Turkey stew with chunks of turkey, onions, garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms in a smooth but tangy yogurt-tomato base.
The good news about chilly weather is that one has yet another good excuse to make a hearty stew! This is a turkey, bell pepper, and mushroom stew from our archives, originally posted back in 2004. We remade it, updated it, shot a new photo, and like it even more.
The original recipe from which we adapted this one came from cookbook author Marian Burros. She described it as a traditional “veal” stew, but made with inexpensive turkey meat.
Wonderful flavors from the turkey, peppers, and Hungarian paprika, and smooth tang from the yogurt tomato sauce.
Turkey Stew with Peppers and Mushrooms Recipe
- Prep time: 15 minutes
- Cook time: 30 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, sliced, abut 2 cups
- 2-4 bell peppers of various colors, sliced thinly
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- A few dashes cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds skinless, boneless turkey thigh or breast, cut into large chunks
- 4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 14-ounce can of plum tomatoes with juice
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, minced
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Salt
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 3/4 cup plain (full fat is best, anything less will likely curdle*) yogurt
*To help prevent curdling, don’t skip the cornstarch, use full fat yogurt, and add to dish only when the sauce has cooled below a simmer.
Method
1 Sauté the onions, peppers, garlic with paprika: Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil on high heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onions and peppers and sauté them until they begin to soften and lightly brown.
Add the paprika, and the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more, until the garlic is fragrant. Remove the peppers, onions, and garlic from the pan and set aside.
2 Sauté mushrooms and turkey, return peppers and onions to pan: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and the turkey to the pan. Sear the mushrooms and turkey over high heat, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes, until the turkey and mushrooms begin to brown.
Reduce the heat to medium, return the peppers-and-onion mixture to the pan and mix well.
3 Add tomatoes, Worcestershire, lemon juice, rosemary, black pepper: Squeeze the tomatoes to break them up, and add them with their juices to the pan, along with the Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice, rosemary and black pepper. Mix well, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
4 Add yogurt with cornstarch: Stir the cornstarch into the yogurt and add to stew. Cook over low heat (do not let simmer or boil), stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens a little.
Serve with rice, polenta, or mashed potatoes.
Links:
Turkey and Sweet Potato Soup – from Kalyn’s Kitchen
