Creamy Ground Turkey Pasta Recipe

This ground turkey pasta is a real winner since it is cheesy, creamy, and packed with tons of ground turkey. It is made of basic components yet tastes like pasta from a restaurant. It goes well with a simple green salad, some roasted vegetables, or stir-fried vegetables.

How to make ground turkey pasta

Noodles should be cooked as directed on the package in a big pot of salted water. Before draining the pasta once it has completed cooking, save 1 cup of the boiling pasta water. Use a large pan to enable you cook everything in. 

First cook the onion in a little olive oil, then add and cook the ground turkey.  Add the garlic, season, and sprinkle with flour, use gluten-free flour if you need to. Mix, then add the chicken broth and tomato sauce. Simmer for a while.

Add the cooked pasta and heavy cream. To thin the sauce as desired, add in the reserved pasta water. Add in some of the cheese and stir it in the pasta. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the cooked pasta. Serve the cheese once it has melted.

Tips for cooking ground turkey pasta

Use chickpea, lentil, or bean pasta, all of which are excellent choices for this ground turkey pasta, to create a gluten-free version of your favorite pasta dish.

This dish also tastes great with lean ground beef or ground sausage, you don’t have to stick to ground turkey.

Penne pasta has been used in this recipe but you may use any small- or medium-sized pasta shape, such as bowtie, shells, rotini, fusilli, rigatoni, etc.

Use heavy cream or at least half-and-half for the greatest results as anything lower in fat may separate when mixed with the tomato sauce.

Add your favorite vegetables to your pasta dish including peas, mushrooms, kale, spinach, or asparagus.

Replace the half-and-half with heavy cream for pasta and a sauce that are even more creamier.

Turn on your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit for bubbling, golden cheese on top. Place your oven-safe pan or skillet in the oven after assembling your pasta and adding the cheese. Cook until the cheese is bubbling and melted, about 5 to 10 minutes.

Ingredients

500 g ground turkey

250 g penne pasta or pasta of choice

2 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil

1 large white onion, diced

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 can tomato sauce

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Freshly chopped coriander to garnish

Red chili flakes to garnish, optional

Procedure

Boil the pasta in a large pot of salted water 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.

Heat the oil in a large pan set over medium heat then sauté the onions until soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.

Add the ground turkey and cook it while breaking it up into bite-sized pieces. Add the minced garlic after cooking and season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning. Cook for another minute or so after stirring everything together.

Sprinkle the ground turkey with two tablespoons of flour and mix well to combine. Add the tomato sauce and chicken broth, then allow it to simmer.

Pour the heavy cream into the pan after adding the cooked pasta then stir to mix.

Slowly add more chicken broth or the saved pasta water for a thinner sauce. Add more half-and-half cream for a creamier sauce.

Add salt and pepper to the dish. Add half of the mozzarella cheese and half of the cheddar cheese to the mixture, then sprinkle the remaining half of each cheese on top.

As soon as the cheese begins to melt, turn the heat down to low and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Take off the heat, serve and enjoy.