Ground Turkey Pasta - Here is a delicious Ground Turkey Recipe for an easy weeknight dinner your family will love. This tasty recipe is made with ground turkey, tangy tomato, Italian Seasoning for that little kick of spice, and finished with butter and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. So good.
You can have this ground turkey pasta recipe on the table in 30 minutes or less in just a few easy steps. So get a big pot of salty water boiling and ready for the pasta and let's get to work. Because by the time your finished making the pasta, this tasty meat sauce will be ready to eat.
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Here's What You Need
- 4 Tablespoon Salted Butter, Divided.
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Yellow Onion, Diced.
- 1 Clove Garlic, Minced.
- 1 Lb Ground Turkey
- 1 Large Tomato, Diced. (Or Substitute: 1 Small Can Diced Tomatoes)
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 Lb Pasta, Cooked
- ½ Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (or regular Grated Parmesan)
How to Make It
This tasty Ground Turkey Pasta is super easy to make in just a few simple steps. We'll show you how.
- First, Over medium heat, sauté Diced Onion and Minced Garlic in 1 Tablespoon Salted Butter and 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil until just translucent.
- Add Ground Turkey and brown it in the pan with the Onions and Garlic, breaking it up as it cooks and seasoning with Salt and Pepper as you go. Once the Ground Turkey is browned, add Diced Tomatoes, Italian Seasonings, and 3 Tablespoons of Butter.
Tasty Tip: Be sure to liberally season the Ground Turkey with salt while you are browning it in the pan at each stage of the cooking process. Begin by sprinkling 1 Teaspoon of Salt over the raw meat when you add it to the pan. Then as you break up the meat and it begins to brown, sprinkle on a little more salt. Finally, once the meat has browned, do a taste test. The cooked Ground Turkey should be tasty at this point. If it's bland, add a little more salt. - Simmer for 15-20 minutes to allow time for the flavors to marry together.
- Toss in cooked pasta, thoroughly coating the pasta with the delicious sauce.
- Sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan and serve immediately.
Common Questions About Ground Turkey
Ground turkey is great substitution in any recipe where you would use ground beef.
Ground Turkey is a low fat protein that will require a little more seasoning than a protein that is higher in fat. Fat equals flavor, so low fat proteins like ground turkey will need some extra seasonings to boost its flavor. Try adding flavor boosting seasonings like Salt, Italian Seasoning, Sage, or Thyme. If you like hot flavors, try adding some Sriracha, or Hot Chili Sauce.
Bonus: Substitution Possibilities
Bonus: This meat sauce recipe will work with these 5 other ground proteins. Just swap out the ground turkey for:
- Beef
- Bison
- Lamb
- Chicken
- Italian Sausage or Pork
For more delicious meat sauce recipes, check out our Oma's Spaghetti or Bison Pasta recipes that use these other proteins.
Meal Prep Idea
Meal Prep Suggestion: Ground Turkey Pasta freezes easily in restaurant storage containers and makes a great meal prep idea. Freeze your leftovers!
There you have it. Delicious Ground Turkey Pasta on the table in 30 minutes or less with just a few easy steps. It's as easy as that! We hope you enjoy our super simple, super tasty recipe for an easy weeknight dinner in no time! Try it and let us know how you like it. We'd love to hear from you!
xo ~ Seanna
More Tasty Pasta Recipes
Other Tasty Ground Turkey Pasta Recipes
- Ground Turkey Pasta Bake - Delish oven baked ground turkey recipe over at ifoodreal.com.
- Easy Shell Pasta with Ground Turkey - from Tawnie over at Kroll's Korner.
📖 Recipe
Easy Ground Turkey Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoons Salted Butter Divided.
- 1 Tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ¼ Cup Yellow Onion Diced.
- 1 Clove Garlic Minced.
- 1 Lb Ground Turkey
- 1 Large Tomato Or Substitute: 1 Small Can Diced Tomatoes
- 1 Teaspoon Table Salt
- ¼ Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 Lb Pasta Cooked.
- ½ Cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or regular Grated Parmesan
Instructions
- Sauté Onion and Garlic. Over medium heat, sauté diced onion and minced garlic in a pan with 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil.
- Brown Turkey and Add Tomatoes.Add Ground Turkey to the pan with the onions and garlic, and brown it, breaking it up as it cooks. Season with salt and pepper as you go. Once the ground turkey has browned and is tasty, add diced tomatoes, Italian seasonings.
- Simmer. Turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- Finish.Finish the sauce by adding the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, one at a time, as you stir each into the sauce.
- Add Parmesan and Serve over Pasta. Toss with freshly grated parmesan and serve immediately over cooked pasta.
Notes
Substitutions.
This tasty meat sauce recipe will work with these 5 other ground proteins. Just swap out the ground turkey for beef, bison, lamb, chicken, Italian sausage or pork.Meal Prep Suggestion.
Ground Turkey Pasta freezes easily and makes a great meal prep idea. Divide the prepared recipe up into 4-6 restaurant storage containers and freeze them for an easy weeknight dinner or a week of lunches.Nutrition
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Mandi
This was absolutely delicious and so simple to prepare. I used a can of diced tomatoes and added an additional tomato for more sauce. My only suggestion is to use less pasta or add more meat and tomato, as the amount of sauce was a little skimpy for one pound of pasta for my taste.
Seanna
Thanks Mandi! I am so happy you liked it. And I agree, more sauce would be great. 😊
Jere Cassidy
I am trying to use more ground turkey instead of ground beef so I can't wait to give this recipe a try.
Seanna
Thanks Jere! Me, too. I'm using more ground turkey and ground bison.
Deanna
Do I drain the diced tomatoes or add them with the liquid?
Seanna
Hey Deanna, Add the tomatoes with the liquid. The tomato juice helps make a nice sauce. 😊
Luca
This looks like a great meal and will send it soon to my friends to try it out! It is delicious!
Seanna
Thanks so much! Really appreciate it!
Audrey
This looks perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. I love using ground turkey because it so much healthier.
Seanna
Thank you! We also love it with Ground Bison.
Audrey
Can't wait to try this one out!!
Russ Borrows
This was a great meal. Quick and delicious. Nice amount of spice too!
Seanna
Thank you!!