Ground Turkey Spaghetti is an easy weeknight dinner made with lean ground turkey, spaghetti and a thick, flavorful tomato sauce filled with finely chopped carrots, mushrooms, onion, garlic and fresh parsley. The vegetables cook right into the sauce, making every bite hearty, savory and packed with flavor.
Author’s Note
Ground turkey has become one of those ingredients I always seem to have in my fridge or freezer. Over the years, I’ve created so many dinners around it, and some of them have become incredibly popular here on Garden in the Kitchen.
My Ground Turkey Butternut Squash Skillet has been viewed more than a quarter of a million times, and my Ground Turkey Taco Skillet is another favorite when I need an easy dinner that gives me protein, vegetables and plenty of flavor all in one meal.
So naturally, I needed a ground turkey spaghetti recipe!
What I love about this one is the sauce. I finely chop a full cup of carrots along with mushrooms and onion and let them soften before adding the turkey. By the time everything has simmered together, you really don’t have pieces of carrot in the sauce anymore, they practically melt into it. What you’re left with is a thick, rich tomato sauce with a subtle sweetness and so much more flavor and texture than simply adding ground turkey to a jar of sauce.
This is exactly the kind of dinner I make at home: uncomplicated, filled with real ingredients and easy enough for a busy weeknight.
—Silvia
Why you’ll love this ground turkey spaghetti
This isn’t a complicated pasta dinner, and that’s precisely why I think you’ll make it again and again.
- It’s a true weeknight meal. Nothing fancy and no long-simmering sauce. Once everything is in the skillet, the sauce only needs about 10 minutes on low heat.
- There are plenty of vegetables hiding in that sauce. A full cup each of finely chopped carrots and mushrooms, plus onion, garlic and fresh parsley.
- The carrots practically disappear. Finely chopping them is important, they soften into the tomato sauce, adding subtle sweetness and helping create that wonderful thick texture.
- Ground turkey keeps it hearty. You still get that satisfying spaghetti-and-meat-sauce experience, just with turkey.
- It’s family-friendly. The vegetables aren’t sitting on top of the spaghetti in big pieces. They become part of the sauce.
- The leftovers are excellent. This is exactly the kind of pasta I look forward to reheating for lunch the next day.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ground turkey: I use 1 pound. Ground turkey has a fairly mild flavor, which is why building flavor into the sauce before adding the meat makes such a difference here. You can substitute for ground chicken or beef if you like.
- Spaghetti: Use your favorite spaghetti and cook it until al dente according to the package directions.
- Carrots: You’ll need 1 cup, very finely chopped. Take the extra minute to chop these small. We aren’t looking for chunks of carrot in the finished spaghetti, the goal is for them to soften and almost melt into the sauce.
- Mushrooms: One cup of chopped mushrooms adds a wonderful savory flavor and more substance to the sauce without overpowering it.
- Onion and garlic: I use one onion and a generous five cloves of garlic. This is the aromatic base of the sauce, so don’t rush it.
- Olive oil: Two tablespoons give the vegetables enough fat to soften and develop flavor.
- Tomato paste: Two tablespoons. Cooking the tomato paste briefly before adding the turkey helps deepen its flavor rather than simply stirring it into the finished sauce.
- Tomato sauce: One 16-ounce jar keeps this recipe convenient while still allowing us to build plenty of homemade flavor around it.
- Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper: Simple seasonings are all this sauce really needs.
- Fresh parsley: I use a full cup of chopped parsley. It may sound like a lot, but I love the freshness it brings to the rich tomato and turkey sauce.
The Secret To Flavorful Ground Turkey Pasta Sauce
Ground turkey is incredibly versatile, but because its flavor is mild, I think the order in which you cook everything matters.
Instead of starting with the turkey, I start by sautéing the carrots, mushrooms and onion in olive oil. That gives the vegetables time to soften and concentrate their flavors.
Then comes the tomato paste and seasoning, followed by the turkey.
By the time the tomato sauce goes into the pan, we’ve already created several layers of flavor underneath it. That is what keeps this from tasting like plain ground turkey mixed with jarred tomato sauce.
It’s a simple technique, but it makes a noticeable difference.
Variations and Substitutions
- Use another pasta. Although we’re making ground turkey spaghetti, the sauce works with linguine, bucatini, rigatoni, penne or whatever pasta you already have.
- Make it gluten-free. Use your favorite gluten-free spaghetti.
- Add a little heat. Red pepper flakes would be an easy addition if your family likes some spice.
- Use fresh herbs. I love parsley here, but fresh basil added at the very end would also be delicious.
- Make it cheesy. Freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano is perfect for serving.
- Swap the meat. You could use ground chicken if that’s what you have, although I particularly like the texture of ground turkey in this sauce.
What To Serve with Ground Turkey Spaghetti
Because there are already vegetables and protein in the sauce, I don’t think this dinner needs much alongside it.
A simple green salad is plenty. If everyone is hungry, add garlic bread or warm crusty bread for soaking up the sauce.
More Ground Turkey Recipes To Try
If ground turkey is a regular on your grocery list like it is on mine, try these next:
Ground Turkey Butternut Squash Skillet — one of the most popular ground turkey recipes on Garden in the Kitchen, with butternut squash, peppers and Gruyère in an easy one-pan dinner.
Ground Turkey Taco Skillet — hearty, colorful and another easy way to turn a pound of ground turkey into a complete dinner.
Farro and Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers — Sweet bell peppers stuffed with savory ground turkey, chewy farro and melted cheese for a hearty, balanced dinner that reheats beautifully.
Slow Cooker Turkey Chili — Cozy, hearty and mostly hands-off, this ground turkey chili is packed with three kinds of beans and plenty of smoky, savory flavor.
Turkey Ragù Tagliatelle — Ground turkey, bacon, vegetables, red wine and tomato sauce come together in a rich, hearty ragù served over wide tagliatelle noodles.
Ground Turkey Shepherd’s Pie — A cozy twist on shepherd’s pie with a savory ground turkey and vegetable filling topped with creamy mashed cauliflower.
Ground Turkey Spaghetti
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup carrots very finely chopped
- 1 cup mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 medium onion finely chopped
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tsp sea salt plus more for pasta water and to taste
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 16oz jar tomato sauce
- 1 cup fresh parsley chopped
- Freshly grated Parmesan optional for serving
Instructions
- Cook the spaghetti. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté the vegetables. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add carrots, mushrooms and onion and sauté until softened. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Build the flavor. Add tomato paste, salt, black pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir well and cook briefly, allowing the tomato paste to coat the vegetables.
- Cook the turkey. Add ground turkey and break it apart with a wooden spoon. Cook until completely cooked through and no longer pink.
- Simmer. Stir in tomato sauce and chopped parsley. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve. Toss with the cooked spaghetti or spoon the ground turkey sauce over the pasta. Serve warm with Parmesan and additional parsley, if desired.
Notes
How to store and reheat
Allow leftovers to cool before transferring them to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3–4 days. To reheat, warm the spaghetti and sauce gently in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add a splash of water or additional tomato sauce if the pasta has absorbed too much sauce in the refrigerator. Individual servings can also be reheated in the microwave.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
