Turkey Vegetable Skillet

The ISFA work continues — another kitchen table this week, another young family with numbers that might work. I sat across from a couple in Boone County and laid out the grants and watched their faces change from fear to possibility, and the change is the thing I live for now.

The recipe this week: sweet corn on the cob. Standing at the stove, Marlene's wooden spoon in my hand (the cracked one, the one that will outlast us all), the recipe either from the card box or from my own expanding collection, both equally real, both equally mine. The kitchen holds all of it — the old recipes and the new ones, the teacher's food and the student's food, the grief and the joy and the cinnamon. All of it. Always.

The garden at peak production — tomatoes by the bushel, corn taller than Jack (which is saying something now, the boy is tall), peppers in every color, the zucchini in its annual attempt to conquer the neighborhood. I've left three on the neighbors' porch. They know. Everyone knows. The zucchini phase is endured, not discussed.

With corn taller than Jack and peppers coming in faster than I can use them, the garden this time of year doesn’t ask for gratitude — it just keeps giving, whether you’re ready or not. This skillet is what I reach for when the week has been full and the cutting board is already crowded with whatever I’ve just picked — a little turkey to anchor it, and everything else the garden hands me, all of it cooked down into something warm and real and worth sitting down for.

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 lb ground turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 ears fresh corn, kernels cut from cob (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
2 medium roma tomatoes, chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Brown the turkey. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey and cook, breaking it apart with a spoon, until no pink remains, about 6–8 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Soften the aromatics. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet. Add the onion and cook over medium heat until softened and translucent, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds more until fragrant.
Build the vegetables. Add the bell peppers and zucchini to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers begin to soften, about 4 minutes. Stir in the corn kernels and cook another 2 minutes.
Season and combine. Return the cooked turkey to the skillet. Add the chopped tomatoes, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together until well combined.
Finish with broth. Pour in the chicken broth and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the mixture simmer for 3–4 minutes until the broth is mostly absorbed and everything is heated through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Serve. Spoon into bowls or over rice and garnish generously with fresh parsley or cilantro. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Turkey Vegetable Skillet — The Garden Asks Nothing Back