One-Pot Spiced Turkey and Rice

By Melissa Clark

Updated Oct. 15, 2024

One-Pot Spiced Turkey and Rice
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Total Time
55 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(1,094)
Comments
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Inspired by the flavors of keema — the Indian dish of spiced, ground meat — this pantry-friendly meal includes rice cooked in the same pot for a one-pan dinner of the most fragrant variety. Feel free to substitute other ground meats for the turkey: Chicken, lamb, beef or pork will all work well, adding their brawny character to the mix.

Featured in: How to Make Dinner Out of Anything in Your Pantry

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1medium yellow or red onion, diced
  • 1tablespoon tomato paste
  • 3garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
  • 1(1-inch) piece fresh ginger, finely grated, or 1 small red or green chile pepper, minced, or use both
  • 1½teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste
  • 1½teaspoons garam masala, plus more to taste
  • ¼teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼teaspoon ground cayenne
  • 1pound ground turkey
  • 1cup long-grain white rice (basmati or jasmine)
  • 1cup frozen peas or corn
  • 1cup freshly chopped cilantro or parsley, more for serving (optional)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

323 calories; 13 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 33 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 19 grams protein; 391 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Add olive oil to a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven. Add onion and cook until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, garlic and ginger and chile, if using, and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in salt, garam masala, cinnamon, cayenne and turkey. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spatula or spoon, until it’s deeply browned, 6 to 10 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the rice and coat in mixture. Stir in 2½ cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to very low. Cook at a gentle simmer until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just tender, 23 to 27 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Remove the lid and stir in the peas and cilantro or parsley, if using. Cover and cook until the peas are heated through, another 1 to 3 minutes. Taste and add more salt if needed. Top with more chopped herbs if you like, and sprinkle with more garam masala.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,094 user ratings
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Comments

Jenn L

This one is a keeper! Easy prep and one pot are always a favorite. I agree with another commenter that increasing garlic, ginger, and spices would be good for flavor. We don’t do it this round but will the next time we make it. Only changes I made was using brown rice. I soaked the rice for about 5 hours and the cooking time in the recipe worked.

easy and good

quick and pretty decent, good for a weeknight! i’d recommend using 1/4-1/2 cup less water and check the rice periodically. i used the full 2.5 cups and it turned out a bit mushy. i’d also recommend topping with green onions and a fried egg!

WineCountryCook

This was well received—excellent. Doubled all of the spices (not the salt) including the ginger. Used half of a large serrano pepper as well. Used peas which were fine. 24 minutes for the basamati rice I used.

BK

SO GOOD!! Total comfort food. I made it as written except I reduced the liquid to 2 cups based on comments and used chicken broth instead of water. Some of the rice was still a bit hard but we didn’t hate that. I included a Thai chili and did half peas and half corn. Served with a side of lightly steamed green beans for a crunchy element. Will DEF make many more times.

Greengirl

This comment is for people who hate the grocery store and don’t care about following recipes to a T: Super flexible recipe. I used what I had in my kitchen/needed to use up. Lean ground beef, Chinese five spice, dried basil, mirepoix, garlic and garlic powder, cabbage, kale, red bell pepper, brown rice, soy and fish sauces and red pepper flakes to taste, peanuts, cilantro, lime juice to taste. Reduced water by 1/8 cup, no mushy rice. Did it in a frying pan with a lid. Salted to taste all the way through. Like fancy rice-a-roni! Come at me, bro. (-;

Amanda

Used tamarind concentrate instead of tomato paste because of preference. Upped the spices and added a can of lentils in with the ground meat. Turned out great! Gonna try with some lemon added next time for brightness. Could serve with crispy onions on top for a bit of a texture change. Reminds me of kishke.

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