Description
This Ground Turkey Pasta is a super easy, cheesy, and flavorful weeknight dinner made with lean ground turkey and pasta smothered in a creamy tomato sauce. Guaranteed to have the whole family begging for seconds!
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 oz penne pasta (or pasta of choice)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion (diced)
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 teaspoon salt (divided)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 5 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- fresh parsley (to garnish)
- red chili flakes (to garnish (optional))
Instructions
- Boil: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions. After the pasta has finished cooking, reserve 1 cup of boiling pasta water before draining. Set the pasta aside.
- Sauté: Heat the olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
- Brown: Add the ground turkey and cook over medium to medium-high heat, breaking it into small bite-size pieces. Once cooked, season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and stir in the minced garlic. Mix to combine and continue to cook for an additional minute or so.
- Simmer: Sprinkle the ground turkey with 2 tablespoons of flour and mix well to combine. Pour in the chicken broth and the tomato sauce and let it come to a simmer.
- Combine: Add the cooked pasta to the pan and pour in the half-and-half. Stir to combine.
- Adjust: For a thinner sauce, slowly add additional chicken broth or reserved pasta water. For a creamier sauce, add additional half-and-half.
- Cheese: Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the cheddar cheese and top with the remaining half cup of each.
- Melt: Reduce heat to low and cover your pan or Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid until the cheese is melted. Remove from heat and enjoy!
Notes
You may also make this recipe with ground beef. For an extra creamy sauce and pasta, swap the half-and-half for heavy cream. For bubbly, golden cheese on top, preheat your oven to 400°F and bake the assembled pasta for 5-10 minutes. Feel free to add additional vegetables like peas, mushrooms, kale, spinach, or asparagus.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 613 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 1700 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 57 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 35 g
- Cholesterol: 105 mg
Keywords: ground turkey pasta, creamy tomato sauce, cheesy pasta, weeknight dinner, easy pasta recipe