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This ground turkey pasta recipe with broccoli is a super-easy, family-pleasing dinner ready in less than 30 minutes. If you are looking for quick and healthy ground turkey recipes, look no further, because this recipe is the perfect meal for a busy weeknight!
With delicious pasta, yummy browned ground turkey, tender-crisp broccoli, and lots of basil and Parmesan cheese, this dish is about to become your family's new favorite dinner!
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Here's an entree that is a guaranteed family-pleaser in my house! This Ground Turkey Pasta Broccoli Dinner is ready in 30 minutes or less, AND it's a complete dinner all in one dish. Absolutely my kind of recipe!
You don't need to add anything, but to make it go farther, you could round it out with a side salad, and you have everything you need for a great meal. Even my pickiest eater loves this dish!
WHY I LOVE THIS RECIPE
This recipe is on of my weeknight go-to meals, and here's why!
- This recipe is so easy to make, yet I always get big smiles when I tell the kids we are having this for dinner.
- It doesn't take much time or much brain-power to make this. I confess that I'm often a little fried at the end of the workday, and I really don't want to undertake a big project to get dinner on the table!
- This recipe is a complete dinner all in one, with the turkey, pasta, and broccoli. Sometimes I serve another vegetable along with it, or I make a quick side salad, but most of the time I just serve it all by itself!
- This dinner isn't full of empty calories! The turkey adds a lean protein and the broccoli lends green-veggie nutrition. Use a fiber-enriched pasta to minimize empty carbs.
- The basil in this dish provides nutritional and medicinal benefits! Basil is actually rich in antioxidants, certain vitamins and minerals, and even has antibacterial properties!
If you don't usually have fresh basil handy and use it in cooking, I recommend buying a large bunch of basil from the store. You should then have plenty to make this recipe, and you can use any remaining leaves to make my broccoli pesto sauce or use them as toppings on my easy pan pizza.
I like to keep a couple of 1 pound packages of ground turkey (or extra lean ground beef) in my freezer, because they are great to have on hand for whipping up quick dinners. Very lean ground meats are my preference because the minimal amount of fat means you don't have to deal with all that messy spattering while you are cooking.
The chopped basil and grated Parmesan cheese really round out the flavors of this delicious dish!
How to make Ground Turkey Pasta Broccoli - Step by Step
Ingredients
You will need a box of pasta, bite-sized broccoli florets, olive oil, ground turkey, paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, minced garlic, salt, fresh basil, and Parmesan cheese.
Just a few ingredients and 30 minutes are all you need for this family favorite meal!
Step 1.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, until the last 2 minutes.
Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
Step 2.
During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli florets. Then drain the pasta and broccoli, return to the pot, and set aside.
During the last two minutes of the pasta cooking, add in the broccoli florets.
Step 3.
While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
Step 4.
Add the turkey, paprika, garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt.
Add the ground turkey, garlic, red pepper flakes, and paprika to the skillet.
Step 5.
Brown the ground turkey while breaking it up and combining it with the spices.
Brown the ground turkey with the spices until it is done.
Step 6.
Add the turkey mixture, the remaining olive oil, and the basil into the pot with the pasta.
Add the browned ground turkey and chopped basil to the saucepan with the drained cooked pasta and blanched broccoli.
Step 7.
Mix well to combine. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.
Mix well to combine. When serving, top generously with Parmesan cheese.
FAQs FOR Ground Turkey Pasta Broccoli Recipe
Can I use leftover holiday turkey in this dish?
Absolutely! If you are using leftover cooked turkey, simply chop it into bite sized pieces. Then, after you heat the olive oil in the skillet, add the garlic and other spices and saute until the garlic start to brown. At that point, add the turkey into the skillet and continue to saute until it warms through.
Can I use ground beef in this recipe?
Yes. Use the leanest ground beef you can get. You will want to drain the fat from the skillet before adding the cooked ground beef mixture to the pasta and broccoli.
What varieties of pasta work best?
I used cellentani pasta because I like the spiral shape, but you can use any pasta in this dish. Rotini, fusilli, and macaroni work well. You can also use penne, gemelli, or mini shells. There are over 600 types of pasta shapes to choose from! For this dish, I recommend pasta shapes that aren't too small (like orzo) or long and stringy (like spaghetti and fettuccine).
Can I use dried basil instead of fresh?
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I don't personally like using dried basil unless I have no other choice. The flavor is not very good and so, if I don't have fresh, I usually just choose to go without.
