Name: Ground Turkey Teriyaki Bowls
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: American

These ground turkey teriyaki bowls are nutritious, high in fiber, and packed with lean protein. With sliced zucchini, sliced carrots, and baby corn on a bed of steamed cauliflower rice, you’re getting a great amount of tender-crisp vegetables. It’s a family-friendly full meal that you can feel good about!

two bowls of teriyaki turkey and vagetables

A simple homemade teriyaki sauce is used to glaze both the meat and vegetables and has the sweet and savory flavor you’d expect, without the acid of vinegar or pineapple juice found in other teriyaki sauce recipes. Our secret is subbing in apple juice in place of the pineapple—you get sweetness, fruitiness, and a bit of tartness, with a far friendlier ingredient for those with GERD.

What Can I Substitute for Ground Turkey?

The most obvious substitutions in place of ground turkey are extra-lean ground beef (sometimes labeled as “ground sirloin”), ground chicken, or plant-based grounds. Ground chicken breast is particularly good as it cooks up tasting just like whole chicken breast, which goes great with the teriyaki sauce. Many of these lean ground meats have a tendency to dry out, however, the sauce does a great job of keeping them moist.

Make the Bowl Your Own!

Topping steamed cauliflower rice is merely a suggestion and you should feel free to fill your bowl with brown or white rice, farro (be mindful that this contains gluten), quinoa, or your favorite grain.

You can also stir-fry any combination of vegetables. We simply chose zucchini and carrots as they are very quick cooking and are often served in Japanese dishes, so it felt like a natural fit for the teriyaki sauce.

raw ingredients of turkey teriyaki sauce and vegetables

Ingredients for Teriyaki Ground Turkey Bowls

**Vegetable oil-**light and neutral, this oil is perfect for stir-frying
**Ground turkey-**a lean and healthy protein you can feel great about
**Zucchini-**vitamin packed and delicious. Got to get your green veggies anywhere you can!
**Crinkle cut carrots-**Snappy and sweet. Why are they better crinkle cut? No idea, but they definitely are.
**Baby corn-**the unsung hero of this dish. Texture and flavor that taxes things to another level.
**Apple juice-**brings a gentle acidity that adds just enough zing while being easy on the gut
**Reduced-sodium tamari soy sauce-**the perfect addition of umami flavor and just enough salt
**Cornstarch-**what’s Asian food without a thick delicious sauce?
**Fresh ginger or ginger paste-**earthy and complex, spicy without being hard on the tummy
**Sesame oil-**nothing says Asian cooking like this unique nutty oil
**Cauliflower rice-**a “feel good” rice alternative that you’re going to love

a skillet of cooked teriyaki turkey

How To Make Teriyaki Ground Turkey Bowls

First, split the tablespoon of vegetable oil between 2 skillets, each over medium-high heat.

To the first skillet, add the ground turkey and brown well, crumbling it as it cooks.

Now, to the second skillet, add the sliced zucchini, cut carrots, and baby carrots. Stir fry until the zucchini is crisp-tender. Reduce the heat on both skillets to medium.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl or cup, whisk together apple juice, tamari, cornstarch, ginger, and sesame oil to create the teriyaki sauce.

Next, pour 1/3 of the teriyaki sauce into the browned ground turkey and 2/3 of the sauce into the vegetables.

Stirring each, bring up to a simmer and cook until the sauce has thickened and begun to reduce. For the ground turkey, the sauce will begin to coat the meat and caramelize as it reduces. Once the ground turkey is well caramelized and the vegetables are coated in a thick sauce, remove both skillets from the heat.

Finally, fill serving bowls with steamed cauliflower rice and top with an equal amount of the ground turkey and vegetables.

a skillet of cooked vegetables and a wooden spoon