This simple skillet Green Chile Ground Turkey is an explosion of flavor! Well-seasoned ground turkey with savory black beans, crisp corn, and a saucy fire-roasted green chiles base make an easy, 30-minute (or less) weeknight meal!
Try some of our other favorite ground turkey skillet meals — like Hoisin Ground Turkey Bowls, Asian Ground Turkey, or Ground Turkey Stir Fry.
Green Chile Ground Turkey
This Ground Turkey Sweet Potato Skillet is a favorite at my home — my boys are constantly requesting it! It’s also such a perfect weeknight (and easy) meal that I can have on the table in a hurry. (A must with their ever-evolving, busy schedules!)
In an effort to change things up a bit, but still present a dinner the kids would go crazy for, I channeled flavors from another favorite (this White Turkey Chili) into this quick skillet meal that is a new family favorite.
And it’s been a huge hit! There is so much flavor, loads of “hidden” veggies, and a melty cheesy topping.
Let’s Chat Ingredients
Below are my notes on some of the ingredients in this Green Chile Ground Turkey Skillet:
- Green enchilada sauce. We like Old El Paso® mild sauce best. Use a hotter sauce if you’d like some heat. And if you’re feeling ambitious, try making your own Green Enchilada Sauce! We have also tested this recipe (and loved the results) using Herdez’s mild salsa verde in place of the enchilada sauce.
- Diced red pepper. We love the sweet bell pepper in this recipe but have also made this recipe with finely diced carrots and that was also tasty — whichever you have on hand! (If using carrots, make sure to really dice them small so they’ll get tender in time.)
- For ground turkey, use turkey sold in a carton, rather than in a chub. Chub-style ground turkey is the kind that comes in the plastic tube and it tends to be less flavorful and more watered down, so you’ll likely need to drain the meat after browning.
- Cheese. We love pepper Jack here, but Monterey Jack, sharp white Cheddar, or sharp Cheddar would be delicious! Even better? A combo of several types of cheeses.
SHORTCUTS
Green Chile Ground Turkey Shortcuts
- We recommend fire-roasted diced green chiles — this adds layers of flavor (fire-roasting) without any additional work on your end!
- Use minced garlic from the jar to save more time.
- Diced onions. A lot of grocery stores sell diced onions in the produce section of the store. Alternatively, frozen diced onions are often found by the other frozen veggies and can be used in this recipe.
Let’s Top This Green Chile Ground Turkey!
This Green Chile Ground Turkey is so tasty right out of the skillet — we’ve even enjoyed it with a bag of chips right out of the skillet!
Here are some of our favorite toppings:
- Sour cream: regular, lite, or fat-free sour cream — any of these will work. Fat-free keeps things light while also adding in some nice creaminess. A small scoop goes a long way!
- Chips: Crushed chips or tortilla strips (seasoned or plain) add a nice contrasting crunch to the dish.
- Ripe avocado or guacamole: For an additional element of creaminess, we love a ripe avocado sliced on top.
- Additional cilantro and lime juice are always nice flavors to add.
QUICK TIP
Green Chile Ground Turkey Spice Levels
- As written, it’s fairly mild using a mild green enchilada sauce, mild green chiles, and mild chili powder (such as McCormick®).
- For a spicier dish, use medium or hot green enchilada sauce and hotter green chiles. You can also add in 1-2 tablespoons diced jalapeños and 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper to boost the heat.
- Also note that if you add in cheese and/or sour cream, this tames down the spice quite a bit.
More Ground Turkey Recipes:
Green Chile Ground Turkey
This simple skillet Green Chile Ground Turkey is an explosion of flavor! Well-seasoned ground turkey with savory black beans, crisp corn, and a saucy fire-roasted green chiles base make an easy, 30-minute (or less) weeknight meal!
Green Chile Ground Turkey
This simple skillet Green Chile Ground Turkey is an explosion of flavor! Well-seasoned ground turkey with savory black beans, crisp corn, and a saucy fire-roasted green chiles base make an easy, 30-minute (or less) weeknight meal!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups finely diced red onion (1 large onion)
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 pound (93/7) ground turkey (Note 1)
- Fine sea salt & pepper
- 1 tablespoon each: ground chili powder, ground cumin
- 3/4 teaspoon each: paprika, dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 can (4 oz) mild fire-roasted diced green chiles, drained
- 3/4 cup mild green enchilada sauce OR 3/4 cup mild salsa verde (Note 2)
- 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained & rinsed
- 1-1/2 cups frozen corn, optional
- 1-1/2 cups freshly grated pepper Jack cheese (Note 3)
- Optional: 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, 1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
- Optional toppings: extra cilantro and/or lime wedges, thinly sliced avocado, fat-free or lite sour cream, crispy tortilla strips
Instructions
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ONION AND TURKEY: Place a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add 1 tbsp. oil and once hot, add in diced onion and red pepper. Sauté until becoming tender about 5-7 minutes. Press veggies to edges and add ground turkey in the center of the pan. Season with salt and pepper (I add 1/4 teaspoon each here). Crumble ground turkey with a wooden spoon, breaking it down as you cook.
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SEASONINGS: Once mostly cooked through (about 5-7 minutes), drain off any excess liquid in pot (if needed) and then add in the seasonings (1 tbsp chili powder, 1 tbsp cumin, 3/4 tsp paprika, 3/4 tsp oregano) and salt & pepper to taste (I add 3/4 tsp salt & 1/4 tsp pepper). Add in 1 tbsp. minced garlic. Cook, stirring constantly, until very fragrant, 2-3 more minutes.
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SIMMER: Add in drained green chiles and 3/4 cup green enchilada sauce or salsa verde, scraping the bottom of the pan to release any browned bits. Bring to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low. Add 1 can (drained and rinsed) black beans and 1-1/2 cups of frozen corn. Stir until warmed through about 3-4 minutes. Mix through 2 tbsp lime juice and 1/4 cup cilantro, if using. Then remove the pot from the heat. Cover evenly with pepper Jack cheese and cover the pot with a lid (or foil). Let stand for 5-7 minutes or until nicely melted. Remove the lid and dig in!
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FINISHING: Top bowls with desired optional toppings such as extra cilantro and/or lime, thinly sliced avocado or scoop of guac, sour cream, and crispy tortilla strips.
Recipe Notes
Note 2: Green enchilada sauce: We like Old El Paso® mild sauce best. Use a hotter sauce if you’d like some heat. And if you’re feeling ambitious, try making your own green enchilada sauce! We have also tested this recipe (and loved the results) using Herdez’s mild salsa verde in place of the enchilada sauce.
Note 3: Cheese: We love Pepper Jack here, but Monterey Jack, sharp white Cheddar, or sharp Cheddar would be delicious! Even better? A combo of 2-3 types of cheeses.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 656kcal | Carbohydrates: 32.1g | Protein: 49.7g | Fat: 13.2g | Cholesterol: 145.2mg | Sodium: 1006.1mg | Fiber: 9.9g | Sugar: 6.4g
We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed.