One-Pot Ground Turkey Pasta

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One-Pot Ground Turkey Pasta

This super simple and creamy one-pot ground turkey pasta is a dinner that tastes luxurious but requires minimal effort. Minimal chopping, the entire recipe made in the same dish from the meat to the pasta and simmered in garlic and herbs before being finished off with cream and parmesan--this is a weeknight dinner that will be a family favorite for sure!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Dinner, pasta

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Author: Lorie Yarro

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil
3-4 garlic cloves minced
½ yellow onion diced
1 lb ground turkey
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 ¾ cups chicken broth approx. ¼ cup more if needed
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Italian seasoning
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes
8 oz uncooked pasta we use medium shells
½ tsp each: salt and pepper
2 large handfuls baby spinach
½ cup grated parmesan
⅔ - 1 c heavy cream
chopped fresh basil for serving, optional

Instructions

Heat a large sauté pan or shallow dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and allow to to heat up. Add the onions and sauté for 3-5 minutes or until they start to become slightly translucent. Add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
Shift the onions and garlic to one side and add the ground turkey. Allow it to sit for a couple minutes, untouched, to let it brown slightly and then break it into chunks and bite sized pieces. Cook until no longer pink and internal temperature has reached just under 165°F. (it will continue to cook as it simmers).
Add the tomato paste and stir to heat up for about a minute or so. Shift the heat to medium and add in the tomatoes, broth, balsamic vinegar, uncooked pasta, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.
Allow the mixture to come to a simmer. Once simmering, heat for another 10-15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes or until the pasta is just under al dente. The type of pasta will vary the cook time for this slightly. If too much of the liquid seems to be absorbed, you can add a touch more broth as needed.
Add in the cream, parmesan and spinach, stirring to allow the parmesan to melt completely and the spinach to wilt. The sauce will thicken slightly and will continue to thicken as it cools.
Remove the pasta from the heat and sprinkle chopped basil over top. Cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.

Notes

Storage: Store leftovers in a sealed airtight container for about 3-4 days. You can freeze leftovers, but the pasta can get a bit mushy and lose some of it's texture once thawed, but we still think it's ok.

Reheating: To reheat, it's easiest if microwaving to heat in single servings, heating for about 90 seconds to 2 minutes, stirring once in between. You can bake leftovers in a shallow baking pan at 350°F for about 15-20 minutes.

The type of pasta can vary the cook time slightly, so be aware. I have used one of the Barilla protein pastas in this recipe and it tends to cook a touch faster than a regular pasta will by a minute or so.

If the sauce seems to be a bit soupy, you can add more parmesan to help thicken it, but it will thicken a bit more as it cools. I like to pull this dish from the heat just before it is at the thickness I prefer. If it is too thick, add in some of the remaining 1/3 cup of cream.

Remove the pan from the heat when it is done cooking to prevent the pasta from over cooking or becoming mushy. It will still soften up a touch after being removed from the heat, so you want to move quickly once it is almost al dente to get the remaining ingredients stirred in.

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