Korean Inspired Ground Turkey Bowls

An overhead shot of a bowl with white rice, Korean ground turkey, pickled veggies, avocado slices, and sliced shallots.

5 from 14 votes

Korean Inspired Ground Turkey Bowls

Inspired by Korean cuisine, these Korean ground turkey bowls make for a delicious, easy meal. The ground turkey and green onion mixture is packed with flavor and the quick pickled veggies provide color, crunch, and an extra pop of flavor. Serve it all over a bed of rice with your preferred toppings for a complete meal.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Asian-Inspired

Servings:

Calories: 385kcal

Author: Olivia & Annie

Ingredients

For the quick pickled veggies:

1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup cucumber, thinly sliced
⅓ cup rice wine vinegar
½ cup water
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

For the rice:

2-4 cups of cooked rice (use the amount you prefer)

For the ground turkey mixture:

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 bunch of green onions, chopped
2 teaspoon sesame oil or olive oil (we prefer the sesame oil for the additional flavor it provides)
2 teaspoon minced ginger
2 teaspoon minced garlic
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce (or coconut aminos or tamari for a gluten-free option)
3 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1-2 teaspoon Sriracha (depending on spice preference)

Toppings of your choice:

Sliced avocado, fresh cilantro, edamame, sesame seeds, red pepper flakes or additional Sriracha for an extra kick.

Instructions

First, prepare the quick pickled veggies. Thinly slice the red onion. Cut the cucumber into thin rounds or use a vegetable peeler to get thin slices. Measure out the shredded carrots and place all the vegetables into a medium bowl. Measure out the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt and pour it all on top of the veggies. Mix well until all ingredients are combined and all the veggies are coated. Let it sit while you are preparing the rest of the recipe and mix every so often to ensure all veggies are coated.
Begin cooking the rice according to your preferred method.
Add the oil to a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the ground turkey. Break the turkey up into small pieces as it cooks. Let the turkey cook for 4-6 minutes until it is no longer pink and completely cooked through. Drain any excess liquid.
Place the pan back on the stove on medium low heat. Add the green onions. Add the ginger, garlic, soy sauce, honey, rice wine vinegar, and sriracha. Mix well. Let the turkey continue to cook for 2-3 more minutes until the liquid is mostly absorbed by the turkey meat and the green onions are softened.
Build your bowls by placing rice at the bottom of the bowl, then turkey, and then your desired toppings.

Notes

We HIGHLY recommend preparing the pickled veggies and including them in this recipe. While pickling something might sound overwhelming, we promise this is an easy recipe! All you have to do is put the veggies, vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a large bowl while you cook the rest of the meal and it will be ready to go when the meat and rice are finished.
Use tongs or a fork to pick up the pickled veggies and add them to your bowl. If you use a spoon or ladle, you will likely carry a lot of the pickling liquid with it which can over power the flavor from the ground turkey.
2 cups of cooked rice generally equates to about 1 cup of uncooked rice. Look at the instructions on the package of rice you are using for specific directions, or use our recipe for instant pot brown jasmine rice.

Nutrition