Curry Turkey Bites and Apricot Ginger Sauce (Whole30, Gluten Free)

These portable, veggie and protein packed Whole30-friendly Curry Turkey Bites are a big hit in our family! The cooked patties freeze well so make a double-batch for your packed paleo and gluten-free lunches!

Turkey bites everyone will love!

Contrary to popular belief, most of my best friends IRL aren’t Paleo eaters. But who cares? I hang with a gal pal posse that met for regularly scheduled meals and coffee dates—pre-pandemic, of course—to escape for an hour or two from our hectic schedules. These ladies help keep me sane, especially when I’ve been cooped up at home, cranking away on all things Nom Nom Paleo.

Besides making me laugh every time we gab, my friends also keep me grounded in what “normal” folks want to eat. They’ve made clear that my Paleo-fied chocolate cake (a recipe in our Ready or Not! cookbook) passes their scrutiny, but they’re totally not onboard with my offal-filled delights.

Despite our dietary differences, though, we do agree that all recipes should be family-friendly, easy yet flavor-packed, and filled with protein and veggies. If the dish can be made ahead, freezable, and portable, all the better.

A tasty way to cook with ground turkey

Today, I’m dedicating this recipe to my gluten-lovin’ buddy and fellow posse member, Maria, who was thisclose to moving away with her family to the East Coast a few years ago. Luckily, fate intervened, and our “talking club” is intact for the foreseeable future.

Inspired by a recent conversation about ground turkey—Maria’s favorite protein—I experimented in the kitchen with different vegetable and spice combinations to come up with the perfect savory bite.

Can you use other ground meat?

If you’re not a ground turkey super-fan like Maria, feel free to substitute ground chicken, pork, beef, bison, or lamb. (Heck, you can even throw in some ground hearts, too, if you’re feeling extra Paleo.) I don’t like to use super lean ground meat for these Curry Turkey Bites (or any recipe really), so get ground chicken thighs or ground meat with at least 15% fat.

Can you change the vegetables?

Definitely! Think of this recipe as a clean-your-fridge-out type of dish and use whatever veggies you have in the fridge. If you’re using shredded zucchini or a vegetable that has a high moisture content, make sure you salt it and/or squeeze out the excess liquid before adding them to the turkey bites.

One thing you can’t substitute in the turkey bites is fresh ginger in place of ground ginger. Using fresh ginger in place of the ground ginger will make the patties mushy because fresh ginger root contains an enzyme that breaks down protein. (Fresh ginger is a-OK in the sauce!)

What kind of Whole30 jam is in the sauce?

The tangy and sweet dipping sauce makes the turkey bites taste even better, but make sure you find a jam that’s sweetened with only fruit and isn’t packed with other crazy ingredients.

I buy St. Dalfour brand (it’s not a sponsor—I just like the stuff, and it’s pretty widely available), and its plum, apricot, and peach spreads work equally well in this recipe.

How to make curry turkey bites

Preheat the oven to 400° F convection bake or 425° F non-convection bake with the rack in the middle position. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all the turkey bite ingredients: ground turkey, shredded sweet potatoes, chopped chard leaves, whisked egg…

…garlic, ginger, serrano pepper (if using), sliced scallions, curry powder…

…salt, and the zest and juice from one lime.

Yes, these patties are packed with vegetables.

Using your hands, mix all the ingredients together until well combined, but don’t overwork the mixture.

You can check for seasoning by pinching off a bit of the meat mixture and frying up a tiny patty. Taste it, and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Scoop out heaping tablespoon balls and arrange them on the two lined baking sheets, making sure they sit about 2 inches apart.

Smoosh each ball with your fingers into ½-inch thick patties.

Cook one tray in the oven for 15  minutes or until browned on the edges and cooked through, rotating the tray at the midway point. Bake the second tray of patties the same way.

While the bites are baking, make the dipping sauce.

In a small saucepan, combine the coconut aminos, apricot jam…

…and fresh ginger.

Stir the sauce over medium heat until simmering.

Remove the pot from the heat, and add the freshly ground black pepper and lemon juice.

Serve the turkey bites with the dipping sauce.

What can you serve with them?

Because these Curry Turkey Bites are packed with veggies and meat, you don’t really need to serve them with a dedicated side dish. It’s a quick and easy all-in-one meal when I don’t have time to cook, like for a fast breakfast on a busy weekday or a quick after-school snack for the kids.

If you want to serve it for dinner, some great side dish ideas include:

• Instant Pot Crispy Potatoes
• Roasted Curried Cauliflower
• Garlic Cauliflower Mashed “Potatoes”
• Roasted Green Beans with Lemon and Garlic
• Kale Salad with Persimmons
• Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

How do you save leftovers?

Cooked Curry Turkey Bites can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to four days or frozen for up to four months. The leftover sauce can be kept in the fridge in a sealed container for about a week.

I normally reheat the turkey bites in a toaster oven or air fryer at 325°F for 3 to 5 minutes or until hot. Alternatively, you can fry the frozen patties in a small skillet over medium heat with some melted ghee (about 2-3 minutes per side) and transport them in your storage containers to keep them warm until you’re ready to nosh!

Also, these portable bites taste great right out of the fridge so you can eat them cold or room temperature if you can’t heat them up. Different strokes for different folks!