With only 5 ingredients at its core, this cauliflower and ground turkey skillet is a must-try for my fellow minimalist cooks out there. And it’s not only an easy recipe, but a high protein and low carb one as well. Each serving has 36 grams of protein with only 4 grams of carbs and 355 calories!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Here’s a quick look at everything you will need to make the recipe, not including olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- Ground Turkey – I used extra lean turkey to balance the fat and calories from the pesto and cheese. Stick to leaner mince options like ground chicken breast as alternatives if you’re calorie conscious.
- Cauliflower Florets – Beyonce wasn’t talking about cauliflower in this recipe because it is actually irreplaceable.
- Basil Pesto – I used Trader Joe’s pesto, which has a fairly standard 220 calories per 1/4 cup. If you’d like to try reducing the fat content, there are recipes like this low calorie basil pesto out there. You can also make creamy cottage cheese pesto.
- Grape Tomatoes – Or any halved small tomato.
- Shredded Italian Cheese Blend – I used Trader Joe’s Quattro Formaggi as a shortcut ingredient, but I would recommend using freshly grated mozzarella, fontina, or a softer cheese if you prefer a melty cheese. Compare the pepper jack cheese on my chicken and cauliflower taco skillet, for reference.
Fresh Basil and Parmigiano Reggiano are optional but strongly recommended garnishes.
You may also want to pick up some focaccia and a side salad situation for pairings, but we’ll get to those later.
Making the Cauliflower and Ground Turkey
Step One: Roast Cauliflower Florets in a Pan with Olive Oil
The goal in step one is to pick up a little browning on the cauliflower. Make sure the pan and olive oil are hot before adding the cauliflower.
Once the cauliflower is in the pan and coated in the oil, leave it alone for 2-3 minutes to brown before stirring and repeating 1-2 times. Just be careful not to cook the cauliflower for too long. You are after browning, not mush!
Pro tip: Cut the florets into smaller pieces lengthwise to create more surface area for browning.
Step Two: Brown and Cook Ground Turkey
Set the roasted cauliflower aside and get the ground turkey in the pan. Similar to the cauliflower, you want to leave the turkey untouched for a few minutes to develop a golden brown color on one side. Once it’s browned, break it apart and fully cook.
Step Three: Add Cauliflower, Basil Pesto, and Cherry Tomatoes
Once the ground turkey is fully cooked and crumbled, add the remaining ingredients (not the cheese) and fold everything together.
Step Four: Top with Cheese
In my experience, 3-4 ounces is plenty of cheese for most one skillet recipes. But the world is your oyster. Who am I to deprive a cheese lover?
Step Five: Bake for 20 Minutes at 400ºF
You are looking to both melt the cheese and semi-roast the tomatoes with a longer bake time in the oven.
Want to skip the oven? You can toss the tomatoes in the pan for a few minutes before or after the cauliflower. That way you can just top everything with cheese and cover the pan to melt.
Tips for Serving
This is sort of an odd duck. My chili crisp cauliflower and ground beef goes perfectly over rice, and the taco skillet I mentioned above is great for tacos or burrito bowls. While orzo and gnocchi make some sense, I think this turkey and cauliflower situation just works on its own.
If you have the calories to spare, focaccia or grilled sourdough would be my top recommendations for serving with this dish. If you need a bit more volume, make an arugula parmesan salad or a chopped kale salad with light caesar dressing. And if you happen to be a low carb baker, there’s always keto focaccia to be made.
Wrapping Up
Real quick before you go, since we’re talking Italian-inspired meals and ground turkey, I’ll plug some other recipes from my blog you might enjoy.
- sweet chili ground turkey with brussels sprouts
- 30-minute turkey lasagna skillet
- creamy broccoli and turkey orzo
- turkey bolognese
- ground turkey and broccoli one pot pasta
See ya next time!
Basil Pesto Ground Turkey and Cauliflower Skillet
Pan roasted cauliflower and lean ground turkey with basil pesto, roasted tomatoes, and a melty Italian cheese blend.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon (16g) Olive Oil
- 24 oz Cauliflower Florets, cut into bite size pieces
- Pinch of Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- 1 pound Extra Lean Ground Turkey
- 8 oz Cherry Tomatoes, halved
- 1/2 cup (120g) Basil Pesto
- 3 oz Shredded Italian Cheese Blend
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 400ºF.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the cauliflower and stir to coat in the oil.
- Cook for 2-3 minutes, untouched, until the cauliflower starts to slightly brown in spots. Stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes until the cauliflower is slightly tender and most pieces have picked up a bit of color. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
- Add the ground turkey and cook for 3-4 minutes on one side until a golden brown crust forms. Break the turkey apart with a spatula and fully cook.
- Fold in the cauliflower, tomatoes, and pesto to combine everything.
- Top with the cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese starts to turn golden brown around the edges and the tomatoes begin to wrinkle.
- Garnish with fresh basil, grated parmigiano reggiano, black pepper or chili flakes, and a squeeze of lemon, if desired.
Notes
Garnishes and sides to consider: fresh basil, parmigiano regianno or parmesan cheese, lemon, grilled sourdough or focaccia, arugula salad or kale caesar salad
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: about 11 ozAmount Per Serving: Calories: 355Total Fat: 22gCarbohydrates: 4gProtein: 36g
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