One pan Ground Turkey and Zucchini Skillet with tomatoes and pesto is a delicious 30 minute, low carb recipe that will quickly become a family favorite! Minimal ingredients, minimal effort, and maximum flavor.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
This ground turkey and zucchini skillet is a summer must-do! On those sweltering days when you can’t bear standing over a hot stove for more than 15 minutes, this easy turkey zucchini skillet saves the day. It’s loaded with lean protein, juicy tomatoes, and fresh pesto flavor.
Here are some other highlights:
- Low carb: With 41g of protein and only 13g of carbs, it’s a filling high-protein meal that won’t leave you hungry.
- Flavorful: The combination of fresh pesto and Parmesan cheese creates a rich, gourmet taste with very few ingredients.
- One pan and 30 minutes: Skillet meals like this one are perfect for busy weeknights! Just like with my healthy zucchini pizza skillet, you only have one skillet to wash.
- Lean and healthy: Using lean ground turkey makes this a healthy meal that’s lower in fat, naturally gluten-free and grain-free.
- Meal-prep friendly: The flavors actually deepen overnight! It stays fresh in the fridge for up to 3 days, making it the perfect healthy lunch.
Reader’s Review
This was so delicious! Made recipe as written and it was fast and felt healthy! Even the picky hubs thought it was delicious! It will be a great way to use up zucchini from my garden!
Tric
Ingredients for Ground Turkey Skillet
- Ground turkey: Use 2 pounds of lean or extra-lean ground turkey. You can also use ground chicken for a similar flavor – in fact, I have a dedicated chicken and zucchini skillet if you prefer that protein! For a lighter version, you can reduce this to 1 pound and the recipe still holds up beautifully.
- Zucchini: You’ll need about 2.5 to 3 pounds of zucchini (roughly 3-4 medium). Both dark and light green zucchini work, or you can use yellow summer squash for a pop of color.
- Tomatoes: I like to use 1 pint of sliced in half grape or cherry tomatoes. Regular tomatoes will work too, they just break down more and form fresh tomato sauce.
- Pesto: 3/4 cup of your favorite store-bought brand or my homemade pesto. This is the main flavor driver, so pick one you love!
- Parmesan cheese: For the best results, use freshly grated Parmesan cheese. It melts better and has a sharper flavor than the shelf-stable shaker kind.
- Onion: One medium yellow or white onion, finely chopped. If you’re in a pinch, you can substitute with 1 tablespoon of onion powder or flakes.
- Oil: Just a teaspoon of high-heat oil, like avocado or olive oil, for sautéing.
- Spices: A pinch of salt to bring out the natural flavors. Can always add red pepper flakes for some heat, and dried oregano or Italian seasoning for more flavor.
Substitutions
- Cheese: Instead of Parmesan cheese you can add slices of fresh mozzarella cheese and let it melt under the lid like I do with my Caprese chicken zucchini skillet. Or even crumbled feta cheese or regular shredded Mozzarella cheese.
- Dairy-free: Use nutritional yeast or a dairy-free Parmesan alternative.
- Veggies: You can swap zucchini for bell pepper or greens. For a version that specifically uses peppers and black beans, check out my turkey taco skillet.
- Tomatoes: Not a tomato fan, no problem! Use bell peppers or top with avocado at the end.
- Other meat: Ground chicken, ground beef, venison or lamb will work as well. Depending on how lean it is, you may need to drain excess fat.
- Vegetarian swap: Use plant-based “meat” crumbles or extra-firm tofu cubes.
How to Make Ground Turkey and Zucchini Skillet
I am using a very large skillet about 14-inch wide to hold all ingredients. You can cut back on zucchini or turkey a bit if your skillet is 12-inch, smaller or not deep enough.
- Cook onion: Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cook meat: Add ground turkey and cook for 5-7 minutes, constantly breaking into pieces and stirring with a wooden spoon.
- Cook zucchini but don’t overcook: Add zucchini, stir and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not overcook and stop cooking before you think zucchini is done. It helps to avoid mushy squash.
- Add pesto and cheese: Turn off heat, add tomatoes and pesto, then stir. Garnish with Parmesan cheese and sprinkle with fresh basil, if you wish.
Tips for Best Results
- Don’t overcook the zucchini: This is the most important rule! Zucchini is 95% water. Stop cooking when the squash still looks slightly firm and crisp; the residual heat will finish it off without turning it into mush.
- Use a large enough skillet: To get a good sear on the turkey and keep the zucchini from steaming, use a 12-inch or 14-inch skillet. If your pan is too small, the ingredients will crowd and release too much moisture.
- Freshly grated cheese is key: Pre-shredded cheese is coated in potato starch to prevent clumping, which stops it from melting smoothly into the pesto sauce. Grate your Parmesan fresh for that perfect “gourmet” finish.
