Seared Turkey Curry with Spinach and Butter Beans
This glossy, ghee infused tomato based curry with coconut milk is reminiscent of “butter” and “tikka” Indian dishes. A few tweaks make it feel just right for my taste and creation, resulting in a zippy, bright, slurpable turkey curry.
There’s something about classic curry flavors, in a tomato base that draws me in. I’ve fused my memories of making “Butter Chicken” and eating “Tikka Masala” into a quick and uncomplicated dish that feels warming, and indulgent enough to have great flavor, but is light enough to eat as a full dinner. It all comes together in one pan, with max thirty minutes of cook time. The addition of butter beans and spinach makes it all that more complete and satisfying.
Above: curry served with my latest favorite wild rice mix (see ingredient photo below)
A ghee infused curry with charred turkey and coconut creaminess
RECIPE RECAP:
~A curry rendition that’s quick and includes flavor enhancements from a custom curry mix, coconut milk, and the nuttiness of ghee and textures to love from seared turkey, large butter beans and wilted spinach.
~Plan of attack:
1. marinate, then sear the turkey. 2. add aromatics, tomato paste, and whisk in coconut milk . 3. lastly, add seared turkey, beans and spinach, to cook for 20 min.
Ingredient notes
- Turkey: one large boneless turkey breast with skin on is used (1.3lbs). Using skin on adds flavor and texture but is not necessary. Use two smaller breasts or a larger one for up to 2 lbs of turkey. I like the strong presence of the beans and greens, with turkey not quite as dominant in the dish.
- Ghee: this brings a wonderful nuttiness and glossy finish to the dish and is commonly used in Indian curries. It’s a shelf stable ingredient you can leave in your pantry, if you have not tried it before. A bit of salted and/or cultured butter can be used in place of it, but it won’t match the flavor in any way.
- Curry spices: there are so many ways to blend the various spices used for curries and I’ve chosen a classic and basic combo. If you do not have the garam masala blend and don’t want to buy it, you can simply increase the cumin and turmeric and add a pinch of any of these spices: coriander, cardamom, cinnamon, or cloves, for the warmth they bring to garam masala. These spices are also fleshed out into a recipe for homemade curry spice, in case you want to make a whole batch. And if making homemade spice blends in general, sounds intriguing, check out my deep dive on spice blends, how I use them, and my recipes for them!
- Beans and spinach: I love this addition for what it brings to the dish, making it a complete main. You can sub any bean but the larger the bean, the better they can be distinguished when eating the dish. Chopped kale can be substituted for spinach. Spinach can be added whole (especially if you get baby spinach leaves) or chopped to avoid any stringy texture.
Substitutes summary: One or two boneless turkey breasts with or without skin can be used in the amount of 1.25-2 lbs (depending on your preference). Ghee is an important ingredient and easy to get and store. Curry spices will work with or without garam masala, but see notes above. Any beans can be used and kale can be subbed for spinach.
Step-by-step instructions
- Measure out and mix all of the curry spices, except for the cumin seeds. Mix half of the spice mix into the yogurt and coat the cut turkey pieces to marinate while you get started on the rest of the dish (or marinate for a couple hours).
- Melt the ghee and oil on medium-high heat and sear the cubes of turkey, leaving for a couple minutes to develop color before tossing and turning to brown all over. Remove from pan.
- Saute onions in pan with leftover browned bits of turkey, then add garlic, tomato paste, rest of spices (including seeds) and saute a couple minutes to develop flavor and color.
- Add the coconut milk, whisk to combine, then add up to 1/2 can of water, to get the right consistency.
- The final step is to add the drained and rinsed beans and spinach, then stir and cook for 20 minutes or so, taste and adjust seasonings.
Tips for making turkey curry
- Amount of turkey: I’ve suggested a range of turkey to use. Turkey breasts vary in size. I use one breast that is about 1.3lbs or so, but sometimes they are closer to 2 lbs. The point is that 1.25lbs will work and be less turkey than you may be used to, but works well based on the inclusion of beans. You decide.
- Simplicity: this dish is really hard to mess up. Like butter chicken and tikka masala, the ingredients bring all the flavor, and the ratio of curry spices is all figured out for you.
