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Ground Turkey and Spelt Skillet

Ground Turkey and Spelt Skillet is a quick and easy meal that tastes rich and delicious without all of the fat and calories. Spelt berries make this dish a great source for whole-grain fiber.

A bowl of ground turkey, mushrooms, and spelt, and garnished with parmesan cheese.

This Ground Turkey Spelt Skillet recipe is quick, easy, healthy and absolutely delicious.

A couple of years ago, I decided that I was going to expand our whole grain horizon, and tried farro in my Farro with Mushrooms recipe.

John loved it which is usually a true test for me.

I’ll eat about anything, but that’s not the case with him.

We’ve had such success Spelt Bread and Spelt Sourdough Bread. We were confident that we could use Spelt berries in other recipes where whole-grains shine.

This Ground Turkey Spelt Skillet recipe is quick, easy, healthy, and absolutely delicious.

A bowl of ground turkey, mushrooms, and spelt, and garnished with parmesan cheese.

When I was developing this dish, I originally wanted to try Freekah, which is an ancient grain made from roasting green wheat. I couldn’t find it anywhere.

If you like using whole grains, I think you’ll enjoy these recipes too

What is Spelt?

A wooden bowl of spelt grain.

Spelt is an ancient grain that’s mistaken as belonging to the wheat family, but it isn’t.

If you like farro, you’ll absolutely love spelt.

I figured if I couldn’t find it you might have trouble too. John and I just love the texture and flavor of spelt. It reminded me of farro but the flavor does differ.

A bowl of ground turkey, mushrooms, and spelt, and garnished with parmesan cheese.

I love making a recipe that looks like it’s full of cream which means it tastes good right?

I also like making a one-pot meal which means less clean up! This is an “almost” one-pot meal that you can put together in no time.

The spelt berries need to soak anywhere from 1 hour to overnight so you’ll want to plan ahead a little bit.

You can easily substitute the spelt with other grains such as barley, farro, or wild rice.

Another variation you can make is using leftover diced or shredded chicken as we did in our Turkey a la King and Turkey Casserole recipes.

Close up of a bowl of turkey spelt

Ground Turkey and Spelt Skillet

Author: Hostess At Heart
This Ground Turkey and Spelt Skillet is a quick and easy meal that tastes rich and delicious without all of the fat and calories.
No ratings yet
Prep Time 1 hour
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Course Main, Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword: Ground Turkey and Spelt Skilllet
Servings: 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup Spelt berries
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 19.2 oz ground turkey
  • 8 oz mushrooms your favorite variety
  • 1/2 cup diced leek
  • 1 tbsp garlic minced
  • 2 tbsp tarragon chopped, plus additional for garnish
  • 29 oz chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano grated
  • 4 tsp arrowroot powder
  • 1/2 cup sour cream reduced fat is fine
  • Salt and Pepper

Instructions
 

  • Soak spelt berries for 1 hour to overnight in 1 1/2 cups of water or more if needed to cover berries. Heat spelt and soaking water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and then turn to simmer. Cook covered for 45 minutes or until tender. Drain.
  • In a large skillet, brown turkey, leek and mushrooms. Add garlic and cook 1 more minute.
  • Add chicken stock. Bring to a simmer.
  • In a small dish mix arrowroot with 1/4 cup of water. Stir or whisk to combine until smooth. Add to turkey and turn down heat to simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cheese, sour cream and spelt berries.  Ingredients will thicken as they sit.
  • Garnish with additional tarragon if desired.
  • Keep leftovers refrigerated.

Nutrition

Calories: 344kcalCarbohydrates: 31gProtein: 33gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 400mgPotassium: 710mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 355IUVitamin C: 2.8mgCalcium: 150mgIron: 2.9mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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Angled photo of a black bowl filled with Ground Turkey and Spelt Skillet garnished with parmesan and parsley. A second bowl sits in the background.

This is a wholesome delicious dish that tastes like some of my favorite creamy dishes. Here are a few more dishes that are full of whole grains that we love!

Recipe Rating




Turkey Sloppy Joes | Hostess At Heart

Saturday 9th of July 2016

[…] another great ground turkey recipe, give my Ground Turkey and Spelt Skillet a […]

Shari

Tuesday 8th of March 2016

I didn't even know what spelt was! I love learning about new ingredients. This soup looks delicious, Julie! And it seems pretty healthy, too. I agree with you about creaminess making a soup look good. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 8th of March 2016

Thanks for stopping by Shari! I love spelt and farro and it really gives soups a meaty quality. I'd choose it over rice or barley.

Caroline

Tuesday 8th of March 2016

This looks so good! Spelt is definitely on my list to try though I never see it. Must look again!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 8th of March 2016

Thank you Caroline! We just love it. I make it more than rice these days. Farro is a great sub if you have trouble finding it. Enjoy your day!

petra08

Sunday 6th of March 2016

Hi was looking for Freekah the other day and couldn't find any. Grains are so good and this recipe is great :) Have a good week ahead!

Julie Menghini

Monday 7th of March 2016

Thank you, Petra! I hope you have a wonderful week too.

Julianna

Sunday 6th of March 2016

Mmmm, great recipe, and super awesome photos, Julie!

Julie Menghini

Sunday 6th of March 2016

Thank you Julianna!

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