One pot Ground Turkey and Broccoli Pasta Recipe ready in 30 minutes and made with turkey, broccoli, tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. It’s a delicious healthy dinner your family will beg you to make over and over again.
Other one pot meals we love is this one pot spaghetti, healthy hamburger helper and zucchini ricotta pasta.
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This ground turkey and broccoli pasta! It’s one of my favorite easy ground turkey recipes and is an after work dinner lifesaver.
I promise you, I sat on a chair with a cup of tea for at least 15 minutes while dinner was cooking. Only recipe that beats this one’s cook time is simple spaghetti recipe and healthy mac and cheese.
The flavors of meat, pasta, parsley and garlic are unbelievable together!
My 14 year old asked “Mom, what’s the sauce?”. Um, nothing really. Simple foods with wholesome ingredients are the best!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in 30 minutes: Perfect for busy weeknights, prep time is 10 minutes, idle time is 20 minutes.
- Picky eater approved: Most kids love pasta (and broccoli).
- One pot dinner: When life is busy and there is not much time, this dish is a dinner win.
- Healthy and flavorful: Low fat ground turkey, nutrient filled broccoli, fresh herbs and carbs make for a satisfying weeknight dinner!
Ingredients You’ll Need
I love making healthy pasta recipes with ground turkey! It makes your dinner lighter and then combined with superfood broccoli, it’s a nutritious powerhouse.
- Ground turkey: I used 1 pound of ground turkey. Equivalent substitute is ground chicken, but ground beef will work if that is all you have on hand.
- Short pasta like shells, penne, elbow macaroni or bow ties. I use whole wheat or whole grain pasta. Gluten free pasta like brown rice or chickpea are healthy and full of fiber too.
- Broccoli: Fresh broccoli florets or frozen. Frozen is pre-cooked, so it might need less cook time.
- Other veggies: Tomato for a pop of color and taste and onion for savory taste.
- Parsley: Use Italian flat leaf parsley rather than curly parsley for more flavor.
- Garlic: Grated garlic is more flavorful rather than minced.
- Broth: Any low sodium broth like chicken broth, vegetable broth or beef broth will work. Bouillon cubes diluted in water work as well.
- Salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes: To season and taste, freshly ground black pepper is best.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated Parmesan for best taste.
How to Make Ground Turkey and Broccoli Pasta
Made in one pot this easy meal is delicious, cozy and comforting any night of the week!
Saute onion: Preheat large Dutch oven, pot or large skillet over medium heat.
Swirl oil in the hot pot and spread with spatula to coat its bottom. Add onion and stir fry for 3 minutes or just enough till fragrant.
Cook ground turkey: Add ground turkey and cook just until small enough pieces are cooked through. Some pink is okay, it will continue to cook with remaining ingredients.
Cook with pasta for 10 mins: Add pasta, stock, seasonings and everything should come to a boil as you stir. Level with spatula and cook covered on low heat for 10-12 minutes.
It’s OK to open lid once to check on pasta ground turkey. Pasta should be al dente, not too soft. So it doesn’t become a mush when we cook broccoli further.
Add broccoli and let stand: When past is ready (al dente), turn off the heat. Add broccoli, tomato, garlic and red pepper flakes.
Stir, cover and let stand for 3-5 minutes or if you like very soft broccoli, keep cooking for another 3-5 minutes.
You can chop parsley and grate Parmesan cheese in the meanwhile.
Garnish and serve: Add parsley and Parmesan cheese, gently stir and watch it all come together. Serve hot.
Variations and Substitutions
- Spaghetti or any long pasta: Broken into pieces spaghetti, fettuccine or any long pasta is just as fine. Break in half or more to prevent lumps.
- If you like soft broccoli: If you like soft cooked broccoli, add it 3 minutes earlier or use frozen broccoli. I like broccoli firm similar to a broccoli salad. And this is what this recipe is.
- Tomato substitution: You can skip tomato all together or use sun dried tomatoes. Diced bell pepper is good too.
- Other vegetables: Cauliflower, another cruciferous vegetable, would be your best substitution. Diced carrots, green beans or kale would also work, adjust time accordingly. Diced sweet pepper or mushrooms could be added with turkey.
- Fresh herbs: Fresh basil could be used instead of fresh parsley.
Serving Ideas
This healthy ground turkey broccoli pasta is truly a one pot meal with fiber, fat and protein. If you are feeding hungry boys like me, you could add some additional sides.
- Side salad: Spinach salad or lettuce salad are my go to salads for serving with pasta.
- Other vegetable sides: Creamy cucumber salad or sauteed zucchini are easy sides to serve anytime of the year.
FAQs
No. You cannot replace pasta with quinoa, rice, white beans etc. because amount of liquid and cook time in this recipe is calculated strictly for pasta.
No. We add dry and uncooked pasta. It is a one pot meal.
It’s OK. It will get absorbed by pasta with time as you let it sit “to cook” broccoli and before serving. It also makes “the sauce”.
Yes. For meal prep, cook ground turkey and onion, store in the refrigerator. Chop broccoli and tomatoes, store in separate containers refrigerated. On cooking day, proceed with step 3 of putting it all together and cooking pasta.
Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. I do not recommend freezing it as pasta doesn’t withstand freezer in general. If recipe is too large, cut it in half.
To reheat, add leftovers to a pot with a splash of broth or water and reheat on low while covered, stirring a few times. Basically you want food to steam through.
