Ground Turkey Butternut Squash Skillet Recipe – Easy 30 Minute Meal

If you are looking for a quick, easy and delicious recipe to use a fresh picked butternut squash then you are going to love this Ground Turkey Butternut Squash Skillet Recipe.

Ground turkey is sautéed with diced onion, red pepper and fresh minced garlic. Then when the meat is no longer pink, cubes of butternut squash are added to the mixture.

Add a little broth, cover and let the butternut squash cook until tender. Although this is good enough to eat as is, a little cheese is added to the top which makes this recipe even better!

And best of all, it is made entirely in one skillet, from start to finish and is ready to eat in only 30 minutes! However with a few time savings tips, it can be on the table in even less time.

Time Saving Tips For This Recipe

1. Butternut Squash

If you purchased a fresh butternut squash, you will need to peel the skin away from the flesh. You can use a standard vegetable peeler to do this or you can use a sharp knife.

I find it helpful to cut the bottom off the butternut squash so that it can stand upright on a cutting board, making it easier to peel. Once the squash is peeled, cut it in half and then remove the seeds and strings.

You will need only 1/2 of a medium size squash for this ground turkey butternut squash skillet recipe. You can use the other half to make Butternut Squash Soup.

Now you need to cut the squash into 1 inch cubes. The entire process of peeling, removing the seeds and cutting the squash sounds time consuming, however, it really doesn’t take a lot of time.

Although you can save even more time by purchasing butternut squash that is already peeled and cubed. Most grocery stores will have prepared vegetables that are washed and ready to cook in the refrigerated produce section.

This is a great way to get this dish cooking without having to peel and cut the squash. Simply measure out 3 cups and add it to the recipe.

2. Meal Prep The Ground Turkey

In an effort to save time throughout the week, a little meal prepping goes a long way. Although this recipe only calls for 1/2 pound of ground turkey, most of us will purchase a one pound package.

Therefore, at the beginning of the week, go ahead and brown the entire pound of meat. Then divide it in half and store it in a closed container in the refrigerator for your meals.

Use half of it in this recipe, and use the other half to make Egg Roll In A Bowl or use it in place of the ground beef in this Ground Beef Stroganoff recipe. Then when you go to make this recipe, add the cooked meat in when the vegetables are finished sautéing.

3. Dice The Vegetables Ahead Of Time

Every week I dice an onion and a sweet bell pepper and store it in the refrigerator for use in various recipes throughout the week. These are two vegetables that I use almost daily, including in Breakfast Burritos in the morning, on my salad at lunch and in dinner recipes like this Barbecue Cheeseburger Pie.

Not only does it save me time by cutting them ahead of time, but I also have to do less dishes throughout the week since I don’t have to use my cutting board and knife for every meal.

Again, you can purchase diced onions and peppers at the grocery if you prefer. However, it is less expensive if you do it yourself.

The only thing that you need to know is how much of the diced vegetables to use in place of a half of an onion and pepper. Although the amount will vary based on the size of the vegetables, here is a general guideline to convert an entire vegetable to the amount when diced.

• 1 small onion = 1/2 cup diced
• 1 medium onion = 1 1/2 – 2 cups diced
• 1 large onion = 3 cups diced

• 1 medium red pepper = 1/2 cup diced
• 1 large red pepper = 1 cup diced

Therefore, for this recipe you would need 1/4 cup diced onion and 1/4 cup diced red pepper.

So now that you know how you can save even more time when making this delicious recipe, let’s see how it all comes together.

Ground Turkey Butternut Squash Skillet Recipe

*A printable recipe card is located at the bottom of this article which contains the specific measurements, temperatures and cook times. However, continue reading below to learn about more helpful tips about this specific recipe.

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 lb. ground turkey
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 butternut squash, (3 cups peeled and cubed)
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2/3 cup Mozzarella cheese
• fresh chopped parsley for garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Prepare the butternut squash by peeling, removing the seeds and dicing one half of a butternut squash into small 1/2-1 inch cubes. Set aside.

Add the extra virgin olive oil to a large skillet placed over medium high heat. Once hot, add the ground turkey, diced onion, and diced bell peppers.

Sauté until the ground meat is no longer pink. Then add the minced garlic and saute for one minute or until the garlic is fragrant.

Add the salt, pepper and smoked paprika and toss to combine. Reduce the heat to medium and add the cubed butternut squash and chicken broth to the skillet.

Stir and push the cubes of squash in the liquid. Cover and cook for 12-15 minutes or until butternut squash has softened.

Sprinkle the cheese on top of the ground turkey butternut squash skillet mixture and cover until the cheese melts. *If you have an oven safe skillet you can place it in the oven set to 400°F (200°C) or place it under a broiler to brown the cheese even more if desired.

Garnish with fresh parsley and serve warm.

Enjoy! Mary

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