Easy Ground Turkey Pasta (One Pot)
My Ground Turkey Pasta is creamy and delicious. Made with ground turkey, mushrooms, fresh herbs, and warm spices. This savory pasta dish is rich, creamy and full of cozy fall flavors.
Servings: 4
Calories: 63kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion minced sweet, white or red onion is fine
- ½ pound sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 pound ground turkey you could use ground chicken or turkey sausage removed from casing
- 1 cup of pumpkin puree not pumpkin pie filling
- ½ cup white wine or additional reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary reserve some leaves to garnish
- 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth I used my own homemade broth or vegetable broth
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta or another short pasta like penne or farfalle
Instructions
- Heat oil in skillet: Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, are almost softened, 3-4 minutes.
- Add in the mushrooms: Stir the mushrooms into the onions and they soften, about 4-5 minutes. Remove onions and mushrooms and add them to a small bowl (that way the mushrooms don't overcook and get too mushy).
- Cook the ground turkey: In the same skillet on medium heat, add another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil to the pan, and add in the ground turkey. Use a wooden spoon to break it up into small pieces (the ground turkey will take about 14-16 minutes in total to cook, but cook it until it's almost ready, about 12 minutes), When it has just a little bit of pink color, go on to the next step.
- Add broth: Add in the broth and a splash of white wine (you could leave that out if you don't drink or don't have any on hand. The alcohol evaporates while it's cooking). Next, add in the fresh rosemary.
- Finish cooking ground turkey: Cook that all together about 5 minutes. The turkey will finish cooking with the wine and broth.
- Boil pasta: While the ground turkey is cooking, cook up the pasta. Fill a large pot with water and add salt (to cook the pasta)and bring to a boil. When it boils, add in your pasta and cook to package directions just until one minute before it reaches al dente.
- Stir in pumpkin: Add in the pumpkin puree, salt, freshly ground pepper, a dash of cinnamon, ground nutmeg (I grated fresh nutmeg right on top -about a ½ teaspoon). Stir it all together and cook it about 5-7 minutes.
- Add back mushrooms + onions: When the sauce is cooked up, add back in the mushrooms and onions. Stir it all together and let it cook together for about 1-2 minutes.
- Strain the pasta: When the pasta is one minute before al dente, reserve 1 cup of the pasta water. Strain the pasta in a colander and add pasta immediately to the skillet with the turkey/pumpkin sauce.
- Check sauce consistency: If it's too thick, you can loosen it up with a bit of the pasta water. Stir it all together to combine on medium-high heat (about 1 minute). Remove the rosemary sprig.
- Serve pasta: Plate up and serve with some freshly ground black pepper (if you like)and rosemary leaves. Optional: spice it up with some hot pepper flakes and grated cheese (if you're not dairy-free).
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
-
- Use a large pot to cook the pasta and make sure to add enough salt for flavor.
- If you don't have white wine, you can leave it out or substitute with chicken broth.
- If you don't have any fresh rosemary on hand, no problem. Use dried in its place.
- Be sure to not overcook the pasta - check the package directions, and set a timer and check if it's al dente.
- Reserve some of the pasta water to help thin out the sauce, if needed.
- Seasonings can be adjusted to your taste - add more salt, pepper, or spices as desired.
- For a vegan/vegetarian option, you can substitute ground turkey with plant-based meat or omit altogether.
- This sauce also works well with different types of pasta - try it with penne, spaghetti, or even gnocchi!
- You could make with your favorite gluten-free pasta brand. For a healthier option, you can use whole wheat.
- This is a perfect recipe for meal prepping and can be reheated stovetop or in the microwave.
- Sprinkle on some other chopped fresh herbs like Italian parsley or basil.
Variations and Substitutions for turkey pasta sauce
- Switch out the onion for one or two shallots.
- Top off the pasta with some crispy fried sage.
- Grate on top some Parmigiano-Reggiano, Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano.
- For a vegetarian version, replace the turkey with diced tofu or plant-based protein of your choice. You can also use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth for added flavor.
- Instead of pumpkin puree, try using butternut squash or sweet potato puree for a different twist on this dish.
- If you don't have fresh rosemary, dried rosemary will work as well. Use less dried rosemary than fresh. You will only need 1 teaspoon of dried.
- If you don't have mushrooms hand, you could use spinach, bell peppers, or even zucchini.
- To make this dish gluten-free, use your favorite gluten-free pasta or substitute it with zucchini noodles.
- For a protein-packed option, white beans or cooked chickpeas could be added to the sauce.
- For a creamy texture, stir in a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt or coconut cream before serving.
- If you're not a fan of nutmeg, you can omit it.
- To add some crunch, top your dish with toasted pine nuts or chopped walnuts.
Nutrition
Calories: 63kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.1g | Protein: 0.02g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Sodium: 582mg | Potassium: 2mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.04g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 0.003mg | Calcium: 1mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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