My Secret Ingredient for Juicy Ground Turkey

I've been experimenting with one of my new favorite proteins - ground turkey. Usually the words 'juicy' and 'ground turkey' are not often put together, but I found the secret ingredient for seriously juicy ground turkey! And it's so delicious. Another bonus, this juicy ground turkey recipe tastes like beef! I never would have thought a ground turkey recipe could taste this good.

While shopping at the grocery store, this lean protein seemed to always take the back shelf, never quite making its way into my basket. Recently I decided to switch up my proteins and give ground turkey a try. On its own, I found ground turkey to be a little dry and plain, so I took to the kitchen tinkering with the best way to prepare, season, and serve ground turkey. My 'beef' with ground turkey is that its low fat qualities can work against itself, turning this healthy, lean protein into a dry dish if not properly prepared.

After a few taste tests, I found the secret accompanying ingredient for seriously tender ground turkey. Mushrooms! Ground mushrooms to be exact. Trust me, with this juicy recipe, you will fall head over heels in love with ground turkey. Mushrooms add moisture, mouthfeel, and umami (beefy) flavor to the otherwise dry ground turkey. When mushrooms are chopped up into little bits, they easily and evenly mix with ground turkey making the protein so tender and flavorful while also giving the dish a veggie boost. And we all love that!

I love the flavors in this healthy ingredient combo and decided to create a really quick recipe, taking this mushroom and ground turkey recipe to the next level. Adding thyme helps to intensify the meatiness to the mushrooms, and garlic is the perfect complimenting ingredient. Use the secret ingredient juicy ground turkey recipe below for taco fillings, nacho toppings, accompanying a pasta dish, or sprinkled on top of a salad. Honestly though, the combinations are endless!

You can also play around with the mushroom to turkey ratio depending on the desired moisture level. The Mushroom Council says you can go up to an 80% mushroom, 20% turkey blend! And that sounds delicious.

Pro Tip: Portabella and crimini mushrooms have a stronger, meatier flavor while button mushrooms tend to be a little less bold and are a better color match for ground turkey or chicken. I am using button mushrooms for this recipe, but feel free to adjust the mushroom type depending on where your cravings are taking you.

Juicy Ground Turkey Recipe

How will you include this juicy ground turkey recipe into your meals? I would love to hear how you use it! I whipped up some juicy ground turkey meatballs using the same ground mushroom and turkey technique. Take your ground turkey skills to the next level and try my turkey meatball recipe by clicking here!

Healthy & Juicy Ground Turkey

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews

Ground turkey on its own can be a little dry. Give ground turkey a veggie boost with this delicious recipe and never have dry, boring ground turkey again! Serve this versatile ground turkey recipe as a taco fillings, nacho toppings, with pasta, or sprinkled on top of a salad. Using ground mushrooms in this recipe will make your turkey taste like beef and will add lots of moisture.

• Author: Michele Sidorenkov, RDN
• Prep Time: 10
• Cook Time: 20
• Total Time: 30 minutes
• Yield: about 3 cups 1x
• Category: Protein
• Method: Sautée
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

8oz. of sliced mushrooms

2 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon fresh thyme (just leaves, no stems)

½ teaspoon salt

1 pound 99% lean ground turkey

1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Pulse in a food processor: Add mushrooms garlic cloves, and thyme to a food processor and pulse until the mixture turns to a ground beef consistency (about 20-25 pulses).
2. Mix all together: In a medium bowl combine the pulsed mushroom mixture, ground turkey, and salt. Mix all ingredients together until throughly combined.
3. Cook: Place a medium-sized skillet on the stove and set the temperature to medium-high heat. Once the pan is warm, add olive oil, then the turkey mushroom mixture to the skillet. Cook for about 20 minutes using a spatula to occasionally stir and break up mixture into smaller pieces. The ground turkey is ready when the meat has throughly browned and reached a temperature of 165˚F.

Equipment

Cuisinart Food Processor

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Everyday olive oil

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Morton Kosher Salt

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Notes

The links listed above are Amazon affiliate links to the exact ingredients and equipment brands I used for this recipe.

• Substitutions:
  • Substitute 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme for 1 ½ teaspoons of dried thyme or dried Italian seasoning
  • Substitute olive oil for any neutral flavor cooking oil that can withstand higher cooking temperatures, like canola, avocado oil, or sunflower oil
• If you don't have a food processor, you can use a knife to chop the mushroom, garlic, and thyme into fine pieces.
• 1 cup of this recipe is equal to 1 serving of vegetables.
• Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer up to 6 months.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1 heaping cup
• Calories: 233
• Sugar: 0g
• Sodium: 475mg
• Fat: 7g
• Saturated Fat: 1g
• Unsaturated Fat: 6g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 3g
• Fiber: 1g
• Protein: 36g
• Cholesterol: 93mg

Keywords: healthy ground turkey