Simple Turkey Spaghetti Recipe

This simple spaghetti recipe with ground turkey is soothing, flavorful, and easy to make. This turkey spaghetti is the perfect dish for a weeknight. It has a creamy, cheesy sauce with fresh herbs in it.

This meal of ground turkey pasta is healthier since it uses lean ground turkey, half and half, and low-fat cheddar. This turkey spaghetti is quite soothing and tastes great, even though it’s not full of fat.

I use turkey thighs with 7% fat, but you could instead use ground turkey breast. Besides the taste, what I like best about this pasta meal is that I can have it ready in about 30 minutes.

I haven’t met an adult or child who doesn’t like a bowl of cheesy spaghetti on a weeknight. It’s the perfect supper.

It’s a quick and easy supper for a weeknight, and you can feel good about eating it because it’s a little healthier.

The recipe is quite adaptable; you can easily change the herbs, spices, and cheese to make it your own.

This recipe is light on the wallet and makes it easy to feed the whole family a tasty lunch without spending too much.

Five minutes of prep time
Time to cook: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients

Extra virgin olive oil is needed to sauté the onion and then brown the meat. When you use lean ground turkey, the oil is equally vital for flavor.

I used yellow onion in this pasta, but red onions or shallots would work just as well. If you don’t like big pieces in your pasta sauce, cut it into small pieces.

Ground turkey: I usually use lean ground turkey thigh with 7% fat to make this spaghetti. Even the lean variety, I think thigh tastes better than breast. Use your favorite kind of ground turkey if you don’t mind the fat.

Garlic: For the best flavor, use freshly sliced garlic. If you don’t have any, you can use 1 teaspoon of garlic powder instead.

Fresh herbs: A combination of fresh rosemary and thyme gives the ground turkey sauce a lot of flavor. Use 1/2 tablespoon of Italian seasoning instead of fresh herbs if you don’t have any.
You can add extra red chili flakes to your sauce if you want it to be spicier.

Passata, or tomato puree, makes a sauce that is very smooth. You can use a can of chopped tomatoes instead if you don’t mind chunks of tomato in the sauce.

Chicken stock: I usually use store-bought chicken stock to make this sauce because it’s easier, but if you have homemade stock, use that instead.

Single cream (half and half) makes the sauce creamier. Half-and-half works great here, but if you want a sauce that’s even thicker and richer, use double cream (heavy cream) instead.

Cheddar— This recipe calls for a mature (sharp) cheddar. I used a low-fat variety, but any kind of shredded cheese will work here.

• 10.5 ounces (300 g) of spaghetti
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, cut into pieces
• 1 pound of lean ground turkey (450 grams)
• 2 cloves of garlic, coarsely chopped
• ½ tablespoon of fresh thyme
• ¼ teaspoon red chili flakes and ½ tablespoon fresh rosemary
• Two cups (400 ml) of passata and one cup (250 ml) of chicken stock
• 1 cup (200 ml) of single cream
• Grated low-fat cheddar cheese, 150 g (5.5 oz)
• Fresh parsley for decoration
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Put a lot of water in a big pot and bring it to a boil. Add a lot of salt and cook the pasta according to the package directions.
2. In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a big, deep skillet or Dutch oven and cook the onion over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
3. Add the ground turkey and simmer for 4 to 5 minutes, using your spoon to break it up into little pieces.

4. Add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and red chili flakes and simmer for another minute.
5. Add the chicken stock and passata, swirl to mix, and bring to a simmer. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let it simmer for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Add the cheddar, cooked pasta, and single cream. Add the fresh parsley after the cheese has melted.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve right away. If you want, you can top it with more chopped fresh parsley.

Additional Tips & Notes

• To make the sauce spicy, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of sriracha sauce.
• You can use ground chicken, beef, or pork instead of ground turkey. The sauce works with any of these meats.
• You can turn it into a ground turkey pasta bake by putting it in an oven-safe skillet, adding cheese, and baking it for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.
• In an airtight container, leftovers will stay fresh in the fridge for up to three days.
• You may heat the pasta up on the stove or in the microwave. If it seems too dry, you might need to add some broth or water.
• It’s recommended to freeze the sauce without the pasta if you wish to. The sauce will stay good for up to three months. Put it in the fridge overnight to thaw, then heat it up and serve it with pasta that has just been made.