Ground Turkey Pasta That’s Easy

This is one of my favorite easy pasta recipes for hectic weeknights or when I don’t know what to make for dinner.It’s one of my favorite methods to use up leftover veggie scraps because it’s quick and tasty. It also helps me waste less food and spend less money on groceries each month.

This ground turkey pasta is a real winner since it is cheesy, creamy, and full of ground turkey. It tastes like restaurant-quality pasta, but it doesn’t cost as much.
My 7-year-old son, who doesn’t normally like tomato-based spaghetti sauces, cleaned his plate and requested for more. This warm ground turkey spaghetti is great with a light green salad or some roasted vegetables. Everyone in the family will love it.

How to Make Pasta with Ground Turkey

• 12 ounces of penne pasta or any other kind of pasta you like
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped up
• 1 pound of ground turkey
• 2 teaspoons of salt, divided
• ½ teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• 2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth
• One can of tomato sauce (15 ounces)
• 1 cup of half-and-half
• 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
• fresh parsley to garnish (optional)
• red chili flakes to garnish (optional)

How to do it

1. Bring a big pot of salted water to a boil (I generally add at least 1 tablespoon of salt) and then follow the package directions to cook the pasta for 1 to 2 minutes less than the label says. Set aside 1 cup of boiling pasta water before draining the noodles. Put the spaghetti away.
2. Put the olive oil in a big pan or Dutch oven and turn the heat to medium. Cook the onions for about 5 minutes, or until they are tender and see-through.
3. Add the ground turkey and cook over medium to medium-high heat, breaking it into little bite-size pieces. Once cooked, season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and toss in the minced garlic. Mix to blend and continue to cook for a further minute or so.

4. Sprinkle the ground turkey with 2 tablespoons of flour and stir well to incorporate. Pour in the chicken broth and the tomato sauce and let it come to a simmer.
5. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and pour in the half-and-half. Stir to mix.
6. For a thinner sauce, slowly add additional chicken broth or leftover pasta water. For a creamier sauce, add additional half-and-half.
7. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the cheddar cheese and top with the remaining half cup of each.
8. Reduce heat to low and cover your skillet or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat and enjoy!

Tips & Tricks for Recipes

• You can also use lean ground beef or ground sausage instead of ground turkey in this recipe.
• I used penne pasta for this dish, but you may use any little or medium-sized pasta shape, such as bowtie, shells, rotini, fusilli, rigatoni, and so on.
• Use at least half-and-half or heavy cream for the best results. Anything with less fat may break apart when mixed with the tomato sauce.
• If you want to, you can add more vegetables. I really like peas, mushrooms, kale, spinach, and asparagus.

I hope you LOVE this simple recipe for pasta with ground turkey! It is:
Creamy, comforting, rich, tasty, quick, luscious, cheesy, and full of protein!
This spaghetti is great when you don’t know what to make for dinner. I like to serve it with a little green salad or fruit salad.