Spicy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-fry

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Spicy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-fry is a Paleo and low carb dish that is packed with flavor and comes together in 15 minutes.

294 CAL 11g CARBS 12g FAT 39g PROTEIN
26 Comments

This easy Ground Turkey Green Bean Stir Fry takes only 15 minutes to make and is the perfect quick dinner for a busy night. Plus it's low carb, Paleo, gluten-free, and Whole30 friendly. Serve it with some Asian Zucchini Noodles, Cauliflower RiceSesame Edamame.

I don't know about you but after last week I need a week full of clean meals that are quick and easy. After four straight days of cooking, it's time for some simple, fast recipes that are kind to my waistline.

This meal is just the thing. Packed with green beans, lean ground turkey, and a simple spicy Asian stir-fry sauce - this dinner is ready in under 15 minutes and delish.

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The key to making this dish stand out from a typical stir-fry is broiling the green beans so they get a nice char. This adds a ton of flavor to the green beans and adds a hint of smokiness to the stir-fry.

From there it is just a simple sauce of coconut oil, garlic, ginger, soy sauce (or coconut aminos), rice vinegar, and some Asian garlic chili paste.

You can adjust the spice level depending on what you like and could also add a touch of brown sugar or honey if you like things sweet. Just stir it into the soy sauce before adding it to the pan. Served with some brown rice, quinoa, or cauliflower rice and you have a healthy, easy, delicious meal.

Ground turkey stir fry with green beans in a spicy sauce with a white plate and yellow napkin.

Recipes Tips for Spicy Green Bean and Turkey Stir Fry

  • Almost every time I post a spicy recipe, I get asked if it can be made without the spice. In this case, absolutely! It is still really tasty without the spice and if anyone wants it spicy, you can serve it on the side.
  • This recipe will work with all kinds of veggies, not just green beans. However, no matter what you choose, I recommend sending it for a quick trip to the broiler so that you can create some char and smokiness. Broccoli, sugar snap peas, asparagus, and cabbage all are great options.
  • For Paleo and Whole30 diets, or anyone looking to lower the sodium count, I recommend going with coconut aminos instead of soy sauce. It has the same salty, savory, umami flavor but with about 65% less sodium than standard soy sauce.
  • Some people need something sweet in their Asian stir-fries. If you fall into that campy, you can add brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, agave, or coconut sugar to the stir fry sauce. Just taste as you go to get it to the sweetness you like.
  • If ground turkey isn't your favorite protein, you can substitute in ground beef, chicken, pork, or even vegetarian crumbles instead of the turkey. I imagine it would be delicious with shrimp as well but I haven't tried it yet.

Meal Prep Ideas for Ground Turkey Stir Fry

I love making stir-fries on Sundays and packing them up for easy lunches all week long. This recipe is a great one to prep ahead of time since it reheats well and keeps well in the fridge. Here are some ideas and tips for meal prep.

  • Always let it cool completely before packing it up for meal prep. Let the dish cool completely and then divide it up.
  • For quicker meal prep, reach for frozen brown rice or cauliflower rice. Add it frozen right to your container and then add the stir fry. This works with frozen rice, veggie rice, and quinoa. 
  • If you get bored easily, consider prepping the meal slightly different every day. Pack it with rice one day, carrot noodles the next (the frozen ones from Trader Joe's are great), with lettuce wraps for the third day, and as an Asian salad with crunchy coleslaw mix and peanuts for the last day. 

What's the best ground turkey to buy? Is it healthy?

Looking in the meat section at your local store, you probably see a few different options for ground turkey. You can buy 99% lean, 93% lean, 85% lean, and ground dark meat turkey. You also may be able to buy an organic ground turkey or a seasoned ground turkey option. It can be tricky to know what to buy.

For this recipe, I wanted to keep it light and lower in fat, so I reached for 99% lean ground turkey. This option is made with almost all-white meat turkey and is the leanest option. It works great for this recipe since there is plenty of added flavor and sauce. If this recipe didn't have a flavorful sauce, I would probably have reached for a more flavorful blend with a bit more fat.  

