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 packed with flavor and veggies!
This ground turkey and broccoli pasta is one of my favorite pasta recipes to make with ground turkey! I know many people are not fans of ground turkey but don’t knock it until you try it.
I have figured out how to make it taste flavorful. Proof are my other ground turkey dishes like reader favorite ground turkey pasta bake and this creamy one pot ground turkey pasta.
Biggest Recipe Tip
Use quality fresh ingredients! It really makes a big difference in flavor. Please read Ingredients section below for all the advice.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Ready in 30 minutes: This ground turkey and broccoli recipe is perfect for busy weeknights – prep time is 10 minutes, idle time is 20 minutes.
- Picky eater approved: Most kids love pasta (and broccoli). My 14 year old asked “Mom, what’s the sauce?”. Um, nothing really.
- One pot meal: Less dishes to wash after dinner.
- Healthy and flavorful: Low fat ground turkey, nutrient filled broccoli, fresh herbs and carbs is a nutritious powerhouse. The flavors of meat, pasta, parsley and garlic are unbelievable together!
Reader’s Review
Incredibly delicious! Super-easy and low fat, which you’d never guess by the flavor! I will be making this again and again! Thank you!
Tracy Eberlein
Ingredients for Ground Turkey and Broccoli Pasta
- 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.
- Pasta: Short pasta like shells, penne, elbow macaroni or bow ties. I use whole wheat or whole grain 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 like brown rice or chickpea pasta are healthy and packed with protein and fiber too.
- Broccoli: Fresh broccoli florets or frozen. Frozen broccoli might need less cook time.
- Tomatoes: Tomato for a pop of color and taste. Be sure to buy tasty tomatoes because they do add flavor. I used ripe tomatoes on the vine, grape tomatoes or cherry tomatoes would be good too. If it’s summer, any fresh garden tomatoes are good.
- Onion: I used yellow onion. White onion or red onion will add even more flavor. Don’t use onion powder.
- Garlic: Freshly grated garlic cloves are more flavorful rather than minced. Don’t use garlic from a jar or garlic powder.
- Broth: Any low sodium broth like chicken broth, vegetable broth or beef broth will work. Don’t substitute with water.
- Oil: For frying. I recommend to use extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
- Parsley: Use Italian flat leaf parsley rather than curly parsley for more flavor. Fresh basil could be used as well.
- Spices: Salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. You can always add more seasonings to taste like Italian seasoning.
- Parmesan cheese: Use freshly grated Parmesan for the best taste, not from a shaker.
How to Make Ground Turkey and Broccoli Pasta
- Saute the onions: Preheat large Dutch oven, pot or large skillet over medium heat and swirl oil 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 pasta: Add pasta, stock, and seasonings. Everything should come to a boil as you stir. Level with spatula and cook covered on low heat for 10-12 minutes.
- 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 5 minutes or if you like very soft broccoli, keep cooking for another 3-5 minutes.
- Garnish and serve: Add parsley and Parmesan cheese, gently stir and watch it all come together. Serve hot.
Recipe Tip
It’s normal to have some liquid left after cooking pasta. It will get absorbed by pasta with time as you let it sit “to cook” broccoli and before serving. It also makes “the sauce”.
Tips for Best Results
- Don’t open the lid: It’s OK to open the lid once to check on pasta and stir it to avoid sticking to the bottom of the pot, but don’t do it more than once.
- Pasta should be al dente: Avoid overcooking the pasta until soft before adding broccoli, so it doesn’t become a mush when we cook broccoli further.
- If you like soft broccoli: Add it 3 minutes earlier or use frozen broccoli. I like broccoli firm, similar to a broccoli salad. And this is what this ground turkey and broccoli recipe is.
- Tomato substitution: You can skip tomato all together or use sun-dried tomatoes.
- Add other vegetables: Cauliflower, another cruciferous vegetable, would be your best substitution. Diced carrots, green beans or kale would also work, adjust time accordingly. Diced bell peppers or mushrooms could be added with turkey.
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.
How to Store and Reheat
Store: 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.
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.
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.
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.
More Pasta Recipes to Try
- Ground turkey and zucchini skillet
- Broccoli pesto pasta
- Ground turkey and potato skillet
- Healthy pesto pasta
- No boil pasta bake
- Healthy hamburger helper
Ground Turkey and Broccoli Pasta Recipe
Equipment
Video
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, extra virgin
- 3 cups any short pasta like shells or penne
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth, low sodium
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 pound smaller broccoli florets, give a few rough chops
- 3 medium ripe tomatoes like on the vine, diced (or 2-3 cups grape tomatoes)
- 1-2 large garlic cloves, grated
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1/2 cup parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (not from a shaker)
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.
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.
- If you like soft broccoli: Add it 3 minutes earlier or use frozen broccoli. I like broccoli firm and this is what this recipe is.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I had my doubts about adding pasta to the meat without boiling it first. I thought it would be starchy or sticky.
I was wrong! It came out excellent!
I will definitely make it again.
Also, it was the first time i tried whole wheat pasta. I liked it. Which is great because it’s 0 points on WW (weight watchers) i just have to try to keep from eating the whole pan!
Very good!
I am so happy that this recipe was enjoyed, Gail!
This was as advertised… super fast, super simple, super tasty. Thanks for “saving” dinner tonight!
Happy to help 😉
How do you freeze cheese?
Here is a great site that describes how to freeze parmesan cheese.
https://www.doesitgobad.com/freeze-parmesan-cheese/
A word to the wise: if you use quinoa DO NOT USE 3 CUPS. I halved the recipe and still had too much quinoa. I will revisit this recipe and use wheat shells next time.
3 cups is a lot of quinoa, pasta doesn’t double but quinoa does or triple even!
My first try ended up more like a soup , ?
So I punted and added 1 cup shredded Gruyere and 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 squeezed lime … really good !
Hi Eileen! Not sure why your first attempt at this recipe turned out soupy. Did you add more than 3 cups of water/stock? What kind of pasta did you use? Was your broccoli fresh or frozen?
Happy that in the end you enjoyed the taste!
Hi- we substituted brown rice for the pasta but had trouble with the cook times since we put the rice in raw and let it cook in the pan with everything else. We ended up having to add more water and it took almost an hour to have the rice cook fully. Any suggestions? I’d like to make it again but we’re trying to stick to skip the pasta.
Thanks for the recipe!
Hi Lee! How much rice did you put in? To fully cook brown rice, you will need to add double the amount of liquid to rice. And yes, it will take about 40 + minutes to cook.
May I suggest this chicken and rice skillet to try?
https://ifoodreal.com/mexican-chicken-and-rice/
I am not a fan of turkey nor eating healthy but this was absolutely delicious. I’ve been trying to eat better and please my family at the same time. This absolutely did both! Wonderful!
I am so happy to hear this Kerry!
This was so good! I added some of my favorite spices; Italian seasoning, Mrs. Dash, and chives. My family loves cheese so I added more (a lot more) and maybe even sprinkles extra on top. I also added bacon bits. Easy peasy!
Thanks for sharing your cooking ideas Shauna!
Great way to have ground turkey! Lots of flavor and very easy.
So happy you think so Karen 🙂
Deeee-lish! I can’t believe how easy this was to put together and the flavor was amazing! I didn’t have any tomatoes so I used a can of diced tomatoes and it worked out perfectly! Thank you so much for this recipe. I will definitely be trying some of your other creations!!
Awesome Kathy!