This quick and tangy Korean Ground Turkey is a crowd favorite. You can get it on the table in as little as 15 minutes and it’s a mom-pleaser too.
Additionally, add some rice and a vegetable on the side and you have a complete meal your family will love. It’s high in protein and flavor. If you prefer, ground beef can be used in place of the turkey.
If you need to brown your meat at this time, make sure it is in a large skillet or pan. I love my meat smasher — it was a gift from a friend and now that I have it, I can never go back to using a spoon again!
If you can prepare in advance, make sure to have ground turkey or beef already browned and frozen in one or two pound packages. This is one of the key focuses of meal prep. By having that ground meat already browned it’s going to save time and energy when you need dinner on the table quickly. It’s only 15 minutes, but some nights those 15 minutes of saved time can feel like hours.
To get the meal started, first pull that ground turkey out of the freezer and pop it in the microwave for a few minutes to defrost or brown the meat. You can use anywhere from one to two pounds of meat in this recipe. If you prefer more sauce, go with the lower quantity of meat.
One key to making this recipe gluten free is the soy sauce you will use. I prefer the original La Choy soy sauce. I can get it in my local Kroger for under $3. When they have it in stock I will buy several at a time and keep it in our family food storage.
After the turkey has been defrosted, get a large sauté pan warming on the stove on high heat. Add about two teaspoons sesame oil. Then add the ground turkey. It will start warming while you prepare the sauce.
Add the soy sauce, rice vinegar, brown sugar, corn starch, ginger, onion powder and garlic powder to a large bowl. Stir until completely combined. Make sure the cornstarch has dissolved. If necessary, smash the small bits against the side of the bowl until they disappear.
Add the sauce to the turkey and stir until completely combined. At first the turkey will still be pale. As the meat absorbs the sauce, it will darken and the sauce will thicken.
Turn the heat to medium and let it simmer. This is a great time to get your rice and vegetables ready. We like the Korean Turkey with steamed broccoli and white rice.
Korean Ground Turkey
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground turkey (or beef)
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce, gluten free
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
Toppings
- sesame seeds
- green onion
Instructions
- Brown the ground turkey. Remove from pan and drain off any excess fluids.
- Keep the pan on medium to high heat. Add sesame oil to the pan. Add the ground turkey back into the pan.
- Prepare the sauce ingredients together in one large cup or bowl. Make sure to completely dissolve the corn starch.
- Add the sauce to the ground turkey. Reduce the heat to medium or low.
- Serve with rice and a vegetable. Top with sesame seeds and green onion as desired.
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