Wondering what to make with ground turkey for meal prep? You’re in the right place. This recipe guide has 20 awesome meals with ground turkey that are just as great (and sometimes even better) reheated as they are fresh.
This list is primarily focused on high protein recipes and ground turkey dinner ideas, but you’ll also find a low carb breakfast and snack or two on the list. And if you’re not concerned with calories, that’s totally cool. All these recipes are still packed with big flavors and can easily be tweaked with full-calorie ingredients where applicable.
Ground Turkey vs Ground Chicken
If you’ve seen my ground chicken recipes guide, you know I actually prefer ground chicken over ground turkey. That’s mostly because it’s easier to buy plain ground chicken breast from most grocery stores without any additional ingredients like rosemary extract and vinegar. And even when you can’t, you can easily make your own ground chicken by running chicken breasts or thighs, which are much easier to find than whole turkey breasts, through a food processor.
Another difference between ground turkey and ground chicken is the lean percentages that are available. You can buy 85% lean ground turkey, in case you’re eating a higher fat diet or making something like meatloaf and meatballs that benefits from a higher fat percentage. In my experience, I’ve never seen ground chicken beyond 92% lean.
I would guess this isn’t really an issue, since most of us are eating ground turkey or ground chicken on a lower calorie, high protein diet. At the same lean percentage ground chicken and ground turkey have very similar nutrition profiles, from the macronutrients all the way to micronutrients.
All right, let’s get to the recipes. As a final note, I will add that ground chicken would work as a substitute for any of these ground turkey meal prep recipes.
1. The Easiest Turkey Chili
This is one of my personal favorites for meal prep of all time, let alone a ground turkey meal prep recipe. It has nearly two pounds of hidden vegetables inside and doesn’t require any veggie chopping or prep work aside from tossing frozen veggies in a blender. And scout’s honor, you’ll never know the veggies are there!
- Calories: 235
- Protein: 25g
- Carbs: 24g
- Fat: 4g
Recipe: Hidden Veggie Turkey Chili
2. One-Pan Turkey and Mushroom Orzo
Brown butter makes everything better! And you can find it in this surprisingly low calorie hearty pasta recipe with Italian ground turkey, brown butter sage mushrooms, and cheesy orzo. While pasta may not be the best for reheating, orzo is an exception and works more like rice than pasta.
- Calories: 405
- Protein: 29g
- Carbs: 32g
- Fat: 17g
Recipe: Creamy Ground Turkey and Mushroom Orzo
3. Creamy Italian Ground Turkey and Cauliflower Gnocchi Soup
With only 345 calories per serving, this soup is surprisingly low calorie! It consists of extra lean ground turkey, Italian seasoning, garlic, Calabrian peppers, cauliflower gnocchi, and a cheesy ricotta sauce. Everything comes together in one pot and reheats great to use for meal prep.
- Calories: 345
- Protein: 33g
- Carbs: 24g
- Fat: 12g
Recipe: Italian Ground Turkey Soup
4. High Protein Spicy Garlic Noodles
You may know I’m a big Ethan Chlebowski fan. And if you’re craving noodles, you’ve got to try his spicy garlic noodles. The recipe comes together in about 20 minutes and will be sure to hit the spot. By adding lean ground turkey and high protein noodles, this recipe becomes a much healthier option.
- Calories: 671
- Protein: 47g
- Carbs: 74g
- Fat: 20g
Recipe: Spicy Garlic Noodles – Healthy Weeknight Meal (or watch his healthy weeknight meals video)
5. Turkey Sausage, Egg & Cheese English Muffin
Start your day off right with one of these sausage, egg, and cheese muffins. By using lean ground turkey and a 100-calorie English muffin, this is a healthier option that’s low calorie and has a high protein content.
- Calories: 406
- Protein: 36g
- Carbs: 31g
- Fat: 19g
Recipe: Turkey Sausage, Egg & Cheese English Muffin (or watch his healthy meals part 2 video)
6. Lemon Ricotta Ground Turkey Pasta with Broccoli
This broccoli and ground turkey pasta has almost 40 grams of protein per serving. It’s the perfect one-pot recipe for a chilly fall evening. The best part? It makes a big batch and can be used for meal prep, as long as you use real pasta and skip the im-pastas.
