Turkey & Green Bean Stir-Fry

There are very few meals that I make more than once. It’s not that I don’t like what I’m making, it’s just that I’m constantly having to make new things so I can blog about it.

Most normal people have a handful of recipes they keep in their dinner rotation. That’s things like meatloaf, roast chicken, roast beef, and chicken and rice casseroles. My recipe rotation consists of 2-3 recipes I’ll actually repeat. Those recipes get the seal of approval from my picky-eater husband, so I keep them around to make when we’re in a crunch.

This is one of those recipes. Honestly, I’m surprised I haven’t blogged about it yet! I’ve been making this stir-fry for a few years now. It’s simple. delicious, and versatile. You can top it with whatever your heart desires. My favorite topping are sliced avocado and Trader Joe’s Green Dragon hot sauce. That combo with the tukey and green beans is infallible.

What I like most about this recipe is that you roast the green beans before you add them to the wok. The green beans, in turn, end up crispy-crunchy with this beautiful char on the outside. If you just added them straight to the wok, they’d end up either undercooked (too crispy) or overcooked (too soft). By roasting them beforehand you eliminate both risks.

I doubled the recipe this time around so Rob & I could bring it to work for lunch. We go through a significant amount of this stir-fry because it’s just so darn good. I’m sure the leftover will only last us a few days…if that.

This bad boy is spicy. I always slice up a serrano pepper to amp up the heat. A couple of spoonfuls of sambal oelek also added to the heat factor. If you’re a wimp–just kidding, of course–you can nix the pepper all together. I feel like Sriracha is a more muted hot sauce than sambal, so you could use that in place of the sambal. I wouldn’t get rid of the hot sauce all together; you need that kick and slight heat to make this stir-fry live up to its full potential.

Serve this stir-fry over rice, cauliflower rice, or simply by itself. I’ve eaten it all three ways before and don’t know which is my favorite!

Enjoy!

Turkey & Green Bean Stir-Fry

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 30 mins
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A spicy, quick and easy stir-fry with green beans and turkey.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. fresh green beans, ends snapped off
• 2 lbs. ground turkey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 TBS. vegetable or olive oil
• salt & pepper
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 TBS. sesame oil
• 1 serrano pepper, sliced
• 2 TBS. sambal oelek or Sriracha
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 1 TBS. rice vinegar
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 3 TBS. soy sauce

Directions

1. Preheat oven to broil. Lay out green beans in a single layer on 1 or 2 rimmed baking sheets. Toss with vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Broil green beans until slightly charred and wrinkly, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, sambal oelek, vinegar, and soy sauce. Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add serrano pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and stir, cooking, for 1 minute. Add turkey and break up with a wooden spoon.
3. Season turkey with salt, pepper, and ginger. Cook until browned, about 5-8 minutes. Stir in chicken broth mixture and green beans. Let simmer for another 3-4 minutes.
4. Serve over rice and topped with hot sauce, avocado and sesame seeds, if desired.

Step-By-Step Instructions

Preheat oven to broil. Lay out green beans in a single layer on 1 or 2 rimmed baking sheets. Toss with vegetable oil, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Broil green beans until slightly charred and wrinkly, about 8-10 minutes. Remove from oven.

In a small bowl, whisk together chicken broth, sambal oelek, vinegar, and soy sauce.

Meanwhile, heat sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add serrano pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add garlic and stir, cooking, for 1 minute.

Add turkey and break up with a wooden spoon. Season turkey with salt, pepper, and ginger. Cook until browned, about 5-8 minutes.

Stir in chicken broth mixture and green beans. Let simmer for another 3-4 minutes.

Serve over rice and topped with hot sauce, avocado and sesame seeds, if desired.