This ground turkey pasta is a super easy cheesy meal made in just one pot! It’s so delicious, reminiscent of our favorite hamburger helper recipe but healthier and just as easy!
Add this to your dinner rotation; the entire family will love it!
Why You Need This One-Pot Pasta
- This easy recipe is a time-saver; something every home cook needs! All in one pan, no extra dishes.
- This recipe is made from scratch but is just as easy as any boxed mix you’ve ever used.
- It uses ingredients you most likely have on hand.
- The sauce is so good, my family just can’t get enough and you won’t believe how fast it comes together.
- It reheats well making it great for lunches (although we never have any leftover).
Serve it with a colorful tossed salad and some homemade garlic bread!
What’s in Ground Turkey Pasta?
MEAT Ground turkey is the meat of choice, but ground chicken would work well in this dish too. Or use ground beef and turn it into a hamburger helper style dish.
PASTA Medium pasta shapes work well in this recipe, I love the way the shells act as little cups to hold the sauce. Penne or rotini are great choices.
SEASONINGS Paprika, garlic, and black pepper add flavor. Add salt to taste.
CHEESE Two different kinds of cheese give this ground turkey pasta it’s signature savory flavor and creamy texture.
Be sure to use a bold cheese like sharp cheddar, it gives this dish a flavor boost.
Variations
Ground turkey pasta is also a great way to use up leftovers!
- Add veggies like spinach, broccoli, or mushrooms (or anything else you think might go well with mac and cheese) for a heartier dish with extra texture and flavor.
How to Make Ground Turkey Pasta
This easy dinner comes together in no time. It’s such a quick dinner to make!
- Brown Meat – Brown turkey, onion, and garlic (per the recipe below). Drain any liquid.
- Cook Pasta with Meat – Stir in broth, milk, and seasonings. Bring to a boil. Add pasta and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the pasta is tender.
- Thicken Sauce – Make a slurry by combining equal parts corn starch & water until smooth. Add to sauce to thicken.
- Add Cheese – Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
Tips For a Perfect Dish
- Choose a medium pasta shape; shells, penne, bowtie, or rotini are good choices.
- Different pasta shapes will cook for different times so check your pasta by tasting a piece. Add more time (and a bit more water/broth) if needed.
- Thicken the sauce further with more cornstarch slurry if needed.
- Freshly grated cheese will melt better than pre-grated, bagged cheese (bagged cheeses can be gritty). A sharp cheddar will add way more flavor.
- Add the cheese once the pan is removed from the heat. This keeps it from overheating and separating or becoming gritty.
Leftovers
- Cheesy ground turkey pasta tastes just as good the next day. Keep it in a covered container in the refrigerator and it will keep about 3-4 days.
- Freeze turkey pasta in zippered bags with the date labeled on the outside and it will keep in the freezer for a month.
One-Pot Wonders
- One Pot Pasta with Chicken – ready in less than 30 minutes
- Instant Pot Chicken and Vegetables – hearty & healthy
- One-Pot Cheeseburger Macaroni – stovetop version
- Sheet Pan Greek Chicken – so easy to make
- Creamy Tomato Chicken Pasta – cheesy & creamy
- Ground Turkey Pasta Sauce – perfect for a quick weeknight meal
- Creamy Garlic Pasta – budget-friendly
- Turkey Sloppy Joes – deliciously messy meal!
Did you make this Ground Turkey Pasta? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Cheesy Ground Turkey Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups chicken broth not low sodium
- 1 cup whole milk
- ¾ teaspoon dry mustard powder
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 ½ cups pasta shells or elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
-
Brown ground turkey, onion, and garlic in a pan until no pink remains. Drain any fat.
-
Stir in broth, milk, dry mustard, paprika, and black pepper. Bring to a boil.
-
Add pasta and reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook 9-12 minutes or until pasta is tender.
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Combine cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water and whisk into the simmering sauce. Simmer 1 minute more.
-
Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
Notes
- Choose pasta shapes that are hearty enough to stand up with the meat and any vegetables. Elbow macaroni, penne, bowtie, or rotini are good choices.
