If you want to minimize your red meat consumption but still want to enjoy the taste, then opting for ground turkey is your best bet. It has better health benefits, contains less fat, and is pretty similar to cooking with traditional beef.

Speaking of cooking, if you want to prepare ground turkey but don’t have a stove or don’t want to use it, then you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll discuss how to cook a ground turkey without a stove. So let’s get started.

Table of Contents

How is Ground Turkey Different from Beef?

Before getting into the details of cooking a ground turkey without a stove, let’s first discuss how it’s different from ground beef.

The primary contrast between the two different types of meat is the fat content. Ground turkey is (mostly) lean meat, while raw ground beef is rich in fat, making ground turkey a great healthy alternative.

The leaner the meat, the more healthy ground turkey recipes you can make! At the same time, you will need to be more mindful of the ground turkey taste. A pound of ground turkey that has 99% lean protein won’t have as much flavor as the fattier alternatives. Seasoning your turkey meat will improve the taste and make for more delicious, low-fat, and easy ground turkey recipes!

Another key difference is that ground turkey can be trickier to cook, so you need to give it enough time to reach a higher internal temperature. Raw ground turkey should get to 170-175 degrees F when done cooking.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind Before Cooking Ground Turkey

If you can’t use a stove to cook your ground turkey breast, then your best bet is to use the oven. You will need to buy 92% to 96% of lean turkey meat to have an adequate fat-to-lean meat ratio to keep the meat from being too greasy or dry.

Use cookware made of cast iron, stainless steel, or aluminum for your meat. These materials distribute heat evenly because they are excellent heat conductors.

Use a pan no bigger than your dish size to cook the meat evenly. A large pan or baking sheet with too much empty space will allow the water inside the ground turkey to evaporate quickly. As a result, you’ll end up with scorched meat.

Don’t use a small pot because it will prevent air circulation and efficient browning and roasting of the meat. You can also stir the ground turkey meat after every 15 minutes to ensure even cooking.

Once your ground turkey meat is cooked properly, let it sit for about 2 to 3 minutes after taking it out of the oven. Not only will it bring the meat to a safe temperature, but it’ll also evenly distribute the juices of the meat thoroughly.

How to Cook Ground Turkey in an Oven

You’ll need the following simple ingredients if you want to cook ground meat without a stove.

1/2 to 1 tablespoon of canola or olive oil
1/2 to 1/4 cup of diced onions
1/3 to 1/4 cup of shredded carrots
1 to 1/2 teaspoon of minced garlic or garlic powder
3 pounds of 92% to 96% of lean ground turkey meat
1 to 1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1/2 cup of flavored or plain bread crumbs
1/2 to 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
3 eggs (or substitute if you can’t use eggs)
Vegetable oil spray
Loaf pan
Serving platter
Meat thermometer
Wooden spoon
Mixing bowl

Once you have all these ingredients in place, follow the steps below to cook your mouthwatering ground turkey!

Step 1: Heat the Oil

The first step is to heat the canola or olive oil in a pan over medium or medium-high heat. Let the oil get hot before adding the garlic, carrot, and onions. Now sauté the mixture until the vegetables soften.

Step 2: Add and Stir the Remaining Ingredients

Next add the pepper, eggs (or substitute), bread crumbs, parsley, ground turkey, and sautéed vegetables to your mixing bowl. Stir the mixture well to combine all the added ingredients.

Step 3: Transfer the Mixture to Loaf Pan

Once combined, transfer the mixture to the loaf pan. Don’t forget to spay it to create a light vegetable oil coating. After transferring, use the spoon to pat the meat and run it around the pan edges to create sufficient spacing between the meatloaf and pan.

Step 4: Bake the Ground Turkey Meat

Before placing the pan inside, preheat the oven to about 360 degrees Fahrenheit. After that, you’ll need to bake the ground turkey meat for about 40 minutes.

Before taking out the pan, test the doneness of the meat by inserting your meat thermometer. Make sure the temperature at the center of the meatloaf is at least 170 degrees Fahrenheit.

Step 5: Remove the Pan

After 40 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for about 2 to 3 minutes so the meat juices can redistribute thoroughly. Then transfer the cooked ground turkey meat to a serving platter by using the spatula.