Ground Turkey Pasta

One pot Ground Turkey Pasta is a flavorful, 30 minute meal packed with 37 grams of protein, green veggies, and a creamy coconut tomato sauce. Simple, healthy, and delicious!

Other quick family favorites include healthy hamburger helper and one pot lasagna.

This ground turkey pasta dish is a high protein recipe that ticks all the boxes. It’s easy to make one pot meal with a bag of pasta and other pantry staples, a pack of lean ground turkey and a handful of frozen green peas.

If you’re into this kind of cozy dinner, you might also like my ground turkey pasta bake and ground turkey and broccoli pasta!

Ingredients for Ground Turkey Pasta

We’re using fridge and pantry staples for this recipe, and it’s super easy to customize with whatever you’ve got on hand.

• Onion: Finely chopped yellow or white onion. Red onion works as well.
• Garlic: Freshly minced garlic is the best, not garlic powder.
• Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil to saute the veggies and ground turkey.
• Ground turkey: I like to use ground turkey but feel free to swap in ground chicken, beef, or even sausage.
• Tomato sauce: Passata, like Mutti crushed tomatoes, is a great option too. It’s basically just tomatoes and salt with big flavor.
• Coconut milk: I like to use instead of heavy cream. It was my first time doing so and it worked very well.
• Chicken broth: Low sodium chicken broth brings all the flavors together in a savory, light way. You can also use vegetable broth.
• Pasta: Regular or gluten-free rigatoni, penne, or fusilli pasta all work great.
• Green peas: Frozen peas add a pop of color, a touch of sweetness and a veggie factor.
• Seasoning: A pinch of smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Fresh herbs: A sprinkle of finely chopped parsley or basil to brighten up the dish.

How to Make Pasta with Ground Turkey

Sauce, veggies, ground turkey and pasta go right into one Dutch oven.

1. Saute the aromatics: Heat your Dutch oven over medium-high and add a swirl of olive oil. Saute onion and garlic for a few minutes, just until they smell amazing.
2. Brown the turkey: Add the ground turkey and cook for about 5 minutes, breaking it up as you go.
3. Build the sauce: Stir in the Italian seasoning, smoked paprika, tomato sauce, coconut milk, chicken broth, salt, and pepper. Bring everything to a boil.
4. Add the pasta: Add the pasta, stir, cover, and bring it back to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 13 minutes, or until the pasta is al dente.
5. Add the peas: Turn off the heat, stir in the peas, and let it sit covered for a few minutes so the peas can warm through. Give it a taste and add more salt, pepper, or broth if needed.
6. Garnish and serve: Top with fresh parsley or fresh basil, and serve it hot and cozy.

Variations

• Use a different protein: Swap ground turkey for ground chicken, ground beef, ground pork, or Italian sausage.
• Make it spicy: Add red pepper flakes or a chopped jalapeno with the onion and garlic.
• Add extra veggies: Toss in chopped spinach, bell peppers, zucchini or mushrooms with the turkey.
• Use cream instead of coconut milk: If you’re not dairy-free, heavy cream or half and half works too. I would just use about 1/2 cup and maybe add a bit more broth.
• Make it cheesy: Stir in a handful of shredded mozzarella cheese or Parmesan cheese before serving.
• Serve with: A slice of crusty bread or garlic bread, air fryer broccoli, a tomato cucumber bell pepper salad, or a traditional Greek salad.

How to Store and Reheat

Store: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Freeze: I don’t recommend freezing this dish, the pasta tends to get mushy once thawed.

Reheat: Warm it up on the stove over low heat with a splash of broth, or in the microwave until heated through.

FAQs

More One Pot Pasta Recipes

• No boil pasta bake
• Healthy taco pasta
• Chicken pasta primavera
• Marry me chicken pasta