- Different pasta shapes will cook for different times so check your pasta by tasting a piece. Add more time (and a bit more water/broth) if needed.
- Thicken the sauce further with more cornstarch slurry if needed.
- Freshly grated cheese will melt better than pre-grated, bagged cheese (bagged cheeses can be gritty). A sharp cheddar will add way more flavor.
- Add the cheese once the pan is removed from the heat. This keeps it from overheating and separating or becoming gritty.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Turkey
Cuisine American
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Pretty good! I added broccoli and would definitely make it again. Only recommendation is to add salt since the cheese and broth were very subtle.
i know it says it serves four but for example is it a cup per serving
Hi Tara, a serving is approximately 1 ½ to 2 cups!
This was so delicious and I was surprised how much my family loved it. I did make some changes because I was missing some ingredients. I had doubled the recipe since I had 2lbs of ground turkey and I didn’t have cheddar but I shredded a pepper jack block and Monterey Jack cheese block. I also didn’t have chicken broth but when the water boiled I put chicken bouillon granules and let that settle before placing the uncooked pasta. I was surprised at how good it came out next time I would like to try it with bone broth and use the recommend cheddar cheese and see how it tastes… Either was this recipe will be in the rotation of meals to make, thank you
Sounds delicious, Anna! Thanks for leaving a comment!
In place of the shredded sharp cheddar cheese, would a packet of Velveeta Cheese Sauce work well?
Hi DeeAnn, I have only made this recipe as listed but I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Have you ever added broccoli to this recipe?
Broccoli is delicious in this pasta dish Stephen!
You have absolutely the best recipes! Thank you for sharing!
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Vee!
This took me back to my early 20’s when I discovered hamburger helper. Only this is so elevated!! This will be a regular in our house!! Loved it!!!
So glad you loved this Charli!
Really good recipe, comfort food , yummy . Will definitely make it again.
So glad you loved it Deb!
Made this recipe tonight. I had to use Velveta that’s all I had on hand. Turned out perfect. I added broccoli also. Makes a perfect one pot meal for me.
So happy to hear that Toniah! Thank you for sharing your substitution!
Made a huge double batch for dinner tonight (had a guest), very easy to make! I generally use ground turkey which has less natural flavor than beef, so next time I may add in some rosemary or something. I did use gluten free elbow mac, and snuck in some Velveeta along with the other cheeses. Along with salad and fresh bread, everyone was happy. Thanks Holly!
Mmmm, so delicious Steve! Glad you enjoyed this recipe.
Awesome recipe! I made it and added peas to it and my two-year-old devoured it! I loved it too, thanks.
I love hearing when the kiddos love the recipes Robin!
Maybe I did something wrong, I followed the recipe to a t and it came out super bland. My family may just like stronger sauces. I even added things in the end to liven it up, more extra sharp cheddar, more parmesan, spinach, stone ground mustard and even soy sauce. It still didn’t hit the mark. I was so looking forward to it .
Try adding a can of chopped green chilis..yum!
My 7YO absolutely loved this meal and gave it 120 thumbs up (I cut off his counting by 10s at that point so I’m sure you would’ve earned more). I added some additional kosher salt and Dijon mustard to mine as a mix-in as it needed some additional “oomph” along with some fresh tomato and parsley as garnish.
FWIW, I used extra sharp yellow cheddar and some 24-month aged parm as that’s what I had in my fridge. Barilla medium shells and Kirkland chicken stock.
I made this tonight and it was scrumptious! I had to use elbow macaroni, but it came out so good!
Easy and delicious! Had everything on hand, it was quick and no mess.
This was very tasty however I felt like the cheese sauce broke a little bit even with the cornstarch slurry, but all in all a tasty dish
Straight up yummy. And I threw mushrooms and used ground turkey and Velveta. It’s what I needed to use! Still delicioussss! Saving this as it is a go too!
Thank you Holly!
You’re very welcome!
What do I do if I only have low-sodium chicken broth?
If you only have low sodium, you’ll want to add salt along with the broth. Enjoy Kimarie!
So good!! Will definitely be making it again