Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet

Name: Southwest Turkey, Vegetable and Rice Skillet
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 5
Cuisine: Southwest
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 pound lean ground turkey, I use 93/7%; 1/2 cup diced yellow onion; 1 clove garlic, grated or minced; 2 teaspoons chili powder; 1 teaspoon ground cumin; 1 cup diced zucchini; 4 ounce can diced green chiles; 1/2 cup frozen corn, defrosted; 1 cup diced tomato; 2 cups cooked brown rice; 1 cup shredded Colby Jack, Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese; 1/2 cup plain non fat or low fat Greek yogurt

by Danae · Published: Jul 6, 2021 · Updated: Aug 8, 2021

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Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet is creamy, cheesy, full of vegetables, lean ground turkey and brown rice. Easy and on the table in 30 minutes!

Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice in a stainless steel skillet with a wooden spoon in it.

This recipe and photos have been updated since they were originally published on 8/8/2016

Skillet dinner, one pan meal, one pot dinner, there’s several names for this type of cooking and it’s the way I make most of my dinners. As someone who hates doing dishes skillet and one pot meals have earned their own category on Recipe Runner.

A few of my favorite skillet and one pot meals are Mexican chicken, sweet potato and black bean skillet, turkey and vegetable skillet, and when I’m craving lot of carbs, one pot parmesan chicken, spinach and orzo.

I’m guessing if you’re looking at this recipe, you might also not be a fan of dirtying ever dish you own just to make an easy weeknight dinner. If that’s the case, I think that you will find many dinner recipes to try out while you’re here. I highly recommend starting with this Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet, especially if you’re a fan of Mexican and Southwest inspired cuisine.

Ingredients used to make Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet on a sheet pan.

Ingredients For Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet

Ground turkey
Yellow onion
Garlic
Zucchini
Canned or frozen green chiles
Corn
Tomato
Cooked brown rice
Chili powder and ground cumin
Plain Greek yogurt
Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby Jack or Pepper Jack cheese

Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice with tomatoes, zucchini and corn in a skillet with a wooden serving spoon next to it and a dish towel around the handle.

How to Make Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet

Add some olive oil to a large skillet. I like to use one that’s a little deeper and that has a lid, but it isn’t a requirement. Heat the oil and swirl it around to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the turkey, onion, spices, salt and pepper to the skillet and crumble the meat with a wooden spoon or a potato masher works well.

When the turkey is nearly cooked through add in the garlic, green chiles, tomato, zucchini and corn. Continue to cook everything until the zucchini is tender, but not mushy. Remember the zucchini will continue to cook for several more minutes.

Closeup photo of Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet with tomatoes, zucchini and corn.

Add in the cooked rice and half of the cheese. Cook until the cheese is melted and then remove the skillet from the heat. Stir in the Greek yogurt until it’s thoroughly combined and then top with the remaining cheese.

Cover the skillet with a lid or a piece of foil and let it sit for several minutes until the cheese on top is melted. Garnish with chopped cilantro if you’d like and serve.

Wooden spoon scooping up some of the Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice from the skillet.

Ingredient Substitutions

Rice – Use long grain white, Jasmine or Basmati rice instead of brown. You can also use cooked quinoa or farro.

Vegetables – Zucchini may be replaced with a red or green bell pepper, yellow squash or even a can of black beans.

Greek Yogurt – Greek yogurt can be replaced with low fat or full fat sour cream.

Ground Turkey – Try substituting with ground chicken or ground beef.

A serving of the Southwest Turkey Vegetable and Rice Skillet on a white plate with a fork.

Time Saving Tip

If you’re like me and hate cooking rice, especially brown rice, I highly recommend using a pouch or two of pre-cooked rice. They come in all varieties and only take 90 seconds in the microwave to heat up. You can even skip the microwaving for this recipe because it will warm up and finish cooking on the stove with the turkey and vegetable mixture.

More Skillet Dinner Recipes

Yield: 5 servings