Meal Prepping With Ground Turkey (Meal Prep Bowls)

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Meal prepping with ground turkey is a game changer! It is lean, versatile, and incredibly easy to cook with.

These Ground Turkey Meal Prep Bowls are a balanced and easy-to-make delicious meal that’s perfect for staying on track with your nutrition goals throughout the entire week.

Ground turkey meal prep bowls arranged on a counter.

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This ground turkey meal prep recipe leverages the lean protein of ground turkey, the fiber-rich goodness of chickpeas and vegetables, and the sustaining energy from white rice. Easy to prep and packed with delicious flavor, these meal prep bowls will not only nourish your body, but also simplify your weekly meal plan.

More Meal Prep Ideas: Turkey Meatball Meal Prep and High Protein Meal Prep Ideas

What You’ll Love About This Recipe

High Protein: Ground turkey is a lean source of high-quality protein, making these bowls an easy way to increase your protein intake.
Loaded with Veggies: The inclusion of bell peppers, onions, and spinach ensures you get a good dose of your daily veggies.
Easy to Make: No complicated culinary skills required – these meal prep bowls are simple and straightforward to prepare.
Budget-Friendly: Ground turkey is often cheaper than other meats, and most other ingredients are pantry staples, making this a wallet-friendly meal.

Recipe Ingredients

You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Ground Turkey Meal Prep Recipe:

Ground turkey meal prep bowls ingredients.

Ingredient Notes

Ground turkey – I recommend using 93% lean ground turkey.

Rice: I opted for jasmine rice but feel free to use any variety of medium-grain or long-grain white rice – they would all pair nicely in this dish.

How to make Ground Turkey Meal Prep: Step by Step

Here are quick visual instructions. Be sure to check out the full instructions with exact ingredients in the printable recipe card below.

Step 1: In a large skillet pan or Dutch Oven, heat olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add ground turkey. Using a wooden spoon, break apart the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Cook the meat for 7 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.

Step 2: Add diced bell peppers, onions, garlic powder, red pepper flakes to the skillet. Sauté for 7 minutes or until vegetables have softened.

Ground turkey and veggies being cooked in a pan.

Step 3: Add diced tomatoes and chickpeas. Continue cooking for 5 minutes.

Step 4: Add spinach and let it wilt for 2-3 minutes. Let the entire mixture of flavors come together.

Ground turkey, veggies, and spinach being cooked in a pan.

How To Meal Prep

Depending on the size of your containers, you will add ¼-½ cup cooked rice to each container.
Divide the ground turkey veggie mixture evenly between the containers.

I order all of my meal prep containers from Amazon!! These glass containers are my favorite! These reusable plastic containers are a great option as well.

Check out my full guide on Meal Prep For Weight Loss.

Ground turkey meal prep bowls being assembled.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Cooking the Rice: To save time, you can cook the rice in advance or even use pre-cooked rice. If you’re cooking the rice while preparing the dish, start it before you begin with the turkey to ensure everything is ready at the same time.

Spices: Adjust the amount of garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and hot sauce according to your taste. If you like it spicier, feel free to add some chili powder.

Storage, Freezing, & Reheating

Storage: These Ground Turkey Meal Prep Bowls can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to 4-5 days.

To Freeze:

Allow the cooked ground turkey mixture and rice to cool completely before portioning into freezer-safe containers or bags. Don’t add the fresh spinach at this point, as it doesn’t freeze well and can become soggy when defrosted.
Seal the containers, making sure to remove as much air as possible to prevent freezer burn.
Label the containers with the date, so you can make sure to use them within 2-3 months for the best quality.

Reheating: When you’re ready to enjoy your meal prep bowls, you can reheat it in the microwave. Start by microwaving it for 1 minute, then stir everything together. Continue heating in 30-second increments until heated through.

Additions, Substitutions, and Variations

SUBSTITUTIONS
Protein Swap: If you’re not a fan of turkey, you could substitute ground chicken, ground beef, or even tofu for a vegetarian version.

Rice Alternatives: Swap the white rice for brown rice, quinoa, or farro for a whole grain option. Or use cauliflower rice for a low-carb variation.

Spinach Substitute: You can replace the spinach with other leafy greens like kale, collard greens, or Swiss chard.

ADDITIONS
Additional Vegetables: You can bulk up the dish with other vegetables like green beans, zucchini, carrots, broccoli, or peas for added color and nutritional value.

Extra Protein: Add a bit of feta cheese, shredded cheddar cheese, or a boiled egg on top for extra protein.

VARIATIONS
Italian Style: Use Italian seasoning instead of red pepper flakes, swap the rice for pasta, and add some parmesan on top for an Italian spin on the dish.

Mexican Style: Add some taco seasoning to the turkey and replace the chickpeas with black beans. You can also add some corn and top with avocado, salsa, and/or sour cream for a Mexican-style bowl.

Asian Style: Use ground pork instead of turkey, swap the hot sauce for some soy sauce and sesame oil, and add a bit of ginger and green onions for an Asian-inspired version

Adjust to Meet Your Macro Needs

To customize the Ground Turkey Meal Prep Bowls recipe to meet your specific macro needs, follow these steps:

Need help figuring out your macro goals? Check out my Custom Macro Plans.

Adjust protein portion: If you need more protein, increase the amount of ground turkey used in the recipe. Conversely, if you require less protein, reduce the quantity and compensate with other macro sources.
Modify carbohydrate portion: To increase carbs, add more rice or include additional carb-rich ingredients like quinoa or sweet potatoes. For fewer carbs, reduce the rice or substitute it with low carb options like cauliflower rice or steamed vegetables.
Adjust fat content: Customize the fat content based on your needs. If you need more healthy fats, you can drizzle some olive oil over the cooked ingredients or add avocado slices. If you would like to reduce the fat, minimize or omit the olive oil or choose a leaner cut of ground turkey.
Add more fiber: To boost the fiber content in these bowls you can increase the vegetable quantity, swap white rice for brown rice, or add additional legumes like black beans. Sprinkle the bowls with fiber-rich seeds such as chia or flaxseeds before serving for an extra fiber boost and satisfying crunch.

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes, you can substitute spinach with other leafy greens like kale, Swiss chard, or collard greens. These greens might take a bit longer to wilt, so you may want to add them to the turkey mixture while it’s still on the heat.

Ground turkey meal prep, when properly stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, typically lasts for 4 days. This makes it a great option for preparing meals for the workweek.

Yes, you can use frozen vegetables if that’s what you have on hand. They may take a little longer to cook, and the texture might be a bit different, but they will still work in this recipe.