Ground Turkey with Charred Kale, Lentils, and Lemon Ricotta
Ground turkey browned in a hot skillet with two bunches of kale charred at the edges and warm lentils folded through, finished with mint, lemon, and spoonfuls of ricotta whipped loose with lemon juice.
Why You'll Love This Recipe
The reason I char kale rather than steam it is that heat does something to the leaf that water never will. In a dry, very hot pan the edges catch and turn nutty and almost crisp while the middle of each ribbon goes silky, and the flavor moves from grassy toward something toasted. Two big bunches look like an impossible amount of greens when they go in and cook down to something you could eat in one sitting, which is exactly the point of a dish like this. The turkey and the lentils give the pan enough substance that the greens are a component rather than the whole story.
Eating it, the pleasure is in the contrast of temperatures. The skillet part is hot, savory, and slightly bitter from the char, and then the ricotta lands cold and milky on top, loosened with lemon juice so it streaks rather than sits in a lump. Mint torn over everything at the last second is what makes it read as Greek rather than generically Mediterranean, and it works particularly well against the pepper flakes. My rule is a spoonful of ricotta per bowl, stirred in only halfway, so some bites are creamy and some are all char and neither one gets boring.
One pan, on the table in under half an hour, and it is what I cook when the refrigerator has kale that has been waiting a few days too long. Slightly tired kale actually chars better than perky kale, since it carries less water. I also make it on the nights when I want something that eats like a real dinner without turning the oven on in August, which is most nights in August. The lentils come out of a can or a pouch and go in at the very end, so the only real cooking is browning the meat and getting the greens dark, and both happen in the same skillet. Wash it once, eat, and the evening is still yours.
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 large bunches lacinato kale (about 14 oz stemmed), leaves sliced into wide ribbons
- 1 cup cooked brown or green lentils, drained
- 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice, from 1 large lemon, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano, crumbled between your palms
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup fresh mint leaves, torn at the last minute
- 1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Instructions
- Strip and slice the kale: Hold each stem at the thick end and pull the leaf away in one motion, or fold the leaf in half and cut the rib out with a knife. Stack the leaves, roll them into a loose cigar, and slice into ribbons about an inch wide. Do not wash them at this point unless they are gritty, and if you do, dry them thoroughly, because wet kale steams rather than chars.
- Whip the ricotta: Stir the ricotta in a small bowl with 1 tbsp of the lemon juice and a pinch of the salt until it loosens into something spoonable and glossy, about thirty seconds with a fork. Set it aside on the counter, since cold from the refrigerator is what you want against the hot pan later.
- Brown the turkey and cook it through: Set a 12-inch skillet over medium-high with 1 tbsp of the oil. Add the turkey in large lumps with half the remaining salt and leave it undisturbed for three minutes to color. Break it into crumbles and cook two minutes more, until the meat is opaque the whole way through with no pink in the thicker pieces, which for ground turkey means 165°F, and the pan bottom has gone brown. Add the onion and cook two minutes until it softens, then scrape everything onto a plate.
- Char the kale: Raise the heat to high, add the remaining half tablespoon of oil, and pile in the kale with the rest of the salt. Press it flat with a spatula and leave it for ninety seconds without stirring, until you hear it sizzle hard and see black flecks at the edges. Toss and repeat once or twice, three to four minutes total, until the ribbons are collapsed and velvety with charred tips.
- Fold everything together: Lower the heat to medium, add the garlic, oregano, crushed red pepper, and black pepper and stir for thirty seconds. Return the turkey and onion with any juices, add the lentils, and toss for two minutes to heat through. Off the heat, add the remaining 2 tbsp lemon juice, the parsley, and most of the mint. Serve with spoonfuls of the lemon ricotta and the last of the mint torn over the top.
Variations
- Dill in place of mint: Chopped dill folded in off the heat takes the whole pan in a softer, more herbal direction and suits the lentils particularly well.
- With olives: A handful of torn kalamata olives added with the lentils gives the skillet a briny edge against the cold ricotta.
