This ground turkey pasta dish is made with small shell noodles and seasoned ground turkey tossed in a rich, tomato cream sauce and garnished with fresh herbs!
Easy Shell Pasta with Ground Turkey
We love ground turkey recipes like turkey meatloaf, turkey sloppy joes, and turkey pasta, because they have familiar taste like a classic ground beef dish only lighter.
This pasta with ground turkey is made with a rich and savory creamy tomato pink sauce with a bit of red pepper flakes for spice. Ready in under 30 minutes, this easy pasta recipe is always a hit.
Why I Love This Recipe
- It’s an easy 25-minute dinner recipe that is simple yet elegant!
- The ingredients are flexible. Make it gluten-free, add veggies, or omit the spice.
Ingredient Notes
Find the full printable recipe with specific measurements below.
- Olive oil: For sautéing. You could also use avocado oil.
- Garlic and onions: Chopped onions and minced garlic lay the foundation for building depth of flavor in the sauce.
- Ground turkey: You’ll need about a pound.
- San Marzano tomatoes: These Italian plum tomatoes come peeled and whole and break down as they cook. They’ve got a rich tomato flavor that you can’t get from just any tomato.
- Seasoning: Salt, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes. Lean ground turkey on its own is pretty bland, so we’ll need to season it up!
- Pasta: Medium shell pasta or ziti are what I typically use in this ground turkey and pasta recipe.
- Heavy cream and Parmesan cheese: For a creamy consistency and cheesiness!
- Fresh basil: For serving. Other fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, and fresh parsley can be used as well.
How to Make Ground Turkey Pasta
Start by cooking the onions first until they’re soft and translucent. Do this in a large skillet over medium heat. Then, add in the ground turkey and cook until no longer pink, breaking it apart into crumbles as it cooks. Drain any fat and add the garlic to cook another minute.
Pour in the canned tomatoes. Break them apart with a fork or your hands. Sprinkle with seasoning and red pepper flakes, turn the heat to low, and allow it to come to a simmer.
While the sauce is simmering, boil the noodles in a pot of salted water according to package directions. For al dente noodles, cook for a minute less than stated on the package. Reserve some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce later, if needed, and drain the rest.
Remove the sauce from the heat. If you want a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to purée the chunks. Stir in the cream, and Parmesan, and sprinkle in the fresh basil. Simmer for a couple more minutes and season to taste. Serve the sauce over the cooked pasta while it’s hot and garnish with extra cheese and basil.
Recipe Tips and Variations
- Different pasta: Use your favorite gluten-free pasta to make this gluten-free turkey pasta. You can also choose to use a different pasta shape. Penne pasta, fusilli, bow tie pasta, or ziti.
- Protein options: Keep it light with ground chicken, or make this with ground beef. You could also throw in some ground sausage.
- Add-in some veggies: Spinach, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes, or zucchini would be easy to add to this pasta dish.
- Another cheese: Add a sprinkle of fresh mozzarella cheese overtop and let it melt over everything before serving.
- Sides: Serve with a simple side Caesar salad with homemade Caesar dressing or a side of steamed veggies. Roasted asparagus or parmesan broccoli are great, too!
Storage
- Store: You can keep the sauce separate in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to 3 days. Or you can keep leftovers of the pasta with sauce in the fridge for the same amount of time.
- Reheat: This is an easy one to reheat in the microwave. If you are reheating just the sauce, I recommend doing it in a skillet on the stove. Save yourself from sauce splatter in the microwave!
- Freezing the sauce: Once completely cooled, pour it into a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and keep it frozen for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge.
More ground turkey recipes to try include ground turkey meatballs, healthy turkey chili recipe and crockpot turkey meatloaf.
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Ground Turkey Pasta
Video
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 28 ounce can peeled San Marzano tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon salt , more to taste
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- pepper or red pepper flakes , to taste
- 12 ounces medium shell pasta , or ziti
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated parmesan , more if desired
For serving: fresh basil
Instructions
- Brown ground turkey with onion and garlic. Heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup onions and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until soft. Add in ground turkey and cook until no longer pink. Drain and then add garlic and cook and additional minute.
- Add in the can of tomatoes and break them open with a fork or your hands. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Allow to simmer over low heat.
- Cook the noodles according to package directions in a pot of salted water. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water if needed to thin the sauce.
- Simmer. After the tomatoes have simmered at least 10 minutes, remove from heat. Use an immersion blender if desired to remove tomato chunks. Then add 1 cup cream, 1/2 cup parmesan and a sprinkle of fresh basil. Simmer a couple minutes and then season to taste. Add in a little bit of pasta water if needed to thin it out.
- Serve the sauce over the noodles while hot. Top with extra parmesan and basil if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to give it a star rating below!
Jamielyn Nye is the founder and recipe creator at I Heart Naptime. She is the author of the I Heart Naptime Cookbook and shares easy family-friendly recipes and desserts for every occasion.
