15 Ground Turkey Recipes & Cooking Tips - Cookin Canuck (2024)

FAQs

How do you make ground turkey taste better? ›

How do you add flavor to ground turkey? Turkey meat can be flavored with easy ingredients like kosher salt and pepper, bell peppers, garlic powder, and olive oil. If you're cooking meat, specifically turkey taco meat, hot sauce and enchilada sauce are your best mates.

Before you start cooking, be sure to season the ground turkey well with salt and pepper. Also consider including dried herbs and spices for additional flavor. If you're cooking meatballs or meatloaf, pinch off some of the seasoned mixture and cook it in a skillet to taste. Adjust seasoning accordingly.

Use oil when cooking – unlike beef, the dryer nature of ground turkey needs either oil or butter in the pan to properly brown without sticking and drying out. The extra fat helps provide flavor as well.

Shady brook farms 93% lean and 7% fat ground turkey is perfect for making meatballs, burgers, or adding to pasta sauce. The turkey is perfectly juicy and not too fatty. The price is very accessible and you can easily buy it at any big store. I would recommend.

Whenever I made turkey burgers, I would dissolve some beef bouillon in a little water and add it to the turkey with a little canola oil, then season and form the patties. The bouillon gave it some flavor and the water and oil helped with moisture. Just make sure not to overcook.

Enhance Flavor with Seasonings

While ground turkey has a mild flavor, adding the right seasonings can make it truly delicious. Experiment with a variety of herbs and spices like garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, or dried oregano. Don't be afraid to get creative and adjust the flavors to your liking!

Adding some fat in the form of healthy oil would work, as would adding a flavorful liquid such as chicken stock or vegetable stock. You can also add finely chopped vegetables which retain moisture, such as mushrooms, zucchini or eggplant.

Most ground beef needs to be drained, so it's besy to drain after cooking. Turkey has less fat, so you are fine to season it while cooking.

Do you drain ground turkey? Because your ground turkey is so lean, there is no need to drain it. You can simply enjoy it as-is.

Stick with salt and pepper, put herbs like rosemary, thyme, and sage to work, or take spicy Cajun seasoning for a spin for some kick. Whatever blend you choose, spread it all over the turkey—on top, underneath, between the body and wings and legs, under the skin, and even in the cavity of the bird.

How do you know when ground turkey is done? ›

Your ground turkey will need about 14-16 minutes in total to cook. It will be cooked when it is all browned evenly, juices run clear and when your thermometer is at least 165 degrees F.

The grayish color could be a small piece of fat. As ground meat cooks, the fat renders out, and it can sometimes appear gray or white. This is typically safe to consume.

Additionally, choose lean cuts of either meat, such as 93% lean and 7% fat ground turkey or beef. Although, 99% fat-free turkey is the leanest option of all, with less than 1 gram of saturated fat per 3 ounces (85 grams) ( 6 ).

So to save on saturated fat, make sure to choose 93 percent or leaner ground turkey or ground beef. When eating out, keep in mind that restaurants often choose flavor over health and are likely using 85 percent lean turkey.

Turkey is more expensive than chicken, because turkeys are larger birds, and take longer to reach market weight, requiring more feed and taking up more space.

All you have to do, is add 1 tablespoon of Kitchen Bouquet Browning & Seasoning Sauce per 1 pound of ground turkey. Then incorporate the Kitchen Bouquet into the meat. Now, this is to give the turkey the flavor of beef.

Ground turkey isn't as flavorful as ground beef, but if you want it to feel a little bit more like ground beef, try adding some Worcestershire sauce.

You could try adding some Worcestershire Sauce, or some smoked paprika, savory, chili powder. What are some ways to cook chicken breast or ground turkey so that it is not plain? After you brown the meat, use it in a recipe. Most recipes that work for ground beef will also work for ground turkey.

Adding some fat in the form of healthy oil would work, as would adding a flavorful liquid such as chicken stock or vegetable stock. You can also add finely chopped vegetables which retain moisture, such as mushrooms, zucchini or eggplant.