In terms of health, ground turkey is a great lean protein with lots of vitamins and minerals. It can be a great alternative to ground beef with lower levels of saturated fat. We love using it as a protein source for healthy dinners.

Spicy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-fry is ready in fifteen minutes.

Looking for more healthy Asian recipes:

Here are some of the products and tools I used to prepare this recipe:

  • Sambal olek is my favorite Asian garlic chili paste and something I use all the time in recipes and as a condiment. Compared to Sriracha, it's a thicker sauce that has a lot more garlic flavor. If you like spicy things, I highly recommend trying it.
  • I like to use coconut oil in this recipe because it adds a subtle coconut flavor to the dish. Coconut oil also is a healthy saturated fat that can help reduc HDL cholesterol levels among a number of other benefits. Since I like the coconut flavor in the oil, I choose an unrefined oil like this one.
  • Rice vinegar is an important ingredient in this stir-fry but it can be tricky to know what to buy when there are so many on the market. Make sure to look for one that has no added sugar or sweetener. Usually I buy this one.
The Recipe
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Spicy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-fry

294 CAL 11g CARBS 12g FAT 39g PROTEIN
PREP TIME: 5 Min
COOK TIME: 15 Min
TOTAL TIME: 20 Min
26 Comments
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Ingredients

US METRICS
  • 1 lb. green beans
  • 4 tsp. coconut oil (or vegetable oil)
  • 1 tbsp. sesame oil
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 tbsp. ginger, minced
  • 1.33 lbs. 99% lean ground turkey
  • 4 tbsp. low sodium soy sauce (GF if needed or coconut aminos for Whole30)
  • 2 tbsp. rice vinegar
  • 2 tsp. Asian chili garlic paste (like sambal olek)

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Instructions

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1

Preheat the oven to broil. Toss the green beans with half of the coconut oil. Lay flat on a baking sheet covered in foil. Broil for 6-8 minutes until tender and beginning to char. Shake the pan once during cooking.

2

Meanwhile, heat the remaining coconut and sesame oil over medium high heat. Add the ground turkey, garlic, and ginger. Brown until turkey is fully cooked.

3

Add the green beans to the pan and stir. Then add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, and sambal olek. Cook for 1 minute. Taste and season with additional soy sauce if needed.

Nutritional Facts
Serving Size: 1.5-2 cups
Amount Per Serving
Calories 294
Calories from Fat 102
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 12g
18%
Saturated Fat 5g
26%
Monounsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Polyunsaturated Fat 0g
0%
Cholesterol 83mg
28%
Sodium 723mg
31%
Total Carbohydrate 11g
4%
Dietary Fiber 4g
14%
Sugars 4g
Protein 39g

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

The Nutritional Values provided are estimates only and may vary based on the preparation method.

