypsy Plate

Southwestern Shredded Chicken Skillet with Rice, Black Beans, Tomato and Cheese
rudisill/istockphoto

Stuffed Pepper Casserole

Hearty. Cheesy. Peppery. This recipe is a winner in my book.

Recipe: Well Plated

Italian sausage with peppers and onions.  Please see my portfolio for other food and drink images.
mphillips007/istockphoto

Sausage

This is more advanced than your average weeknight dinner, but if you’ve got the equipment (like a meat grinder and sausage casing) you can crank out some delicious sausage.

Recipe: My Crazy Good Life

Moist Turkey and Spinach Meatloaf with Mashed Potato's and Steamed Green Beans
LauriPatterson/istockphoto

Turkey Meatloaf

Meatloaf is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s a dish that’s made out of leftovers, which can then be turned into more leftovers in the form of a meatloaf sandwich. And in this case, the whole journey begins with ground turkey.

Recipe: Foolproof Living

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rez-art/istockphoto

Turkey Shepherd’s Pie

The classic English dish (also known as cottage pie) is almost always made with ground beef or lamb, but look, I’m cool. I’m not gonna rat you out to the Pie Police if you’re just trying to use up your ground turkey.

Recipe: Allrecipes

Diverse Keto Dishes, bolognese sauce, Quebec, Canada
lisegagne/istockphoto

Bolognese

I’m not suggesting that dinner parties need to involve some sort of deception, but if you simmer that sauce just right, you might just fool people into thinking they’re eating regular Bolognese. Your lil’ secret.

Recipe: Food Network

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WendyTDavis/istockphoto

Chili

This probably springs to mind immediately for a lot of people, and that’s just fine. Turkey chili is a wonderful thing; it can be made in as little as 30 minutes or stretched out all day long in a slow cooker.

Recipe: Ambitious Kitchen

An extreme close up shot of a sloppy joe sandwich on a Kaiser roll.
DebbiSmirnoff/istockphoto

Sloppy Joe

An all-time favorite. There’s not a soul alive who can resist a good Slop, and you’ll find that it makes for a perfect ground turkey dinner. I’ll love this sandwich until my dying day. Perhaps on it. Perhaps, even, because of it.

Recipe: Allrecipes

This article was originally published on Cheapism

An extreme close up shot of a sloppy joe sandwich on a Kaiser roll.
DebbiSmirnoff/istockphoto

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