- Calories: 390
- Protein: 36g
- Carbs: 38g
- Fat: 11g
Recipe: Lemony Ricotta Broccoli and Ground Turkey Pasta
7. Lightened Up Ground Turkey Chili Mac
Lillie always has great meal prep recipes, and this chili mac is now exception. It would also be the perfect cozy fall recipe. It’s loaded with vegetables, ground turkey, pasta, and spices. While delicious and hearty, it’s still a macro friendly and healthy meal that the whole family is bound to love.
- Calories: 366
- Protein: 26.6g
- Carbs: 48g
- Fat: 7.7g
Recipe: Easy Lean Chili Mac
8. Turkey and Kale Power Bowls
Served with a side of sriracha lime mayo and pickled red onions, this power bowl from Josh at The Meal Prep Manual is made of lean ground turkey, onions, peppers, kale, and quinoa. It’s a great high volume meal option that is sure to keep you full and happy. Josh always does a great job at packing in lots of volumes to his meals that are obviously geared towards meal prep.
- Calories: 574
- Protein: 40g
- Carbs: 36g
- Fat: 30g
Recipe: Turkey and Kale Power Bowls with Sriracha Mayo & Pickled Red Onions
9. BBQ Turkey Skillet
Perfect for meal prep, this BBQ Turkey Skillet only takes 25 minutes to make. This recipe is a mix of ground turkey, sweet potatoes, red pepper, and kale tossed in bbq sauce. With less than 500 calories per serving, you’ll have plenty of room for a sweet treat after your meal!
- Calories: 494
- Protein: 37g
- Carbs: 31g
- Fat: 21g
Recipe: BBQ Ground Turkey Skillet
10. Ground Turkey Enchiladas
These ground turkey enchiladas combine extra lean ground turkey with zucchini, poblano peppers, fire roasted corn, shredded Mexican cheese, and green chile enchilada sauce. With 15 grams of protein and only 230 calories per enchilada, they’re an awesome meal prep option for Tex-Mex lovers.
- Calories: 230
- Protein: 15g
- Carbs: 19g
- Fat: 9g
Recipe: Green Chile Ground Turkey Enchiladas
11. Italian Ground Turkey Meatballs
You can use ground turkey meatballs for spaghetti, subs, soups, and all kinds of things. They can be made three ways: air fried, oven baked, and pan fried. All you need is Italian ground turkey, eggs, Italian bread crumbs, shredded mozzarella, marina or pasta sauce, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper flakes. Best of all, they come together in about 30 minutes!
- Calories: 75
- Protein: 7g
- Carbs: 3g
- Fat: 4g
Recipe: Air Fryer Italian Turkey Meatballs
12. Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats
If you’re looking for something light, these ground turkey zucchini boats are a great option. Zucchini is stuffed with ground turkey, tomato sauce, couscous, and topped with shredded cheese.
- Calories: 413
- Protein: 41g
- Carbs: 27g
- Fat: 17g
Recipe: Ground Turkey Zucchini Boats
13. Instant Pot Turkey Chili
This cozy chili is fast and easy to make. It’s a hearty mix of ground turkey, beans, vegetables, and spices. Plus, it makes perfect leftovers for meal prep!
- Calories: 323
- Protein: 33g
- Carbs: 23g
- Fat: 2g
Recipe: Easy Instant Pot Turkey Chili
14. Korean Ground Turkey Rice Bowls
As easy as it gets, this Korean-inspried ground turkey is cooked with a gochujang sauce and served with a quick cucumber kimchi. The crunchy cucumbers are so refreshing and I promise you’ll be making them for all your Asian-inspired dishes after trying this recipe.
- Calories: 385
- Protein: 34g
- Carbs: 48g
- Fat: 8g
Recipe: Korean Ground Turkey Rice Bowls with Cucumber Kimchi
15. Lemon Pepper Ground Turkey and Broccoli Orzo
This one-pan dish comes together in 30 minutes and is an awesome meal prep option with reheat-friendly orzo. I particularly love the parmigiano reggiano cheese sauce in this dish.
- Calories: 355
- Protein: 32g
- Carbs: 32g
- Fat: 11g
Recipe: Creamy Ground Turkey and Broccoli Orzo
16. My Go-To Taco Meat
This recipe elevates the traditionally simple taco meat with ground turkey into a more flavorful and filling option. Instead of using packaged taco seasoning, you’ll create your own for a more smoky, sweet, and spicy version. Everything is pressure cooked to pack as much flavor into the meat in as little time as possible.