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About the author Meet Kristen McCaffrey
Hi, I’m the cookbook author, recipe developer, and food enthusiast behind Slender Kitchen. I am obsessed with making healthy food that is easy to prepare and absolutely delicious. Meal planning is my secret weapon and I hope I can make meal time easier for you with our tried and tested recipes and foolproof meal plans. Learn More
† We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
26 Comments
On Spicy Ground Turkey and Green Bean Stir-fry
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Taylor
October 11, 2023 - 15:14
Add a Rating:
5
This stuff is SO good! I like to double all the liquid/paste ingredients to make it extra saucy and I add pepper flakes to give it an extra kick. 100% worth trying if you like Asian cuisine. Don’t shy away from the use of the ground turkey!
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Jamie Ricketts
August 5, 2023 - 11:08
Add a Rating:
5
This recipe is a family favorite! My 3 and 4 y/o even eat it! I sub coconut aminos for the soy sauce and sometimes I will add broccoli instead of green beans! Love love love!
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Maria
May 11, 2023 - 12:53
Add a Rating:
5
Made this for my husband and he LOVED it!
Thanks for the recipe.
I made it with 2 pounds of ground turkey to make it go further.
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DS
April 20, 2023 - 20:18
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5
Surprisingly delicious for such a simple meal! However, it did barely feed 3 people. My husband isn't home for dinner, I followed the serving size, and it still barely fed me, my 8yo daughter, and 14yo son. I would easily double or even triple this if my husband were home, and potentially add rice to be a filler for them. But I'll make it again!
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Becky
December 18, 2022 - 16:25
Add a Rating:
5
This is really tasty. It didn’t make as much as I expected. I would double the recipe if making for more than 2-3 people. Definitely go with the low sodium soy sauce. It’s plenty salty and revisit sauce would overwhelm. Thanks for the recipe!
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Anna Dean
September 29, 2022 - 11:30
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5
Wow just made this dish so easy tweaked it a little used yellow pepper chopped and added frozen edamame beans and added sriracha Instead of chill garlic paste and Thai jasmine rice great mid week dinner all the family loved it
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Heidi
August 24, 2022 - 15:34
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5
I served it with cauliflower rice. So yummy. I will be making this again.
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Gordon
August 19, 2022 - 03:57
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5
Easy to make and delicious. Served over cauliflower rice. Made a spiralized Pear Asian Salad.
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Dtak
August 9, 2022 - 17:35
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5
One of our favorites. I like to change it up with ground pork sometimes. Thanks!
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April
August 9, 2022 - 15:24
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5
So easy & delicious!
I served it with Right Rice and egg rolls. Yum!!
Thank you!
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Angela
August 4, 2022 - 10:20
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5
This was very good. I did think it could use some extra sauce.
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Jeanne
June 10, 2022 - 17:48
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5
A family favorite
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Bridgett
April 17, 2022 - 14:35
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4
We got some ground turkey from the food bank and didn't know what to do with it. This recipe is amazingly good and so simple. Serve on rice.
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Kala
April 13, 2022 - 18:22
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5
This dish was delicious!!! For my husband I made it with a side of white rice but I ate it as is and loved it!!!!!
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CDChauvin
February 6, 2022 - 14:37
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5
Made this for lunch today and it was delicious!
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Leslie Johnston
January 16, 2022 - 17:34
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5
This was a super easy and well received recipe. Thanks for sharing! Certain to make it again for my teens, who can be picky eaters.
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Robin Harris
December 28, 2021 - 13:32
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5
This was soooo good! My family and I were pleased. This will definitely be made again
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Marilyn
October 26, 2021 - 17:49
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5
I had seen recipes like this before, but had never cooked them. Today I had turkey, green beans and a bit of cauliflower on hand, so it was a good time to give it a whirl.
While I had soy, garlic and ginger, I did not have rice vinegar, so subbed malt vinegar, and I did not have garlic chili sauce, but did have Chili Onion Crisp. OMG, so good! I was a little light handed on the chili crisp because I was afraid of zapping my family, but everyone enjoyed - strongly recommend the sub. Served over light brown rice.
Easy to make, easy to serve, great weeknight dinner.
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Kelsey
January 22, 2020 - 16:48
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5
This was easy, healthy and tasty. I added some sliced red pepper to the sheet pan with the green beans and topped with chopped cashews for some added crunch.
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Lisa V
January 19, 2020 - 09:11
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5
This is really delicious! I used frozen green beans that I added to the browned ground turkey, making this already easy recipe even easier. Thank you!
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Brooke
February 27, 2019 - 17:38
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5
Tried this tonight topped with an egg. It was delicious!
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Alissa Calsetta
July 28, 2018 - 05:47
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5
Another big hit, thank you!
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Rachel
June 27, 2018 - 21:09
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5
So delicious. I did add a little bit of brown sugar. Flavors were great and the whole family loved!
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Albert
June 17, 2018 - 14:23
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5
That Asian paste is my new best friend! I loved this! Simple and spicy!
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June 18, 2018 - 08:30
I couldn't agree more! It is so so good!
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Colleen Gooding
December 3, 2016 - 14:57
Add a Rating:
4
Quick and easy with good flavour
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