However, I know it can be a little tough to keep basil fresh for long enough to be able to use it in a recipe, especially if you only do your food shopping once a week like I do.
Luckily, there is another option now which is a really good one! Gourmet Garden has a lightly dried basil which has a really good flavor and stays fresh up to 4 weeks in your refrigerator. It's a great alternative!
MORE TIPS FOR MAKING GROUND TURKEY AND PASTA
- Use a whole grain pasta for extra fiber and nutrition.
- You can reduce the amount of olive oil for an even leaner meal. Use 1 tbsp for browning the ground turkey and then only 1 additional tbsp later in the recipe.
- Once you get the pasta into to boiling water, start browning your turkey. That will help you get dinner on the table as quickly as possible!
- Use jarred minced garlic instead of fresh. It's just as good in this dish and saves you the step of mincing the garlic yourself.
- You can buy bags of pre-washed fresh broccoli florets. This will save you time in cutting and separating the broccoli. I find that sometimes there are large florets, however, so I just look through and cut a few of them here and there to make sure they are all around the same bite-sized dimensions.
- I usually reserve the Parmesan cheese for my family to sprinkle on themselves, but you can certainly just add it in ahead of time by combining it with the rest of the ingredients in the last step.
This turkey, pasta, and broccoli recipe is a perfect quick complete dinner for a busy weeknight!
Variations for making this healthy ground turkey pasta dinner
- Substitute different veggies - spinach, green beans, cauliflower, snow peas, corn, etc. Experiment with different combinations and find the one your family loves the best!
- Try different pastas, such as whole wheat, fiber-enriched, and/or different shapes and sizes. If you have young kids, it might be fun to try alphabet pasta!
- Increase the amount of red pepper flakes if you like a little more heat.
- Use extra lean ground beef instead of ground turkey.
- Throw in a (drained) jar of mushrooms to make this dish even more substantial. Or, if you are feeling really ambitious, use 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms, washed and sliced, and cooked until soft.
- Add in some ranch dressing mix (from packet), Italian seasoning, or even seasoned salt (like the kind from Lawry's) for some extra flavor!
EASY TURKEY PASTA BROCCOLI RECIPE
This entree doesn't really need a side dish, but if you would like to have something else on the table, a steamed green veggie, or a side salad, or even these Pretzel Bites with Olives and Parmesan are great choices!
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Easy Ground Turkey Broccoli Pasta Dinner
Ingredients
- 1 box spiral pasta (12-16 oz box)
- 8 ounces broccoli florets (cut to be bite-sized)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 16-20 ounces ground turkey (to substitute leftover cooked turkey, see notes)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the broccoli.
- Drain the broccoli and pasta and return to the pot. Cover and set aside.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the turkey, paprika, garlic, red pepper flakes and salt.
- Break the turkey into pieces, while cooking until browned. (see notes)
- Add the turkey mixture, the remaining olive oil, and the fresh basil to the pasta pot
- Mix until combined.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese when serving (or mix in just prior to serving).
Notes
- For extra fiber and nutrition, use a whole grain pasta.
- For an even leaner meal reduce the amount of olive oil to 2 tbsp, with 1 tbsp for browning the ground turkey and 1 additional tbsp later in the recipe.
- To be efficient with your time, start browning your turkey right after you get the pasta into the boiling water.
- Jarred minced garlic works great in this recipe and saves you the steps of peeling and mincing fresh garlic.
- Using a bag of pre-washed fresh broccoli florets saves you time as well, just make sure you go through and trim some of the larger florets.
- To use leftover cooked turkey, simply chop it into bite sized pieces. Hold off on adding it to the skillet until after the garlic and other spices are already heated and beginning to brown. Then add the turkey pieces and cook until they are warmed through.
- My family loves this as it is, but if you family would prefer some extra flavor, amp it up by adding some ranch dressing mix, Italian seasoning, or seasoned salt (like Lawry's)!
Nutrition
Update Notes: This post was originally published in July 2015, but was republished with tips, step by step photos, and a recipe change in June 2019.
If you are a fan of ground turkey and pasta...
You might also like this One-Pot Turkey Taco Pasta, or this Quick Turkey Spaghetti.
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Jen
We also add fennel to the meat in this recipe - gives it a 'sausage'-like flavor.
Kristin
Great idea, thanks for the suggestion!
