This ground turkey pasta dish is made with small shell noodles and seasoned ground turkey tossed in a rich, tomato cream sauce and garnished with fresh herbs!
Why I Love This Recipe
- It’s an easy 25-minute dinner recipe that is simple yet elegant!
- The ingredients are flexible. Make it gluten-free, add veggies, or omit the spice.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Olive oil: For sautéing. You could also use avocado oil.
- Garlic and onions: Chopped onions and minced garlic lay the foundation for building depth of flavor in the sauce.
- Ground turkey: You’ll need about a pound.
- San Marzano tomatoes: These Italian plum tomatoes come peeled and whole and break down as they cook. They’ve got a rich tomato flavor that you can’t get from just any tomato.
- Seasoning: Salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes. Lean ground turkey on its own is pretty bland, so we’ll need to season it up!
- Pasta: Medium shell pasta or ziti are what I typically use in this ground turkey and pasta recipe.
- Heavy cream and Parmesan cheese: For a creamy consistency and cheesiness!
- Fresh basil: For serving. Other fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and fresh parsley can be used as well.
How to Make Ground Turkey Pasta
Start by cooking the onions first until they’re soft and translucent. Do this in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, add in the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, breaking it apart into crumbles as it cooks. Drain any fat and add the garlic to cook another minute.
Pour in the canned tomatoes. Break them apart with a fork or your hands. Sprinkle with seasoning and red pepper flakes, turn the heat to low, and allow it to come to a simmer.
While the sauce is simmering, boil the noodles in a pot of salted water according to package directions. For al dente noodles, cook for a minute less than stated on the package. Reserve some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce later, if needed, and drain the rest.
Remove the sauce from the heat. If you want a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to purée the chunks. Stir in the cream, and Parmesan, and sprinkle in the fresh basil. Simmer for a couple more minutes and season to taste. Serve the sauce over the cooked pasta while it’s hot and garnish with extra cheese and basil.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Different pasta: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta to make this gluten-free turkey pasta. You can also choose to use a different pasta shape. Penne pasta, fusilli, bow tie pasta, or ziti.
- Protein options: Keep it light with ground chicken, or make this with ground beef. You could also throw in some ground sausage.
- Add-in some veggies: Spinach, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, or zucchini would be easy to add to this pasta dish.
- Another cheese: Add a sprinkle of fresh mozzarella cheese overtop and let it melt over everything before serving.
- Sides: Serve with a simple side Caesar salad with homemade Caesar dressing or a side of steamed veggies. Roasted asparagus or parmesan broccoli are great, too!
Storage
- Store: You can keep the sauce separate in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Or you can keep leftovers of the pasta with sauce in the fridge for the same amount of time.
- Reheat: This is an easy one to reheat in the microwave. If you are reheating just the sauce, I recommend doing it in a skillet on the stove. Save yourself from sauce splatter in the microwave!
- Freezing the sauce: Once completely cooled, pour it into a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and keep it frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge.
