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.
Table of Contents
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
- No boil 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.
❤️ ❤️ ❤️
This was great, thanks. I was looking for something as easy and comforting as spaghetti and meat sauce, but without the red sauce and with more vegetables. This fit the bill exactly, and with fewer dishes to boot. My kids loved it! Glad to have this recipe in my back pocket. Thanks.
Yay! Now you can add this to your family’s dinner rotation 🙂
I made this for a meal I am delivering to an elderly couple and I made extra for me and my husband. Smells delicious! And as the cook, I just HAD to taste it for cooking purposes. Delicious!
Can’t wait for dinner!
That’s so great to hear! And how kind of you to bring the comfort of food to others!
Aw I wanted to share a photo! We are SO happy to have found this recipe! We took your and a commenters suggestion, replacing the pasta with something else, Chickpeas. We are always looking for low calorie, healthier meals and trying to incorporate more grains into our diets.
I’ve lost 31 pounds the last 6 months by keeping track of calories, choosing whole and healthier foods. I’ve met my goal but would like to lose 5 more. ANYWAY! Enough about me.. I wanted to tell you that we loved it and think it is delicious! Also this recipe is so versatile! I’ve already thought of using a different vegetable and grain.
We used every ingredient this time around except for the pasta. We used less of the ingredients because there are only two of us but it made 4 servings at 385.5 calories a serving. I was a little confused by the calories in the Ground Turkey and Broccoli pot you made being less in calories, being there was pasta in there. Maybe I missed something on my end.
1 tbsp Avocado Oil
10.4 oz ground turkey (we buy big things of turkey, break up and freeze. Don’t usually weigh, just go by sight)
1 can of Chickpeas
1 1/2 cups low sodium veggie broth
4.1 oz of Broccoli chopped some
4 oz approx. large cherry tomatoes multicolored. Delicious.
1/2 cup shredded Parmesan
Calorie total 1,542/4 servings = 385.5 calories per serving
We saved this recipe as it will be our go-to for quick easy meals that will allow us to incorporate grains into our diet! Thank you very much!
Thanks for sharing Brandy! You can tag your photo with @ifoodreal on Instagram and I will see it. 🙂
I made this pasta last night and my family didn’t like it. It lacks flavor. There are zero spices. Turkey must be spiced to take away that meaty bland taste. Turkey, pasta, and broccoli need seasoning. The broth alone can’t be the only source of flavor. I added a lot of fresh garlic and worchestire sauce but even then it wasn’t delicious.
I will politely disagree with you, Claudia. Fresh ingredients alone can be a source of flavor. There is onion, garlic, tomatoes, parsley and Parmesan cheese, layers upon layers of flavor. Quality ingredients and your taste buds do play role. I grew up in Ukraine and any housewife would “give her right arm” for so many flavors in one dish. We cooked with water and food was delicious! In fact, this is how Europe cooks – fresh and no army of sauces and spices to mask the taste of real food. Turkey is an acquired taste and if you just started to eat healthier, it might take time after greasy juicy beef to start liking turkey. But I definitely disagree about sources of flavor in this dish. I don’t even own or ever purchased a bottle of Worcestershire sauce in my life and yet have produced hundreds of recipes enjoyed by millions.
I’m surprised you say it was tasteless. I found it very tasty with so many flavors a light yummy sauce.
Hi! Do you think a 4.5qt dutch oven is large enough to make this recipie?
Yes!
First time trying ground turkey and was pleasantly surprised considering 1) such simple and so few ingredients 2) simple to prepare and only one pot cleanup 3) healthy 4) ground turkey won’t be good, right?!?! It’s a 5 star keeper!
Love it!
I give this recipe five stars because it was easy and it was really tasty. I’ve already put it aside to be in our regular rotation. Thank you, Olena.
Carol
Many thanks for your wonderful feedback Carol!
I loved this recipe but I substituted a few of the ingredients. I used chickpeas instead of pasta, (my preference) spicy Beyond meat sausages instead of turkey (I a pescatarian) I also used carrots instead of tomatoes. I am not very fond of tomatoes. I wanted to make this dish high in fibre.
I will definitely make this again.
Thanks for sharing your adaptations Ilona!
This recipe is great as is, for the rest of the family. For me, the veggie noodles are a must. Thanks to the individual who suggested that change.