Joseph
Fresh tasting but soooooo bland. Also this site has way too many ads.
Not bad for a quick healthy meal, but lacks something to really make it memorable. Perhaps a bit of lemon
Kristin
Hi Joseph, please see the notes section of the recipe card for my suggestions, it says: "My family loves this as it is, but if your family would prefer some extra flavor, amp it up by adding some ranch dressing mix, Italian seasoning, or seasoned salt (like Lawry's)!" I encourage you to try one of these variations or check out some of the suggestions from other readers in the comments!
As far as the ads go, I understand your concern, but please note that I spend MANY hours developing recipes, taking photos, and writing posts to provide free content for my readers. I am happy to do that and I really enjoy it, but even aside from the value of my time and efforts, running a website actually entails some significant financial investment and the ads are a way to help me recoup some of those costs. I appreciate visitors like you who stop by and tolerate the ads, since without you I would not be able to run this site at all! So thank you so much for understanding and for your support!
Jen
Add some fennel seeds to the meat as it's cooking! Makes the ground turkey taste like sausage!
Leigh
This was amazing! Exactly what I needed to use my leftover ground turkey and still have a fast, delicious, easy, and healthy dinner. I just threw whatever green veggies I had in my freezer in and it was wonderful. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!
Kristin
Yay, so glad you liked it! Thanks for stopping by! 🙂
Alison
odd to see so many comments from people who clearly aren't planning on trying it. y'all wasting space here. :] made this SUPER quickly as a last-minute idea for lunch. it was easy to follow so thanks!!! and so quick. I would recommend only using up to 12oz pasta. I used a whole pound bag of it, as maximum recommended, and it proved to be way too much for the amount of everything else here. therefore it did look dry when I stirred it all up. I added one more tbsp of oil afterward and that seems to make up for it. also I couldn't get fresh basil in a hurry, so I used fresh parsley, and included dried basil in the earlier seasonings. end result is a decent lunch, though having the excess pasta is a bit of a downer. otherwise, I'm overall very glad to have found something that worked when I had very little time to work on it. husband will definitely eat it. thank you so much for a filling and nutritious lunch! <3 also we used shredded parmesan instead of grated :]
Kristin
Great, feedback, thanks, Alison!
Julie Ripper
Delish! The flavors meld together perfectly!
Kristin
Oh, so glad you liked it! 🙂 Thanks, Julie!
jp
Easy to make, and delicious! Family loved it. I added a half jar of warmed Alfredo sauce, and a heated bag of frozen kale (all I had on hand). Will add mushrooms next time. I also added some chopped turkey sausage. There was more than enough for five people.
Kristin
Those are GREAT ideas! I love that you just used some ingredients you had on hand and created a whole new dish using my recipe as the base. I'm so glad it turned out! Thanks for sharing your fabulous ideas!
Sarah
Wow! I tried this meal last night for dinner on a whim. My kids loved it so much that I made it a second night in a row! Thank you for sharing this.
Kristin
That's so awesome to hear! So glad your family likes it! 🙂 Thanks for stopping by to let me know!
Audrey Barker
I did according to directions without basil. Sort of blah. But—-then I added a pack of dry ranch dressing and wah la! It was decent. Dry Italian would have worked too, but after testing both I went with the Ranch.
Kristin
That's a great idea! Glad to hear you were able to adapt more to your tastes. This recipe was great for my family particularly when my kids were little - I confess they did like things more toward the bland side. But it's always easier to add in additional seasoning than to take out, so this recipe definitely leave that kind of wiggle room and you made great use of it! Thanks for stopping by and for the great suggestion!
Dianne Zecchino
I really wanted to like this meal, but unfortunately, found it to be very bland. So disappointed. Even added a Roma tomato, fresh mushrooms,basil from my garden and freshly grated Parma Romano cheese.If I do try this again, I will have to amp it up quite a bit.
Kristin
I am sorry to hear that Dianne. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong...between the red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and basil, we actually find it to be really flavorful! But this is definitely very customizable, so I hope you are able to find a flavor combo that you like better! Thanks for the feedback and I appreciate you stopping by! 🙂
A Fulton
I love this dish! It easy, speedy and delicious. My husband also loved it! Cooking it again tonight and going to add some spinach for extra nutrition and up the red pepper flakes as we love some heat in our dishes 😉 Thank you for the recipe!
Kristin
Yay! So happy to hear that! Thank you so much for stopping by to let me know! 🙂