- Prep before you light the stove: This recipe moves fast once the turkey is in the pan. Have your zucchini sliced and your tomatoes halved before you start sautéing the onion.
- Scaling the recipe: This dish makes a generous amount. Because zucchini doesn’t freeze well, I recommend cutting the ingredients in half if you aren’t cooking for a crowd or planning for 3 days of meal prep.
Serving Ideas
Serve this ground turkey and veggies on its own or over a bed of spring mix, shredded lettuce or kale. The warm pesto and turkey act almost like a dressing for the greens.
In the fall, I have served it over spaghetti squash noodles and cauliflower rice for a cozy, vegetable-forward dinner.
For all my boys, I cooked young potatoes with dill as low carb isn’t for them. Instant Pot brown rice or Instant Pot quinoa would be great to soak up the juices from the tomatoes and pesto.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
I do not recommend to freeze this dish as zucchini do not freeze well. If this recipe is too much, cut it in half.
Reheat: Reheat on a skillet with a splash of water while covered. Simmer on low, check and stir every 3 minutes until warmed through.
More Ground Turkey Recipes to Try
- Healthy turkey burgers
- Healthy turkey meatballs
- Ground turkey zucchini boats
- Ground turkey and potato skillet
- Ground turkey pasta bake
- Ground turkey quinoa casserole
Alternately, browse 45 delicious healthy zucchini recipes!
Ground Turkey Zucchini Skillet Recipe
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 2 pounds ground turkey, lean or extra lean
- 2.5-3 pounds zucchini, cut into thin slices
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut in halves
- 3/4 cup pesto
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese, grated
- 1 teaspoon oil
Instructions
- Preheat large ceramic non-stick skillet on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add ground turkey and cook for 5-7 minutes, constantly breaking into pieces and stirring.
- Add zucchini, stir and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Turn off heat, add tomatoes and pesto, then stir.
- Garnish with Parmesan cheese and serve on its own or over greens for a low carb meal, or with Instant Pot brown rice or Instant Pot quinoa for complete with complex carbs meal.
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Do not freeze as zucchini do not freeze well. If this recipe is too much, cut it in half.
- Reheat: Reheat in a skillet with a splash of water while covered. Simmer on low, check and stir every 3 minutes until warmed through.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Yum. Needed a good recipe for my home grown zucchini and mini grape tomatoes. This worked well and the family enjoyed it.
So glad it worked out! Home grown zucchini and mini grape tomatoes sound perfect for this. Love that the whole family enjoyed it.
Made a couple of changes but turned really good.
This recipe was the perfect use of tomatoes and Zucchini from my garden. I made fresh pesto over the weekend too. It was a delicious, quick and filling meal that uses bounties from the garden
That sounds absolutely perfect — fresh, seasonal, and full of flavor! Love how you used your garden bounty and homemade pesto. So glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last night, needing to cook up some turkey I had thawed out. It was delicious and I just had some cold for lunch. I tasted like wonderful cold pizza! I didnt have fresh tomatoes and only 2 zucchini. I used a can of stewed tomatoes and a yellow bell pepper. I sautéed all of it in the Instapot so it didn’t heat up the kitchen.
That sounds delicious and such a smart way to keep the kitchen cool! Love the stewed tomatoes and yellow pepper swap. Cold pizza vibes are always a win!
Tasty quick to prepare. I boiled some penne pasta & allowed each family member to add pasta or not. It was good!
That sounds perfect—quick, tasty, and customizable for everyone. Glad it worked out!
Delicious! Will make again!
So happy to hear that—you just made my day! 😊 Thanks for trying it, and I’m glad you enjoyed it. Can’t wait for you to make it again! Let me know if you put your own spin on it next time! 🧑🍳🍤
This was easy and delicious. I did add some chopped red
bell pepper and a little corn cuz I didn’t have enough zucchini. Will definitely make again!
This was so delicious! Made recipe as written and it was fast and felt healthy! Even the picky hubs thought it was delicious! It will be a great way to use up zucchini from my garden!
Can you reheat in the microwave or does it have to be reheated in a skillet?
Sure, you can reheat in a microwave.
Yummy and simple. Flexible too! My zucchini was bad so I cut broccoli into very small florets. Left out the onion per kid request. Added a little shredded mozzarella and mixed in some gluten free cooked bow tie pasta. Not quite as healthy as you intended, but great, quick very adaptable meal. Thank you!
That works! Healthy is a very broad understanding. Homemade real food is healthy. Glad everyone enjoyed a good meal!
All your recipes are fantastic! Thank you!
Aw, you are so welcome! So happy to hear you are enjoying my recipes!