This Ground Turkey Pasta Recipe 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!
Easy Ground Turkey Pasta
Easy pasta recipes like this one are fast becoming my go-to dinners for busy weeknights – or anytime I’m unsure what I feel like making for dinner. Quick and delicious, it’s also one of my favorite ways to use up leftover veggie scraps, helping to waste less and spend less money on groceries each month.
Cheesy, creamy, and filled with loads of ground turkey, this ground turkey pasta is a true winner. Filled with simple ingredients, it tastes like restaurant-quality pasta, minus the hefty price tag.
My 7-year old, not usually a fan of any type of tomato-based pasta sauce, licked his plate clean and asked for seconds. Perfect served with a light green salad or some roasted veggies, the whole family will love this comforting ground turkey pasta.
How to Make Ground Turkey Pasta
- Cook noodles in a large pot of salted water according to package instructions. After the pasta has finished cooking, reserve 1 cup of boiling pasta water before draining.
- Grab a large pan or Dutch oven to 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.
- Bring to a simmer.
- Add the cooked pasta and half-and-half (or heavy cream). Thin the sauce with reserved pasta water, if desired.
- Stir in some of the cheese and top with the rest. Allow the cheese to melt and serve. So easy, right?
That’s all it takes to a delicious, winning, cheesy ground turkey pasta dinner.
Can I make Ground Turkey Pasta Gluten-free?
Absolutely. In fact, nowadays there are several gluten-free pasta alternatives including chickpeas pasta, lentil pasta, bean pasta, and I think I’ve even seen cauliflower pasta! Any of these options would work great in this ground turkey pasta.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- This recipe is also wonderful when made with lean ground beef or ground sausage in place of ground turkey.
- I used penne pasta to make this recipe, but feel free to use any small or medium-size pasta shape including bowtie, shells, rotini, fusilli, rigatoni, etc.
- For best results, use at least half-and-half or heavy cream. Anything lower in fat may separate when combined with the tomato sauce.
- Add additional veggies if you feel up to it. Some of my favorites include peas, mushrooms, kale, spinach, and asparagus.
I hope you LOVE this easy ground turkey pasta recipe! It’s:
Creamy
Comforting
Rich
Delicious
Quick
Luscious
Cheesy
& full of protein!
Perfect whenever you’re not sure what to make for dinner, I love serving this pasta with a small green salad or fruit salad.
Looking for more delicious pasta recipes? Try these reader favorites:
- Easy Bacon Broccoli Pasta
- Creamy Ham and Pea Pasta
- Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Recipe
- Easy Pasta Primavera Recipe
- Penne Arrabbiata Recipe
- One-Pot Homemade Hamburger Helper
- Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta Recipe
Have you tried making this Cheesy Ground Turkey Pasta Recipe?
Tell me about it in the comments below! I always love to hear your thoughts. And tag me #theforkedspoon on Instagram if you’ve made any of my recipes, I always love to see what you’re cooking in the kitchen.
RECIPE CARD
Ground Turkey Pasta
Ingredients
- 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
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil (I usually add at least 1 tablespoon of salt) 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 olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and pour in the half-and-half. Stir to combine.
- For a thinner sauce, slowly add additional chicken broth or reserved pasta water. For a creamier sauce, add additional half-and-half.
- 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.
- 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!
Jessica's 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. After your pasta has been assembled and topped with cheese, transfer your (oven-safe) pan or skillet to the oven. Cook for about 5-10 minutes or so, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- The small cherry tomatoes that you see in the photos were added last minute as they would have otherwise spoiled in the refrigerator. Feel free to do the same with any vegetables you may have that are about to spoil.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
Is there a way to make this recipe gluten free? As in, could the flour be replaced?
Absolutely, simply use gluten-free penne pasta and gluten-free flour 😀
Oh my. Was this excellent! Prep time was longer but I could be slower. Had to substitute for half and half. . Used 1/4 stick butter with 3/4 cup organic almond milk. Just delicious and fairly easy. Thank you for sharing!so so Good!
Can thisbpadta dish be frozen for later consumption?
This ground turkey pasta can be successfully frozen for up to 3 months in airtight containers or freezer bags to prevent freezer burn and maintain quality. Ensure it’s cooled to room temperature before freezing and divide it into portions for convenience. When ready to use, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave, adding a little liquid if necessary to avoid drying out.
What is a serving size? I know it says 6 servings but is there a measurement ?
The serving size of any given recipe would be the weight of 1 serving. Thus the weight of any given serving would heavily depend on the specific ingredients that you buy and how those ingredients are prepared in your kitchen. With this in mind, and the information provided in the “How do you calculate the nutrition information” section on my FAQ page, it becomes unpractical to provide an exact serving size given the outcomes in everyone’s kitchen will be slightly different from one another.
Pretty good, it was too liquidy for my liking and I think I’ll double the seasonings next time. My family likes bold flavors. And I’ll try bison next time with beef broth and the heavy cream like your note suggests.
Maybe try adding extra flour or simmering it longer 🙂
Very good! We didn’t have penne, but had large elbows. It was like a better version of hamburger helper! And it feeds a lot for not a lot of money.
Delicious! I added some grated Parmesan cheese for our palates and it was perfection. Everyone loved it! Thank you for the recipe!
How does this recipe do making ahead of time? Like the day before.
This recipe is best made the day of, as the pasta will be too soggy 🙂
This recipe was sooo good!! Followed it exactly. My kids even asked for seconds.
I love hearing when kids ask for seconds, thanks for leaving the review 😀
holy batman, we seriously licked the plates from this dish. actually we sopped every drop of that scrumptious sauce up with Italian bread but we would have licked them if there had been anything left. delicious!
This was really good. I added some spinach for some color. I’ll add cherry tomatoes next time. I also made my own vegan ricotta to throw in there to add a creaminess and used cashew milk instead of half and half. I did use regular mozzarella and cheddar cheese. This is a keeper.
Sooooooooooo good!!! Creamy cheesy full of flavor
OMG! I just made this! It’s awesome! It’s the end of the week and I used what was on hand, 2 end boxes of Mostaccioli pasta, home made pasta sauce, leftover from lasagna on Monday, 8 ground up mozzarella cheese sticks and 2 end pieces of Velveeta cheese. All the other ingredients stayed the same.
Thanks for the great feedback and rating, Michelle 🙂
This was delicious! My family loved it! Thank you!!
Even my picky eater ate this! Soooo good! I did use 2% milk because I didn’t have half n half. But I reduced it to 1/2 c and added a drained can of tomatoes and added fresh basil. Love this so much! Thank you!!
Thank you for the good feedback, Julie 😀
Thank you Julie, didn’t have half & half either 😂