- Curry spice mix: if you like making curries, I highly recommend making a full batch of my Versatile Curry Spice Mix Recipe before you start this recipe (or at the time you make it, it only takes a few minutes once you have the spices on hand).
- Leftovers, reheating, storing: this dish is a dream, just store in fridge to eat leftovers 1-3 days after making it. You may need/want to stir a bit of water in when reheating on the stove for the right consistency (or use microwave).
Above: those curry spices reallly help the turkey pieces to develop a lovely browning/char when they are seared in the ghee and olive oil at the start of making the dish.
Nutritional highlights: this dish is a powerhouse of protein (42g), fiber (7g), and potassium (1477mg)!
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Seared Turkey Curry with Spinach and Butter Beans
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Start CookingKitchen Tools
- 1 large sauce pan, or dutch oven
Ingredients
Turkey marinade ingredients
- 1.25 lbs turkey breast (boneless, skin on) (1.25-2 lb, see notes)
- 1/4 cup greek plain, non-fat yogurt (sub any yogurt)
Ground curry spices (or make a batch of my Curry Spice Mix)
- 1 tsp garam masala
- 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 tsp ginger (powder, or just use the fresh listed)
- 1/4 tsp garlic (powder, or just use the fresh listed)
- 1 pinch black pepper (see notes)
- 1 pinch cayenne (see notes)
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds (only non-ground component)
Curry ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 tsp ghee (sub butter)
- 1 ea medium onion (any type)
- 2 ea garlic cloves
- 1 can tomato paste
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 can butter beans (sub any bean)
- 2 cups fresh spinach see notes (sub chopped kale)
Instructions:
A note on salt: I've left it out as an ingredient. Some garam masala blends include salt, and salt is a very individual taste. If you need guidance, then start with 1/2 tsp of sea salt when you add the spices and coconut milk and go from there.
Marinate turkey
- Cut 1.25 lbs turkey breast (boneless, skin on) into 1" ish cube'ish chunks (with or without skin)
- Mix the curry spices together in small bowl: 1 tsp garam masala, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1/4 tsp ginger , 1/4 tsp garlic, 1 pinch black pepper, and 1 pinch cayenne.
- Mix 1/2 of the curry spices into the 1/4 cup greek plain, non-fat yogurt, and add the cubes of turkey. Mix to coat, cover and refrigerate until time to sear.
Sear turkey
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil, and 1/2 of the 2 tsp ghee in 12" saute pan or dutch oven and melt on medium-high heat. Add the turkey and leave to sear for about 2 min, so that it chars a bit/turns golden, then flip with spatula as best you can to sear other sides of the turkey. Once all is golden and charred (about 4-5 min) remove from pan to plate and set aside.
- Leaving charred bits in pan, reduce heat to medium-low, add chopped 1 ea medium onion and saute a few minutes until translucent. If the bits seem stuck and not moving around pan, add a couple tbsp of water and stir around to "deglaze" the pan, so the bits mix in with the onions.
- Add the 2 ea garlic cloves, chopped or minced and stir on low for a couple of minutes. I use low heat to reduce the chance of the garlic burning or hardening, because it can toast/burn easily.
- Add the 1 can tomato paste, stir thoroughly with other half of the curry spices you mixed up and the 1/2 tsp cumin seeds to bloom the spices and caramelize the tomato paste, on low, for a few minutes.
- Add in the 1 can coconut milk and whisk well to get consistant curry sauce. Taste for spice and add add'l pepper, cayenne if you want more spice.
- Fill the empty coconut milk can about half way with water and stir into sauce, until you get the consistency you like (will vary a bit depending on amount of turkey and it's juices). You want a sauce, but not a soup!
- Drain the 1 can butter beans, and add it to curry along with the turkey and the 2 cups fresh spinach see notes. Stir and cook for up to 20 minutes until the spinach has wilted, and so flavors can develop. See notes about optional spinach prep.
- Taste for seasonings. Add salt as you feel is needed.
- Serve as is, or with rice (I've been loving the wild rice mix shown in post).
