These sesame ground turkey bowls are a flavorful meal and best of all, ready in less than 20 minutes!

This ground turkey recipe is combined with coleslaw mix (or cabbage), ginger, and garlic in a sweet and savory sauce. This reheats well making it perfect for lunches throughout the week.

Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls in bowls with sauce

A Healthy Ground Turkey Recipe

As much as we love a perfect stir fry recipe, we love also love a recipe that is on the table in about 20 minutes.

  • Rice bowls are popular grab-and-go items because they have all the protein, veggies, and fiber to stay energized all day.
  • Make it at home and get that same restaurant flavor for pennies.
  • This ground turkey recipe has options for other mix-ins, toss in any veggies that are in the fridge!
  • Make as a bowl, a lettuce wrap, a burrito, a taco, or roll into a rice paper wrap.
  • Serve like a taco-style buffet and place bowls of toppings and mix-ins around the prepared ground turkey mixture and everyone can DIY.

ingredients to make Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls

Ingredients and Variations

GROUND TURKEY – Ground turkey is healthy and low in calories but this will work with ground pork or chicken as well.

VEGETABLES – Pre-packaged coleslaw mix is good for a lot more than coleslaw! It is an inexpensive addition and a timesaver in this recipe (and other soups, stir fries and stews)!

Bulk up the recipe with additional finely chopped broccoli, cauliflower, shredded cabbage, shredded carrots, even a handful of green peas or chopped water chestnuts instead!

SAUCE – This sauce is so easy to make but if you’re in a hurry, use either teriyaki sauce or stir fry sauce. We love a drizzle of hoisin before serving.

Serve this over a base of fried rice, white rice, quinoa, or brown rice.

cooking turkey to make Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls

How to Make Ground Turkey Bowls

For a quick last-minute supper or a high protein lunch, these are an easy fix that comes together super quick:

  1. Cook turkey with ginger & garlic per the recipe below.
  2. Stir in coleslaw mix & cook until the coleslaw is slightly softened.
  3. Move the turkey mixture to one side of the pan & add the sauce. Cook until thickened and stir into the turkey.
  4. Garnish with green onions, sesame seeds, and hoisin sauce. Serve over rice or noodles.

PRO TIP: Serve with steamed broccoli, pineapple tidbits, Szechuan Green Beans, or bok choy!

cooking ingredients with sauce to make Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls

Tips for Turkey Bowls

  • Finely crumbled turkey works best in this recipe so it can absorb the sauce and make a better filling.
  • If using a variety of veggies, cut them to the same size so they cook at the same rate.
  • Feel free to use chopped leftover Roast Turkey from a Thanksgiving or holiday dinner, instead of ground turkey. Simply chop it finely, before adding to the sauce instead of cooking it with the onion and garlic mixture.

top view of plated Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls

Leftovers

Save leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 3-4 days and reheat over the stove, adding a splash of soy sauce or sriracha to boost the flavor.

Freeze cooled leftovers in single-sized freezer bags with the date labeled on the outside for up to 4 weeks. Thaw, reheat, and season before serving.

More Easy Stir Fries

Did you love these Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls? Be sure to leave a rating & a comment below! 

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Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls in bowls with sauce
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Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls

Light, flavorful, & loaded with crunchy veggies, these Sesame Ground Turkey Bowls are perfect for lunch or dinner!
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4
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Ingredients  

  • 1 pound lean ground turkey
  • 1 ½ teaspoons minced fresh ginger
  • 3 cloves garlic finely minced
  • 2 cups coleslaw mix
  • 2 green onions sliced
  • cooked rice or noodles for serving
  • hoisin sauce and sesame seeds for garnish

Sauce

  • cup water
  • cup beef broth or chicken broth
  • ¼ cup less sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sriracha
  • 1 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions 

  • Cook turkey, ginger, and garlic until no pink remains. Drain fat.
  • While the turkey is browning, measure and mix sauce ingredients except cornstarch and set aside.
  • Add coleslaw mix to the turkey and cook 2-3 minutes or just until slightly softened.
  • Move the turkey and coleslaw to the edges of the pan. Stir the sauce mixture and add it to the center of the pan cooking until hot and bubbly.
  • Mix 1 tablespoon of water and 1 tablespoon of corn starch to make a slurry and whisk into the sauce until it reaches the desired consistency. Simmer for 2 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and spoon over rice or noodles. Drizzle with hoisin sauce and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds.

Notes

Ground pork or chicken can be substituted in this recipe. Drain any liquid or fat before adding the coleslaw mixture.
If you'd like less heat, skip the sriracha. 
To keep this recipe, prepare the sauce while the turkey is browning. 
Coleslaw mix can be substituted with finely shredded cabbage or any type of slaw including broccoli slaw.
Minute Rice or instant rice make a quick base for this recipe.
4.96 from 41 votes

Nutrition Information

Calories: 179 | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 662mg | Potassium: 497mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 124IU | Vitamin C: 15mg | Calcium: 32mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch
Cuisine American, Asian
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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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4.96 from 41 votes (30 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Interesting dish. Needed a bit more flavor. The hoisin sauce should maybe be added to the entire mixture instead of just using it as a garnish.4 stars

  2. This is such a delicious dish & so easy to throw together. Made it a few months ago and the other day my young adult granddaughter requested this for her birthday meal. Since she is allergic to beef I have strived to find new recipes using ground turkey & this one has now been added to our recipe box!5 stars

  3. My husband and I enjoyed this recipe. Was easy to make . I added bok choy as the extra vegetable. We also added a fine diced jalapeño pepper for extra spice.5 stars

    1. The hoisin sauce is just to taste. I would add about a 1/2 to 1 tablespoon drizzled on top of the bowl.

  4. This particular one was okay but probably because of my tweaks. I used coconut aminos rather than soy sauce and added extra cabbage. It was sweeter than I prefer but that’s what coconut aminos do.4 stars

  5. I made this tonight and my entire family loved it! It’s so hard finding meals everyone enjoys, so I was incredibly happy when everyone ate it ALL!5 stars

  6. Well, this was a triumph! I used broccoli slaw as that’s what I had on hand. I also halved the recipe (as I’m a single) and added a couple of sliced mushrooms and a handful of bean sprouts (as I had them). With some brown rice on the side, a very fast and filling meal. Could also be used as filling for a wrap or lettuce leaves with hoisin on the side. Yummy!5 stars