Ground Beef
$1.95per plate
Prep
10 min
Ground Meats · Ground Turkey
Ground Turkey and Potatoes
Ground turkey and potatoes is the cheapest kind of dinner there is: two ingredients, one skillet, and about $1.49 a plate for four. The potatoes go in first and cook until the edges crisp, the turkey browns alongside them, and a few pantry spices tie it together. Our ground beef version costs $1.95 a plate and drains a spoonful of fat; this one costs less and needs the opposite treatment, because lean turkey gives up nothing to crisp the potatoes in. That is the whole trick here: enough oil, and enough patience to leave the pan alone. It sits with the rest of our ground turkey recipes.
$1.49per plate
Estimated recipe total
$5.94 · serves 4
Cook
25 min
Total
35 min
Serves
4
Recipe from Budget Plates · https://www.budgetplates.com/ground-turkey-and-potatoes
Equipment
- Large skillet
Variations
- Use frozen diced potatoes or hash browns straight from frozen; give them a couple extra minutes to dry out and brown.
- Swap in sweet potatoes; cut them slightly larger and cook a couple minutes less since they soften faster.
- Use ground beef, chicken, or sausage instead; cut the oil to a tablespoon and drain the pan before the final crisp.
1 How to make it
1
Start the potatoes alone
Cut the potatoes into even half-inch cubes; even matters more than small. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high, add the potatoes in as close to a single layer as you can, and season with half the spices. Cook 10 to 12 minutes, turning only every 3 or 4 minutes.
2
Leave the pan alone
The temptation is to keep stirring. Do not. Potatoes brown where they touch metal, and every stir interrupts that. If they are sticking, they are not ready to turn yet; give them another minute and they will release.
3
Add the onion and turkey
Push the potatoes to the edges, add the onion to the middle for 2 minutes, then add the ground turkey and the rest of the spices. Break the meat up and cook 6 to 8 minutes until no pink remains and it reaches 165 degrees F.
4
Bring it together
Stir everything together and let it sit undisturbed for a final 2 to 3 minutes, so the bottom layer catches and crisps once more. Taste and adjust the salt; potatoes take more than you expect. Serve straight from the pan.
2 Cheaper ingredient swaps
- Frozen diced potatoes or hash browns. They skip the chopping and go straight into the hot pan from frozen. Do not thaw them first, and expect them to throw a little water, so give them a couple of extra minutes to dry out and brown.
- Sweet potatoes. They work, but they soften faster and will not crisp the same way. Cut them slightly larger and cook a couple of minutes less.
- Ground beef, chicken or sausage. All fine. With beef or sausage, cut the oil to a tablespoon and drain the pan before the final crisp; the fat they release will do the rest.
3 Budget tips
- This is close to the cheapest full dinner we publish: a pound of turkey at $3.99 and two pounds of potatoes at $1.20 is essentially the whole plate.
- Buy potatoes in a 5 or 10 lb bag rather than loose. The per-pound price is often less than half, and they keep for weeks somewhere cool and dark, out of the fridge.
- A fried or poached egg on top turns leftovers into breakfast for about twenty cents more.
- See more recipes priced per serving in the Budget Plates Index.
4 Storage, freezing & reheating
Fridge
Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The potatoes go soft in the fridge, which is normal; the skillet brings the edges back.
Freezer
Freeze cooled portions for up to 2 months. Texture is the trade-off here more than with our other turkey dinners: thawed potatoes are softer, so reheat in a hot skillet rather than a microwave to get some crispness back.
Reheating
Reheat in a skillet over medium-high with a teaspoon of oil, pressed flat and left alone for 3 or 4 minutes so it re-crisps. Microwaving works but gives you a soft hash.
5 Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
400
Protein
26g
Fat
15g
Carbs
41g
Estimates per serving, calculated from standard ingredient data. Not a substitute for medical advice.
6 Frequently asked questions
Should you cook potatoes or ground turkey first?
Potatoes first, always. They take three times as long and they need direct contact with a hot oiled pan to crisp. Turkey cooks in six minutes and would be dry and grey by the time the potatoes were done.
How do you keep the potatoes from sticking?
Enough oil, a properly hot pan, and patience. Potatoes stick while a crust is forming and release once it has formed, so if they will not budge they simply are not ready. Give them another minute before you try to turn them.
Do I need to peel the potatoes?
No. The skins crisp nicely and hold the cubes together, and leaving them on saves both time and waste. Scrub them well and cut out any eyes.
Helpful Tools for This Recipe
As an Amazon Associate, Budget Plates may earn from qualifying purchases.
- 12-inch nonstick skillet. A wide nonstick skillet browns ground meat, fries rice, and builds a one-pan sauce with less oil and easier cleanup. Best for everyday stovetop dinners like skillet meals, fried rice, pasta sauces, and patties.
- Cast iron skillet. Cast iron holds heat for a deep sear and moves from stovetop to oven, and it lasts for decades with basic care. Best for searing chops and chicken, and recipes that start on the stove and finish in the oven.
- Chef's knife. One sharp chef's knife handles almost all the chopping, from onions to chicken, and replaces a drawer of gadgets. Best for all-purpose prep in essentially every recipe on the site.
- Cutting board. A large, stable cutting board makes prep faster and safer, which matters when you cook most nights. Best for everyday chopping of onion, garlic, and vegetables across nearly every recipe.
Cook next
All recipes Related recipes
From other tables
All recipes 