- Calories: 125
- Protein: 14g
- Carbs: 9g
- Fat: 4g
Recipe: The Best Instant Pot Taco Meat
17. Ground Turkey & Veggies Skillet
This one pan meal is great for busy weeknights when you don’t feel like spending too much time in the kitchen. It’s ready in 20 minutes and is full of flavor. All you need is some lean ground turkey, garlic, zucchini, tomatoes, spinach, parmesan cheese, riced cauliflower, and some spices.
- Calories: 276
- Protein: 28g
- Carbs: 14g
- Fat: 13g
Recipe: Ground Turkey Skillet with Veggies
18. Ginger and Peanut Butter Ground Turkey Stir Fry
The combination of ginger, spices, and nuttiness from the peanut butter come together to create a sauce for this ground turkey stir fry you don’t want to miss out on. Served over steamed rice or cauliflower rice, this is a great option for meal prep.
- Calories: 542
- Protein: 48g
- Carbs: 22g
- Fat: 30g
Recipe: Ginger Peanut Butter Ground Turkey Stir Fry
19. Creamy Taco Pasta
You can have dinner on the table in less than 30 minutes with this creamy taco pasta. It’s a recipe that the whole family is bound to love! A mixture of pasta shells, ground turkey taco meat, cottage cheese, cheddar cheese, peppers, onions, salsa, and brother come together to create a high protein meal that is delicious and reheats well for meal prep.
- Calories: 300
- Protein: 27g
- Carbs: 30g
- Fat: 9g
Recipe: Easy & Delicious Creamy Taco Pasta
20. Cheddar Bacon Ranch Quesadillas
Who doesn’t love the cheddar bacon ranch combo? These turkey quesadillas combine the trio with ground turkey and low carb tortillas. The recipe makes a big batch that’s easy to package up and toss in the air fryer for a quick high protein snack.
- Calories: 270
- Protein: 25g
- Carbs: 16g
- Fat: 12g
Recipe: 5-Ingredient Ground Turkey Quesadillas
21. One-Pan Turkey Lasagna Casserole
Lasagna in 30 minutes is pretty wild on its own. And when you consider each serving of this recipe has 36 grams of protein with just 12 grams of fat and its extra cheesy topping, it’s really over the top.
- Calories: 380
- Protein: 36g
- Carbs: 34g
- Fat: 12g
Recipe: High Protein Turkey Lasagna
22. Turkey Enchilada Casserole
Another one pan casserole recipe, this turkey enchilada skillet combines extra lean ground turkey with frozen veggies, black beans, corn tortillas, and Mexican cheese to make a Tex-Mex lovers dream. Every serving has 31 grams of protein and 9 grams of fiber to keep you full for hours, too.
- Calories: 355
- Protein: 31g
- Carbs: 39g
- Fat: 10g
Recipe: High Protein Enchilada Casserole
23. Teriyaki Turkey Stir Fry
The nutrition facts of this recipe speak for themselves. All you need is 30 minutes to make six huge servings of this teriyaki ground turkey and veggies combo. Serve it over rice with low calorie yum yum sauce and sesame seeds for a week’s worth of high protein meals.
- Calories: 265
- Protein: 38g
- Carbs: 10g
- Fat: 7g
Recipe: Ground Turkey Stir Fry
24. The Best Turkey Bolognese
Bolognese has to be one of the best meal prep recipes out there. It’s meant to be incorporated into other dishes, and you can use this to make high protein spaghetti bolognese, lasagna, sandwiches, or anything else you can dream up. This recipe will take a bit more time than most others on this list, so be sure to save it for weekend meal prep.
- Calories: 240
- Protein: 23g
- Carbs: 18g
- Fat: 8g
Recipe: Best Ground Turkey Bolognese
25. Creamy Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
I love a classic shepherd’s pie, but this version with ground turkey puts a creamy pot pie spin on things. It also uses pre-made mashed potatoes for the crust, making it a super easy one pan recipe that reheats amazingly well.
- Calories: 345
- Protein: 24g
- Carbs: 34g
- Fat: 12g
Recipe: Creamy Shepherd’s Pie with Ground Turkey
Wrapping Up
You should have plenty of ideas for your next ground turkey meal prep session. If you enjoyed this roundup, I bet you will also like my high protein Costco shopping guide and roundup with 30 more high protein meal prep recipes.