More Pasta Recipes to Try
- Turkey pasta bake
- Cottage cheese pasta
- Broccoli pesto pasta
- Creamy chicken spinach pasta
- Healthy taco pasta
- Caprese pasta
- Chicken pasta primavera
More Ground Turkey Recipes
- Ground turkey and potato skillet
- Ground turkey tacos
- Ground turkey quinoa casserole
- Ground turkey and zucchini skillet
- Mediterranean ground turkey stew
You may also love to browse my collection of 65 favorite easy healthy dinner recipes!
Ground Turkey and Broccoli Pasta Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 3 cups any short pasta
- 3 cups veggie or chicken stock low sodium
- 1 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 lb broccoli florets
- 3 tomatoes diced
- 1-2 garlic cloves grated
- Red pepper flakes a pinch
- 1/2 cup parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Preheat large Dutch oven or pot on medium heat and swirl oil to coat. Add onion and saute for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add ground turkey and cook for 5 minutes, breaking into pieces and stirring with spatula.
- Add pasta, stock, salt and pepper; stir and level with spatula. Then cover and cook on low heat for 10-12 minutes, checking after 10 minutes. Brown rice pasta and any gluten free pasta cooks faster than wheat.
- When pasta is al dente (not too soft, so it doesn't become a mush), turn off heat and add broccoli, tomato, garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir, cover and let stand for 5 minutes.
- Add parsley and Parmesan cheese and gently stir. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
- Make ahead: Cook ground turkey and onion, store in the refrigerator. Chop broccoli and tomatoes, store in separate containers refrigerated. On cooking day, proceed with step 3 of putting it all together and cooking pasta.
- Store: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I wouldn’t recommend freezing.
- Reheating: To reheat, add leftovers to the pot with a splash of broth or water and reheat on low while covered, stirring a few times. Basically you want food to steam through.
- Pasta: Broken into pieces spaghetti, fettuccine or any long pasta is just as fine. Break in half or more to prevent lumps. Gluten free pasta will cook faster.
- If you like soft broccoli: If you like soft cooked broccoli, add it 3 minutes earlier or use frozen broccoli. I like broccoli firm and this is what this recipe is.
- Tomato substitution: You can skip tomato all together or use sun dried tomatoes. Diced bell pepper is good too.
Same here, Olena – I always have ground turkey on hand! This is a great combination of ingredients to have a delicious and healthy meal. And all in one pot!!!
Yes, one pot on the stove or Instant Pot is the best. 🙂
This recipe is fantastic! The flavors were surprisingly delicious and the ground turkey was flavorful and so tender. I had all of the ingredients on hand except for fresh parsley, so I used dried parsley instead. I lightly seasoned the ground turkey w/Pink Himalayan salt, black pepper, garlic powder and dried parsley before frying in my sauce pot.
I added a diced mini yellow sweet bell pepper to the onions as they sauteed and I used homemade chicken stock & gluten free penne pasta, which took 10mins to cook.
I topped my dish w/diced avocado (lightly salted) and no parmesean but added parmesean cheese for my other half. That sauce was everything!! The other half sopped up his plate with bread until all traces of the sauce were gone!! I barely had to wash his plate. Hahahahaa!
This recipe is a winner and has been added to my regular rotation! Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Tia!
This was surprisingly VERY yummy!. Great flavor! And easy to make! Highly recommend trying for newbies!.
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe, Natasha!
So delicious, I added a yellow squash that needed to be cooked, peppers, mushrooms, fresh tomato, onion, broccoli and crumbled bacon. I did not have chicken stock, so I used beef.
Love hearing this Catrina!
Is 3 cups of pasta cooked or uncooked ?
Uncooked
Really easy and it was a way to include some vegetables my husband doesn’t normally like. I will definitely cook this again because he even had seconds.
Awesome!!! Happy to hear, Pam.
My entire family devoured this with conviction. Even out exceedingly picky 9 year old asked for seconds. I did add more seasonings (Adobo), but aside from that it was true to your recipe. Olena, thank you for sharing this incredibly delicious, yet simple, meal.
Question, how does one adjust this for the InstaPot?
You are super welcome, Andi. Now you are really testing me. 🙂 I would follow my Instant Pot spaghetti method and times, and add broccoli after cooking, close the lid and let them soften for a few mins.
looks good going to try it
I had lots of ground turkey and broccoli and discovered this recipe after a google search. My family loved it! One pot-I loved it! Easy with suggestions for variations (I used sun dried tomatoes and no cheese) and it was delicious. Thank you for this tasty and homey recipe!
Awesome!!! Happy to hear, Deborah.
This tasted great and was so easy to make!
Perfecto and fantastico!!!:)
This made Hamburger Helper look complicated. Plus it was so much healthier! Even my toddler liked it, with soft broccoli. We will definitely make it again. Yum!!
Yes! Awesome! So happy to hear! Thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to let me know you enjoyed my recipe.
I used chicken broth instead of water and added a little more spice. We like things spicy. I will make this again and may add some green chilies. Super easy to clean up. You can’t beat one pot dinners.
Thank you.
Fantastic! Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Turned out perfect! Thank you!! I added a little oregano to this as well just since I love that flavor!! Great recipe! Thank You!
Perfect! Yes. Spices are to personal taste. Just like to keep things simple.
Oooh, I will. I really appreciate the tip, thank you!! Can’t wait to try another one of your recipes. 🙂
🙂 You are very welcome.:)
Are you suppose to cook the pasta with the ground turkey and all the water? A little confused
Yes – one pot meal.