- Chickpeas: Chickpeas in place of the lentils stay firmer and give the bowl more chew, and they take the char flavor readily.
- Collard greens: Collards sliced into thin ribbons need an extra two minutes in the pan and come out sturdier and sweeter than kale.
- More heat: Double the crushed red pepper and add a strip of lemon zest with the garlic for a sharper, hotter version.
Storage & Leftovers
The skillet portion keeps four days in a sealed container in the refrigerator. Store the ricotta separately in its own small container, because folded through and chilled it goes grainy and loses the point of being cold and loose. Kept apart, both are as good on day three as on day one.
Reheat the skillet mixture in a dry pan over medium-high for three minutes, spread flat and left alone for the first two so some of the char comes back. A splash of water helps if the lentils look dry. Add the cold ricotta only once it is off the heat and in the bowl.
It freezes for up to three months without the ricotta and the herbs, in flat sealed portions. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat in a hot pan rather than a microwave, since the kale releases water as it thaws and you want that to cook away. Fresh mint and a new spoonful of ricotta bring it back completely.
Notes & Tips
- Dry kale chars, wet kale steams: If you wash the leaves, spin them and then pat them. Water on the surface has to boil off before browning can start, and by then the kale has gone limp.
- Get the pan properly hot: The kale should sizzle loudly the second it hits the metal. A medium pan gives you olive-drab wilted greens, which is a different and duller dish.
- Press and wait: Pressing the pile flat with a spatula and leaving it for ninety seconds is what puts the black flecks on the edges. Constant stirring gives you nothing but soft greens.
- Loosen the ricotta with lemon: Straight from the tub it sits on top in a stiff lump. A tablespoon of lemon juice and thirty seconds with a fork turns it into something that streaks through the whole bowl.
- Tear the mint at the last second: Cut mint darkens and loses its top notes within minutes. Tear it directly over the bowls and it stays bright green and smells like the garden.
- Add the lentils last: They are already cooked and only need warming. Any longer in the pan and they start to break down into the greens and lose their shape.
Nutrition & Mindful Eating
- The turkey, the lentils, and two big bunches of kale are what make this a full plate. The meat carries the protein, the lentils bring fiber and a soft, earthy weight, and the greens cook down to a volume you can actually eat in one sitting.
- Kale is a cabbage relative with a sturdy leaf that holds up to high heat, and it comes to the table carrying calcium, vitamin K, and vitamin C along with a fiber that survives the pan intact.
- Lentils hold their shape when they are only warmed through, and each one is a small package of plant protein and fiber. They also bring iron and folate, which is part of why a bowl of this eats heavier than the ingredient list suggests.
- Ricotta whipped loose with lemon lands cold against the hot greens, and that spoonful brings calcium and a little more protein while softening the char and the pepper flakes at the same time.
- Mint, oregano, garlic, and lemon are the whole seasoning, and they arrive in that order as you eat: garlic underneath, oregano through the middle, then mint and lemon on top where they stay sharp because neither one was cooked.
- As you eat, look for the blackened tips of the kale and notice how the cold ricotta changes the bite it lands in, and let that contrast be a reason to slow down and eat one forkful at a time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use curly kale rather than lacinato?
Yes. Curly kale is sturdier and its ruffled edges char even more dramatically, so watch it closely and expect it to take about a minute longer. Slice it a little thinner, since the ribs stay firm.
Can I use lentils from a can?
Absolutely, and it is what makes this a half-hour dinner. Drain and rinse them well and add them at the very end so they only warm through. Cooked lentils from a pouch work the same way.
What if my kale steams rather than chars?
Three usual causes: the pan was not hot enough, the leaves were wet, or the pan was too crowded. Get the skillet properly hot before the kale goes in, dry the leaves, and if your pan is smaller than twelve inches, char it in two batches.
Is there something to use in place of the ricotta?
Cold plain skyr or thick Greek yogurt loosened the same way with lemon is very good here and slightly sharper. Whichever you use, keep it cold and put it on at the table.