Looking for an easy ground turkey recipe? This one-pot pasta comes together in just 30 minutes and is packed with good-for-you ingredients like spinach, tomatoes, and ground turkey!
Healthy Ground Turkey Pasta
30-minute, one-pot pasta meals recipes that are healthy, tasty, and easy enough to make any night of the week make me look a whole lot just →  because guess what?Â
You many think that because I’m a food blogger, I’m in the kitchen every day, whipping up recipes so that I never have to think twice about what’s for dinner. But the reality is that most days I’m NOT cooking, and when I suddenly realize that it’s not just 5:00 somewhere…it’s 5:00 RIGHT HERE…I panic. Because if I haven’t taken the time to think ahead and do a bit of meal prep, just like my teenager, I’m left wondering what’s for dinner, too.
See, I’m betting I’m a lot like you. A gal who is always juggling my roles as a spouse, mom, daughter, sister, friend, business owner, mentor, volunteer, and wanderer-of-the-aisles-at-HomeGoods-deal-shopper as I continually work on finding the right balance so that my own needs don’t get lost in the shuffle in this circus act called life.
The saving grace? Simple, healthy, bold-flavored, all-in-one meals like this one-pot pasta that don’t require a bunch of hard-to-find ingredients or have too many steps. And bonus points go to the recipe if I can scavenge my pantry for most of it.
With that said, and I don’t want to sound too boastful, but this 30-minute meal recipe made with penne pasta, ground turkey and spinach totally delivers on each and every count, especially in its kicked up Mexican-spiced flavor.
What’s in This One-Pot Pasta?
This healthy ground turkey recipe comes together quickly and with minimal ingredients. Here’s what goes into this one-pot pasta:
- Canola oil
- Lean ground turkey
- Herbs and spices
- Onion
- Red bell pepper
- Garlic
- Diced tomatoes with green chiles
- Penne pasta
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Fresh spinach
- Shredded cheese
- Chopped cilantro
How to Make the Perfect One-Pot Pasta
One-pot pastas are one of my weeknight favorites because there’s no extra dishes to wash and everything cooks together, infusing every bite of the meal with flavor. The key to ease with a dish like this is the dried pasta is cooked directly with the rest of the ingredients, absorbing the cooking liquid for even more flavor.
To make, cook this healthy ground turkey recipe in layers, starting with the ground turkey and seasoning mixture first, then add the next layer of flavor with a quick sauté of the fresh veg, then adding the canned tomatoes, spices and dried pasta with the chicken broth to add even more depth of flavor.
A bit of half and half thickens the sauce just a enough without adding a whole lot of fat, and a few handfuls of leafy spinach to add a fresh, healthy vibrance to the pot.
Finally, the whole dish is topped with just enough cheese to make this dinner totally crave-worthy for every eater at the table.
Can I Use Another Green Besides Spinach?
Of course! You could use chopped kale or even arugula if you have those on hand instead.
Tips for Making Ground Turkey Pasta
For this ground turkey recipe, you want to use a good quality chicken broth or make my homemade chicken stock recipe — I freeze it in zippered gallon freezer bags then defrost for quick dinner occasions just like this.
I used Monterey Jack for a melty cheese pull, but any melty cheese like provolone, mozzarella, or even Swiss or cheddar will work here too. Or, if you want to go full Mexican flavor, queso will give a tangier, less melty bite.
Also note that you should choose a high-sided 3- to 4-quart sauté pan or a Dutch oven to make this one-pot pasta in to have enough room for the pasta to expand in as it cooks.
More Pasta Dinner Ideas to Try
- Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli Whole Wheat Pasta
- Lighter Penne Alla Vodka
- Spaghetti Alla Carbonara
- Blackened Seafood Pasta
- Shrimp Scampi Pasta
- Baked Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni
- Mom’s Homemade Spaghetti and Meat Sauce
One-Pot Penne Pasta with Turkey and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3 teaspoon ground cumin divided
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 10- ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 10 ounces dried penne pasta
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 4 cups fresh baby spinach 2 big handfuls
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat until it shimmers and then add the ground turkey with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon ground cumin, the oregano, ½ teaspoon black pepper and the crushed red pepper. Break up the turkey with the spices and cook for about 5 minutes.
- Add the onion, red bell pepper, and pressed garlic and cook for another 5 minutes or until the turkey is browned and the veggies soften.
- Add the canned tomatoes with green chiles to the skillet or pot with the rest of the kosher salt, cumin, black pepper, chili powder and stir.
- Add the penne pasta and cover with the chicken broth, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook until the pasta is just tender, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the cream and fold in the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts, taste for seasoning and top with the shredded cheese.
- Garnish with the chopped cilantro, sit back and watch the forks fly!
