Why complicate things when you can just make crispy brussels sprouts and ground turkey with sweet chili sauce in about 30 minutes with just a single pan? This recipe makes eating a high protein diet easy and very, very enjoyable. With 31 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, and only 200 calories per serving, you can get ultra-creative with the construction of your protein bowls.
How to Make This Brussels Sprouts and Ground Turkey Skillet
Step 1: Cook shaved brussels sprouts in olive oil for 6 minutes.
You’re looking to develop some browning on the sprouts by a lot of direct contact with a hot pan. Once the sprouts are in the pan, leave them untouched for a few minutes before stirring.
If some of the smaller bits are browning faster than the larger pieces, you can transfer them to a bowl to create more space while you continue cooking the rest.
Step 2: Set the brussels sprouts aside and brown ground turkey breast in the same pan.
Once you’re satisfied with the crispy brussels sprouts, get the ground turkey in the pan and treat it the same way. Leaving ground turkey (or any mince) untouched allows the Maillard reaction to work its magic and create delicious flavor by browning the meat.
You’re looking for a golden brown color on one side (see the photo below) before you break the ground turkey apart and finish cooking.
Step 3: Add Thai sweet chili sauce and soy sauce to the cooked ground turkey and brussels sprouts.
Once the turkey is fully cooked and crumbled, you can add the veggies back to the pan. But first, there’s an optional step you can take where you add some sliced scallion whites and crushed ginger to the turkey and cook for 30-60 seconds until they’re fragrant. I highly recommend it!
Once everything is in the pan together, all that’s left to add is the sweet chili sauce and a bit of soy sauce. Once the sauces are in the pan, stir like crazy to evenly mix everything together before removing from the heat. It doesn’t take much to bring everything up to temperature.
If you wanted to add another leafy veggie like the spinach from my ground turkey and green beans, you could add it at this stage.
Side note: If you’re using something other than a nonstick pan and need to deglaze the pan, use a bit of chicken broth or water before adding the sauce.
Cucumber Crunch Salad and Other Pairings
Cucumber salad has had more than its 15 minutes of fame this year, and it’s the perfect pairing for proteins with sweet chili sauce in my opinion. Grab some thinly sliced cucumbers and radishes (for extra crunch but totally optional), sliced green onion and/or cilantro, tahini or peanut butter, and chili crunch. Toss it all together in a bowl and you have the perfect crunchy and refreshing addition to rice bowls.
Speaking of rice, the recipe calls for jasmine rice or cauliflower rice, but I like to mix the two for a low calorie rice blend. My rotisserie chicken bowls use 3 cups of cooked cauliflower rice (from frozen) and 2 cups of jasmine rice. You hardly even notice the cauliflower-ness and you get to eat SO much more rice for a fraction of the calories.
Toasted sesame seeds or sesame ginger crunch (McCormick seasoning blend), lime wedges, sliced green onion, and extra sweet chili sauce round out the remaining garnishes.
The little crunchy things you see at the top of the photo below are actually from an oil-free chili crisp that I first highlighted in my Korean chicken tacos. If you’re a chili crunch lover but don’t need any extra oil, it’s a cool pickup on Amazon.
Feel free to save or print the full recipe card below. If you have a question, I’d be happy to answer it in the comments section at the bottom of this post.
Otherwise, I hope you dig your ground turkey and brussels sprouts bowls. Recipe reviews are always appreciated if you do!
Ground Turkey and Brussels Sprouts
Crispy pan roasted brussels sprouts with ground turkey and Thai sweet chili sauce served over rice with cucumber crunch salad.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Shaved Brussels Sprouts*
- 1 1/2 (24g) Tablespoons Olive Oil
- Pinch of Kosher Salt and Black Pepper
- 1 pound Ground Turkey Breast
- 1 Green Onion, green and white separated and thinly sliced
- 2 teaspoons Minced or Crushed Ginger (optional)
- 1 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
- 2/3 cup (160g) Sweet Chili Sauce**
For the Cucumber Salad
- 3 mini Cucumbers, thinly sliced
- 8 Red Radishes, thinly sliced
- 1 Green Onion, thinly sliced
- 1 Tablespoon Tahini or Peanut Butter
- 1 Tablespoon Chili Crunch
- Juice of 1 Lime
- Salt, to taste
For Serving
- Rice or Cauliflower Rice
- Lime Wedges
- Toasted Sesame Seeds
Instructions
- Toss the sliced cucumbers, radish, and green onion together in a mixing bowl with the lime juice, tahini, and chili crunch. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the brussels sprouts and toss to coat in the oil. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes until the sprouts begin to slightly char in spots. Stir and cook another 2-3 minutes to pick up more color before transferring to a bowl. Set aside.
- Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes on one side until golden brown before breaking apart to fully cook.
- Once the turkey is cooked and crumbled, add the thinly sliced white part of a green onion and ginger to the pan. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the brussels sprouts back to the pan with the cooked turkey, followed by the sweet chili sauce and soy sauce. Stir everything together and cook for 30-60 seconds to warm everything through.
- Salt to taste and serve over rice with the cucumber salad. Garnish with the remaining sliced green onion, toasted sesame seeds, a squeeze of lime juice, and additional sweet chili sauce, if desired.
Notes
*If you can't find shaved brussels sprouts in your grocery store, you can make them by cutting sprouts into 3-4 thin slices with a knife. You're looking for lots of surface area to create more browning and crispy bits.
**G Hughes sweet chili sauce has 5 calories per 2 tablespoons compared to 40-80 calories per 2 tablespoons in most sweet chili sauces. There are recipes for homemade light sweet chili sauce like this one, but I've not tested any. This recipe also works with other sauces like the one in my chili crunch chicken and sprouts.
The nutrition facts are for the turkey and brussels sprouts only (with G Hughes sauce), without any rice or the cucumber salad. 1 of 4 servings of the cucumber salad has about 60 calories, 1g protein, 6g carbs, and 5g fat.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: about 6 ozAmount Per Serving: Calories: 200Total Fat: 6gCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gProtein: 31g
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