25 Minute Ground Turkey Skillet

itsjdieb
Nov 3, 2025
4 min read

I don't just want you to live long, I want you to live well, and this time it's my Marry Me Meals (The Long Game) series where I give you five dinner recipes that are not only delicious and easy to make, but will ensure you keep your significant other happy and around for the long haul. As a gut health dietitian, I want to provide you with dinner recipes that are nutrient-dense, but also give you recipes that can keep you and your partner living happily and health-ily ever after. So, I am welcoming you to Day 1 of my Marry Me Meals. Today's recipe is my husband's favorite, the 25 Minute Ground Turkey Skillet.

Here's my thought process around this first dinner recipe: Obviously, I want to give you balanced recipes to the best of my ability, but you also need recipes that just good. Recipes that will warm both your hearts, while providing you with the nutrients your bodies need, like protein, fiber, fats, etc. With my 25 Minute Ground Turkey Skillet, I tried combining nutrition and wholesomeness together. You have plenty of lean protein from the ground turkey, fiber from the black beans, bell peppers, and onion, and healthy fats from the avocado and cheddar cheese. At the same time, you will have just created a warm, cheesy skillet for dinner that allows you and your partner to enjoy with a side of tortilla chips.

This is going to be the dinner you whip up when you're coming back from a long day of work or school that satisfies both your taste buds and your health. All you need is ground turkey, black beans, bell peppers, onion, your favorite jar of salsa, jalapeño, shredded cheese, and some yummy seasonings to create a delicious and balanced meal in under 25 minutes. Let's get to the 25 Minute Ground Turkey Skillet recipe shall we?

Why You’ll Love This 25 Minute Ground Turkey Skillet

Gut-friendly: Black beans, bell peppers, and onions are rich in fiber, which will support your digestive health.
Easy to prep: All you need to do is chop up the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño, and then the rest of the work is in the frying pan!
Allergen friendly: Naturally gluten-free and easy to adapt for dairy-free eaters.
Customizable & satisfying: Make it heartier with a combo of different beans or with more vegetables, such as zucchini or sweet potato. It’s a base you can build on, or enjoy simply as is.

Yields: 2-3

Portion: -

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

This recipe is gluten free.

Ingredients:

Skillet:

1 bell pepper, finely diced (any color you want)

½ -1 jalapeño, finely diced

½ red onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground turkey (93% & up)

½ tsp salt (to taste)

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cumin

1 ½ cups mild-medium salsa (depends on your spice tolerance)

1 15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup - 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Garnish:

1 avocado, cubed

Juice of ½ lime

2 tbsp freshly diced cilantro OR 1 green onion, finely diced

Tortilla chips

Instructions:

Prep ingredients: have the bell pepper, jalapeño, and red onion prepped. Ensure to have the ground turkey defrosted, black beans rinsed, and salsa on the side.
Preheat skillet: add olive oil on medium high heat. Add the bell pepper, jalapeño, and red onion. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are tender.
Add turkey: Add the ground turkey and the seasonings - salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin. Cook for about 5-7 minutes
until turkey is cooked through.
Add salsa and beans: add the salsa and black beans and stir in well for 2-3 minutes.
Broil: have the oven on broil. Remove the frying pan off the stove and sprinkle cheese on top. Place skillet into oven on broil for 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts.
Serve: gently remove skillet from oven. Add garnishes: top with avocado, cilantro, green onion, and/or lime juice. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

FAQ:

Can I use kidney beans?: Yes—feel free to use any beans you prefer such as red kidney beans or white kidney beans. You can also use two different beans for the recipe to add more fiber/protein!
Is this recipe good for meal prep?: Yes! You can make it the night before and then divide it up into different Tupperware. Make sure to add the garnishes the day of to ensure it's fresh.
Can I use ground beef instead?: Absolutely, even ground chicken works.

Recipe Notes:

Salsa: feel free to use mild, medium, or spicy salsa for the recipe depending on your spice tolerance.
Bulk up the fiber: feel free to add more fiber to the recipe with more beans or other vegetables such as zucchini, sweet potato, cauliflower, etc.

I hope you love this recipe as much as I did, so if you do, please leave me a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I always read through my suggestions and comments, so please let me know your thoughts. If you have any questions you can feel free to DM me here or through Instagram. Speaking of Instagram - please tag me in all of your creations! I love seeing how the recipes come out and seeing how talented you all are. Sending my love.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD

Why You’ll Love This 25 Minute Ground Turkey Skillet

Gut-friendly: Black beans, bell peppers, and onions are rich in fiber, which will support your digestive health.

Easy to prep: All you need to do is chop up the onion, bell peppers, and jalapeño, and then the rest of the work is in the frying pan!

Allergen friendly: Naturally gluten-free and easy to adapt for dairy-free eaters.

Customizable & satisfying: Make it heartier with a combo of different beans or with more vegetables, such as zucchini or sweet potato. It’s a base you can build on, or enjoy simply as is.

Yields: 2-3

Portion: -

Prep time: 10 minutes

Total time: 25 minutes

This recipe is gluten free.

Ingredients:

Skillet:

1 bell pepper, finely diced (any color you want)

½ -1 jalapeño, finely diced

½ red onion, finely diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 pound lean ground turkey (93% & up)

½ tsp salt (to taste)

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

½ tsp cumin

1 ½ cups mild-medium salsa (depends on your spice tolerance)

1 15 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained

½ cup - 1 cup shredded Mexican cheese

Garnish:

1 avocado, cubed

Juice of ½ lime

2 tbsp freshly diced cilantro OR 1 green onion, finely diced

Tortilla chips

Instructions:

Prep ingredients: have the bell pepper, jalapeño, and red onion prepped. Ensure to have the ground turkey defrosted, black beans rinsed, and salsa on the side.

Preheat skillet: add olive oil on medium high heat. Add the bell pepper, jalapeño, and red onion. Cook for 5 minutes until vegetables are tender.

Add turkey: Add the ground turkey and the seasonings - salt, black pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and cumin. Cook for about 5-7 minutes

until turkey is cooked through.

Add salsa and beans: add the salsa and black beans and stir in well for 2-3 minutes.

Broil: have the oven on broil. Remove the frying pan off the stove and sprinkle cheese on top. Place skillet into oven on broil for 3-5 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve: gently remove skillet from oven. Add garnishes: top with avocado, cilantro, green onion, and/or lime juice. Serve with tortilla chips and enjoy!

FAQ:

Can I use kidney beans?: Yes—feel free to use any beans you prefer such as red kidney beans or white kidney beans. You can also use two different beans for the recipe to add more fiber/protein!

Is this recipe good for meal prep?: Yes! You can make it the night before and then divide it up into different Tupperware. Make sure to add the garnishes the day of to ensure it's fresh.

Can I use ground beef instead?: Absolutely, even ground chicken works.

Recipe Notes:

Salsa: feel free to use mild, medium, or spicy salsa for the recipe depending on your spice tolerance.

Bulk up the fiber: feel free to add more fiber to the recipe with more beans or other vegetables such as zucchini, sweet potato, cauliflower, etc.

xoxo,

Jasmin D the RD

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