Texas Turkey Hash

Ingredients

• Shopping list: onions, $0.50; green bell pepper, $1.00; ground turkey, $3.81; 28 oz. tomatoes, $1.91; 2 ounces cheese, $0.40.
• Pantry items: olive oil, garlic, chili powder, salt, pepper, millet or rice.
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium yellow onions, sliced thin from pole to pole
• 1 medium green bell pepper, diced medium
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup uncooked millet or white rice
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 2 ounces coarsely grated cheese – Monterey jack, pepper jack, cheddar, or a combination
• Sour cream or plain yogurt to serve, optional

Directions

Set a rack in the center of the oven, then heat the oven to 350. Warm the olive oil in a heavy 12-inch skillet over medium heat until it looks glossy and moves easily in the pan. Tip in the onions and peppers, and let them cook, with a stir now and then, until they have softened but have not started to brown, about 10 minutes. Mix in the garlic and let it bloom for about 1 minute. Sprinkle in the chili powder, salt, pepper, and the millet, or rice, and keep things moving in the pan until the grain is lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the ground turkey, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as it hits the skillet. Continue cooking and stirring until the meat is crumbly and the pink is gone, about 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat, then fold in the tomatoes with all their liquid and the cilantro. Transfer everything to a greased 9x13 baking dish, scatter the grated cheese over the top, and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, uncover, and return it to the oven for 15 minutes longer. Bring it to the table hot, with extra chopped cilantro and sour cream or yogurt.