In need of meal prep ideas, but you’re absolutely tired of chicken? Nourish your body with these 22 ground turkey meal prep ideas without sacrificing flavor, or having to eat chicken day after day. Chicken has been the go-to protein source for meal prep for years, but it’s time we gave it a break. Yes, it’s lean and high in protein, but ground turkey can offer the same benefits and more.
Ground turkey is a high-quality protein source which is essential for building and repairing tissues in the body. Protein is also important for maintaining muscle mass, supporting immune function, and regulating hormones. It’s low in saturated fat when compared to ground beef Choosing lean ground turkey can help reduce your intake of unhealthy saturated fats, which are associated with an increased risk of heart disease. Ground turkey is generally lower in calories than ground beef, especially if you choose lean or extra lean varieties.
This can be beneficial for those looking to manage their calorie intake with meal prep. The lean white meat has various essential vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins (such as B6 and niacin), selenium, phosphorus, and zinc. These nutrients play important roles in metabolism, immune function, and overall health. And lastly, it’s versatile and easy to prepare making it adaptable to different cuisines. So let’s dive into ground turkey meal prep!
1. Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Baked Turkey Meatballs
Meatballs are a great recipe to start with if you have some ground turkey to use up. You can adjust them to whatever your diet preferences are. They are super versatile in the never-ending quest for healthy lunches or even healthy breakfasts. This version of meatballs is baked instead of fried, keeping it light and healthy.
2. Mediterranean Turkey Burgers
Ground turkey can be kind of boring if you don’t dress it up right. These Mediterranean burgers have fun add-ins to the burger patty for maximum flavor and color. Even with all the add-ins, these burgers are high in protein and low in calories. Each burger has 34 grams of protein and only 324 calories – including the bun!
3. Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Greek Meatballs with Tzatziki Sauce
These Greek turkey meatballs are easy for a weeknight dinner, but prepared as meal prep lunches, they’re even better! Not only is it quick and easy to make, but with the tzatziki sauce, you’ve got a fantastic flavored lunch option that will have you looking forward to your ground turkey meal prep.
4. Cheesy Turkey and Veggie Frittata
Ground turkey meal prep for breakfast is a great idea because it gets you away from the typical fatty sausages and bacon. And egg dishes are so forgiving because you can add whatever you’re feeling to them. This veggie frittata was made with zucchini, tomatoes, and onions, but you can use your favorite veggies. Just don’t forget the ground turkey!
5. Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Zucchini Chickpea Skillet
A quick and healthy meal prep idea, this ground turkey skillet is made with vegetables, chickpeas, tomatoes, and spices. Once cooked, divide it into containers with rice, pasta, or quinoa for healthy ground turkey meal prep for the week. The addition of the chickpeas makes it extra hearty and adds additional protein!
6. Turkey and Egg Breakfast Casserole
This egg breakfast casserole is a healthy breakfast option for you or the kids and I love that it can be made into individual servings. The individual servings will give you a fantastic on-the-go breakfast option. One minute in the microwave to reheat and you’re good to go. Now, busy mornings are no excuse!
7. Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Sweet Potato Frittata
This recipe calls for leftover turkey (think the day after Thanksgiving!) but you could easily just brown up some ground turkey and use that instead. It’ll give the frittata texture and ground turkey is a great pairing for tender sweet potatoes and cheesy eggs. It’s a fully balanced meal all in one dish.
8. Teriyaki Turkey Rice Bowl
Chicken teriyaki is normally the go-to for meal prep, but using ground turkey is a great swap-up. The turkey and teriyaki is loaded with veggies and tastes great with rice or noodles. A great thing about this recipe is the teriyaki sauce is homemade, so you can feel great about the ingredients, but it’s easy to make.
9. Turkey Taco Salad Bowls
I love a taco salad for meal prep, and ground turkey gives the traditional taco salad vibes, but is much leaner than using ground beef. It’s super easy to whip up and divide into meal prep containers. Use your favorite salsa, cheeses, and taco toppings for the best results.
10. Turkey Quinoa Bowls
With just 10 ingredients, you can make these stunning turkey quinoa bowls for your meal prep this week. They’re packed with nutrients, protein, and fiber, and are so flavorful. A great way to feel full and satisfied is by pairing protein with a high-fiber carb, which is just what this turkey quinoa meal prep bowl does for you.
11. Smoky Turkey Quinoa Chili
Chili can absolutely be a meal prep staple. It’s easy and high in protein, as well as comforting during the cold months. This smoky turkey quinoa chili is a one-pot meal that cooks itself, and it’s easy to customize with extra spices or vegetables. It’s also great the next day and freezes easily for a quick and easy meal later on.
12. Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Turkey Vegetable Soup
Another soup that makes a great ground turkey meal prep option is this turkey vegetable soup. It’s grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, Whole30 compliant, and easy on the digestive system. Make a big batch of this and you’ve got healthy, comforting soup for the week. It’ll be a hit with how flavorful it is.
