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My Pasta with Ground Turkey Is So Good!
For my family, this turkey pasta bake is the ultimate comfort food full of whole wheat pasta, lean ground turkey for protein, and a delicious sauce packed with veggies (plus ways to easily sneak in more!). It’s a wholesome meal that’s so good to add to your meal rotation!
Recipe Video Tutorial
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Turkey: I use a lean ground turkey, but this recipe works with ground chicken, ground beef or even crumbled Italian sausage.
- Pasta: I prefer whole wheat pasta shells for extra fiber, but you can use any pasta you and your family like.
- Onion: Yellow or white onions both work — use whichever you have on hand!
- Garlic: If you don’t have fresh garlic, sub in 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
- Italian seasoning: I always have a jar of homemade Italian seasoning blend in the pantry, but store-bought works, too.
- Marinara sauce: Homemade marinara always has the best flavor, but on busy weeknights, I’ll use a jarred sauce. If you’re also using a store-bought marinara, choose one with low-added salt and sugar.
- Mozzarella cheese: I always recommend shredding the cheese yourself since pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as nicely because they contain anti-caking preservations. Feel free to swap in another melting cheese like fontina or Gruyère.
- Basil: Look for basil with vibrant green leaves and no brown spots. If you have leftover herbs and don’t know what to do with them, make my pesto sauce!
- Olive oil: I like the flavor of olive oil, but you can use any neutral-tasting oil.
Popular Additions
- Add veggies. Stir in 1 cup of chopped broccoli, sliced mushrooms or bell peppers, or 2 cups of fresh spinach or kale to boost the nutritional value.
- Make it spicy. Add red pepper flakes to give the turkey pasta bake a bit of heat. Start with ½ teaspoon and bump it up according to your tastes.
- Give it a creamy twist. To make an even creamier baked turkey pasta, add ½ cup heavy cream or ricotta or 4 ounces softened cream cheese to the pan with the marinara sauce.
- Top with pesto. For even more basil flavor, drizzle pesto sauce on top of the baked pasta.
How to Make Baked Pasta with Ground Turkey
Step 1: Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
Step 2: Heat the oil in an oven-safe skillet, add the ground turkey and onions and cook until browned.
Step 3: Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning and cook until combined.
Step 4: Add in the marinara sauce and fresh basil, then stir in the cooked pasta.
Step 5: Top with mozzarella cheese and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
Step 6: Bake until the sauce is bubbly and cheese is all melty.
My Best Baked Pasta with Ground Turkey Tips
- Undercook the pasta. Since the pasta will continue cooking in the oven, I recommend boiling the noodles until just al dente so they don’t overcook.
- Brown the turkey. To properly brown the turkey, first make sure the pan is hot before adding the meat. Then, let it cook undisturbed to allow the bottom to brown properly and seal in all of the juices.
- Don’t cover the pan. It’s only in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes, which is the perfect amount of time for everything to set and the cheese to become golden. If your cheese isn’t browning, you can pop the cooked ground turkey pasta bake under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Just watch it carefully to make sure it doesn’t burn!
Serving Ideas
- Air Fryer Vegetables
- Roasted Butternut Squash
- Kale Caesar Salad
- Roasted Broccoli
- Garlic Cheese Bread
Recipe Help & FAQs
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, and you can reheat it in the oven or microwave.
You can make the baked pasta with ground turkey ahead of time and freeze for up to 3 months. There’s no thawing necessary. When ready to serve, just place it in the oven for an extra 20 minutes. You can also keep it in the fridge unbaked and covered for a day.
Pasta should be cooked al dente (with bite) and the best way to check when it’s ready to be drained is to taste it. It should be firm to the bite, if it’s soft and gummy, it’s over cooked.
More Pasta Recipes:
- Pasta Bolognese
- Ground Beef Pasta Casserole
- Spinach and Ricotta Roll Ups
- Baked Feta Pasta
- Chicken Meatballs over Pasta
- Arrabiata Pasta with Shrimp
- Spaghetti and Meatballs
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Boats
- Mushroom Pasta
- Pasta with Cherry Tomatoes
- One Pan Pasta
If you try this Baked Pasta with Ground Turkey recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Ground Turkey Baked Pasta Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 2 cups marinara sauce store-bought or homemade
- ¼ cup fresh basil plus more for garnishing
- 12 ounces whole wheat pasta shells
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Cook whole wheat pasta shells according to package instructions, drain and set aside.
- In a cast iron skillet or other oven-safe skillet, heat the oil over medium heat, add the onions and ground turkey and cook until the turkey is browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and Italian seasoning, and cook for another 2 minutes until well combined.
- Add in the marinara sauce and fresh basil, then stir in the cooked pasta.
- Top with mozzarella cheese and bake in the preheated oven until the cheese is melted and bubbly, about 15-20 minutes.
- Garnish with more fresh basil and serve immediately.
Equipment
- 10" Cast Iron Skillet
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
The creator must really love onion! I felt like this recipe called for about double what it actually needed.
I do love onion, it gives the dish a lot of flavor! What kind of onion did you use? If you’d like a sweeter and more subtle flavor, I recommend a sweet onion.
10 out of 10 I do recommend! Follow the recipe like the lady said! Simple recipe made me feel like a chef!
Thanks so much, Jess!
this was great as a base recipe. it would have been too bland made exactly the way you wrote for my husband and myself. i doctored the sauce by adding red wine, red pepper flakes, more garlic and more italian spices. very good recipe overall. easy and end result is delicious.
Glad you liked it!
I made this because I had all the ingredients on hand except fresh basil so I used dry. It turned out delicious and was easy to make. Two pluses in my book! I love fresh basil also will try that next time. It’s a keeper!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. Thank you!!
Very happy with how this dish turned out. The only thing I had to do different was that my oven proof cast iron skillet was not going to be able to hold all the pasta and sauce. So once I had the pasta and sauce together, laid it out in a 9 by 13 dish to melt the mozzarella over it in the oven. This tasted even better once the leftovers were refrigerated overnight. I guess something about refrigeration makes the flavors of leftovers desirably stronger. Good recipe, tasty quantities of the basil, Italian seasonings, all of it. Will save this recipe and use again.
So glad to hear you enjoyed it so much!! I totally agree that something about it tastes even better the next day!
Simple and delicious! Will add it to my recipe arsenal exactly as-is! With additional veggies I could see this being a great foundation for a lazy lasagna. 🙂
Aww thank you so much! So glad to you enjoyed it. Haha, it is like a lazy lasagna!
I tried this last night after finding it on Pinterest and we loved it! It’s definitely on my list to make again!
Yay! I hope you like it!
This was so easy to make and my family loved it, even my lil picky eater. My husband and daughter had seconds so this is definitely a family favorite! Thank you for sharing!
So glad to hear that! Thanks so much for sharing!! 🙂