13. Asian Glazed Turkey Meatballs
Ground turkey is a great source of protein and low in fat, so you can make these meatballs as a large part of your meal prep for the week. This recipe for Asian meatballs uses soy sauce, honey, beef broth, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, green onions, and a combination of crushed red chili flakes, salt, and pepper. It makes a nice sticky sweet glaze that goes perfectly over the turkey meatballs and rice.
14. Ground Turkey and Broccoli Bowls
If you’re looking for easy recipes with ground turkey, you’ve found the best recipe! This ground turkey broccoli stir fry uses minimal ingredients and is great for easy meal prep. It’s low carb so you can keep it that way if that’s your preference, or serve it over pasta or rice for added carbs.
15. Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Fried Rice
If you’re dreaming of take-out for lunch every day, I’ve got you covered with some homemade fakeout-takeout deliciousness. This ground turkey fried rice is made with a simple Asian stir-fry sauce to give you the flavors of your favorite fried rice takeout. You can make four whole servings in less than 20 minutes, so it’s perfect for prepping a few meals for the week.
16. Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Egg Roll Bowls
This easy bowl recipe with Asian flavors is a great reason to try a take on an Egg Roll bowl. These ground turkey bowls will be your new meal prep staple. It’s a delicious mixture of sauteed cabbage, carrots, green onion, toasted cashews, and ground turkey of course. Low carb, delicious and high in protein which we love for meal prep.
17. 20-Minute Mongolian Turkey
Another recipe for a ground turkey bowl – because they’re quick, easy, and delicious. The sauce is slightly sweet with the addition of coconut sugar and slightly savory with the combination of fish sauce, rice vinegar, and coconut aminos. It gives these ground turkey bowls a depth of flavor that keeps your meal prep lively!
18. Turmeric Ginger Ground Turkey Veggie Bowls
Turmeric Ginger Ground Turkey Bowls are packed with nutrients and antioxidants and are great for eaters of many types. These bowls are Paleo, Whole30, keto, AIP, low-carb, and have a Low-FODMAP option as well. They are simple to make which is perfect for meal prep, and even with how healthy they are – they still taste amazing.
19. Easy Ground Turkey Pasta
Ground turkey and pasta make great meal prep. Ground turkey is light and lean, and pasta is filling as well as comforting. The combination gives you a healthy lunch or dinner that keeps you satisfied for hours. This easy ground turkey pasta recipe is simple, healthy, and loaded with protein. Even the pickiest people love baked pasta!
20. Turkey Sloppy Joe Bake
Another ground turkey pasta bake, but a sloppy joe version. The ingredients are simple – ground turkey, macaroni pasta, sloppy joe sauce, onion, green pepper, and cheese are all you need to throw this dish together. Once it’s all baked together, you can divide it into meal prep containers for a lunch to go or keep it stored in the dish of an eat-throughout-the-week dinner option.
21. Ground Turkey Black Bean Enchiladas
Ground Turkey Black Bean Enchiladas are a comfort food classic that’s packed with well-seasoned turkey and robust black beans. They’re wrapped in a soft tortilla and generously smothered in a rich enchilada sauce. It will make your meal prep seem fun and vicarious rather than bland and boring. Add it to the weekly rotation pronto!
22. Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Southwestern Casserole
This 30-minute casserole is a fantastic meal prep option. You can throw it in the oven, let the oven work its magic, and then have 8 delicious meals for the week. It’s packed with ground turkey, lots of cheese, hearty beans, and plenty of southwestern spices. You can even serve it with a handful of chips for a complete meal.
As you can see ground turkey is versatile and can be used in a variety of different dishes. These ground turkey meal prep ideas will keep you from getting tired of high protein, low-fat lunches. You can now confidently stay on track with your goals in a healthy, delicious way.
And I’ll leave you with one of my favorite meal prep recipes–turkey taco pasta salad.
22 Simple Ground Turkey Meal Prep Ideas
Ingredients
- 1 lb fat free ground turkey, weighed raw
- 2.5 Tbsp taco seasoning
- 2 cups of cooked rotini style pasta, I weighed pasta uncooked and picture below for my nutritional numbers, the 2 cups uncooked was 17SP
- 1 cup diced peppers, I used green & yellow
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, cut in half
- 2 cups shredded iceberg lettuce
- 1 cup reduced fat shredded cheese, I used a 3 cheese blend
- 1/2 cup calorie wise catalina dressing, or french dressing
- 1 tsp taco seasoning
- 4 taco shells, crushed
Instructions
- Cook and drain your pasta and rinse under cold water.
- Brown your ground turkey and stir in the 2.5 Tbsp taco seasoning, drain and add to a bowl
- Add your pasta, peppers, onion, tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, 1 tsp taco seasoning and dressing, stir well. Once you are ready to serve stir in your crushed taco shells *these are best added only when ready to serve as they will go soggy after a while.
- Store salad in the fridge, makes 12- 1 cup servings
