Easy Shell Pasta with Ground Turkey
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Table of contents
Creating this shell pasta recipe
When I am in a pinch and don’t know what to make for dinner, shell pasta is typically the answer.
It’s easy, quick, perhaps better than running to get fast food, and tastes good! Paired with a veggie and a glass of wine, I’m a happy camper.
Growing up, when my mom would work late nights and my dad was on dinner duty, we had three options: pizza, Chinese (takeout), or he’d make pasta.
I don’t think he ever made anything like this ground turkey pasta recipe; he was more of a bag of frozen ravioli and a jar of red sauce kind of guy. My dad was quite the chef (*wink, wink*).
Psst…before we move on…be sure to check out this post on 10+ quick ground turkey dinner recipe ideas!
This ground turkey recipe is easily made with fridge and pantry staples and is a restaurant-quality pasta. To balance out this easy shell pasta recipe, serve with a yummy side salad.
Sometimes I feel we all think we need to overcomplicate dinner. Cooking is only as hard as you make it out to be. It’s a mindset, right? “I don’t want to cook. I don’t want to have to clean the dishes or go buy ingredients at the store.” It’s something you may need to take time to plan for and make time for. If it’s important to you, it’ll happen!
Ground turkey pasta ingredients
For this easy recipe using ground turkey, you’ll need:
- Medium shells
- Ground turkey
- Olive oil
- Garlic
- Bell pepper
- White mushrooms
- White onion
- Spices
- Beef broth
- Flour
- Tomato sauce
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese
You’re welcome to play around with the veggies you add into this ground turkey pasta. Zucchini would pair nicely with the creamy tomato sauce, as would different types of mushrooms.
How to make ground turkey pasta
- To cook this easy ground turkey recipe, you’ll need one large pan to make everything in.
- Boil water for the pasta and cook pasta according to the package directions.
- Cook ground turkey in a few tablespoons olive oil and set it aside.
- Sauté fresh minced garlic in a little bit of extra virgin olive oil with bell peppers, mushrooms, and onion. Season and cook for about 5 minutes, or until onions become translucent. You’ll thicken with flour (gluten-free if you need it), beef broth, and tomato sauce and simmer until thick and bubbly. Then add the ground turkey back in. So far so good, right?
- Stir in cooked pasta with heavy cream, Parmesan and you’ve got a winning, really delicious, easy dinner!
Can I make this ground turkey pasta gluten-free?
Absolutely! Nowadays, there are so many great pasta alternatives if you want to switch it up (or are gluten-free) — lentil pastas, chickpea pastas, black bean pastas, etc. would all work in this ground turkey pasta recipe. These pastas typically provide more protein and fiber, which is great.
Tips for making ground turkey pasta
Not a ground turkey fan? No problem! You can also opt for ground beef or Italian sausage if you’d prefer.
But if you’re new to the world of recipes using ground turkey, make this shell pasta as written the first time you cook it. With the right seasonings, ground turkey can be incredibly flavorful.
For the best flavor, buy a block of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself, or buy the pre-shredded Parmesan in a bag. Avoid the powdered stuff in a shaker can, as it’s not as flavorful and doesn’t really melt.
Sometimes I place my creamy shell pasta in the oven at 350 degrees F in an oven-safe dish to get it nice and bubbly. If everyone isn’t ready to eat yet, keep it in the oven!
More ground turkey recipes:
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Ground Turkey Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz. medium shell pasta (or pasta of choice)
- 1 lb (16 oz.) ground turkey
- 3 Tbsp. Olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
- 4 oz. white mushrooms, sliced thin or diced
- 1/2 large white onion, diced
- 1 tsp. salt (taste and add more as desired)
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
- 2 Tbsp. flour
- 2 cups beef broth (or chicken broth)
- 1 can (15oz.) tomato sauce
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
Last step! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Instructions
- Boil water for pasta and follow directions on the shell pasta box. Typically 8-10 minutes to cook medium shells.12 oz. medium shell pasta
- In a dutch oven or wide stock pot, heat 2 Tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat and cook the ground turkey. Season the ground turkey with salt and pepper. Once cooked, place ground turkey in a bowl and set aside.3 Tbsp. Olive oil, 1 lb (16 oz.) ground turkey
- Then place remaining tablespoon olive oil in the same pan. Sauté the garlic, bell peppers, mushrooms and onions with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning until fragrant (about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally). Then whisk in the flour until combined. Pour in the beef broth and tomato sauce and let it come to a simmer. Then add in the cooked ground turkey.2 cloves garlic, minced, 1/2 large red bell pepper, diced, 4 oz. white mushrooms, sliced thin or diced, 1/2 large white onion, diced, 1 tsp. salt (taste and add more as desired), 1/2 tsp. pepper, 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning, 2 Tbsp. flour, 2 cups beef broth (or chicken broth), 1 can (15oz.) tomato sauce
- Pour in the cooked shells or pasta of choice, heavy cream and Parmesan. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper, as desired. It may seem soup-y at first, just simmer and stir occasionally until sauce thickens. If you would like it creamier, add more heavy cream.1 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- *Optional to make a pasta bake: place pasta in an oven safe dish (or leave in dutch oven) and bake at 350° F. for and additional 20 minutes. You can top with more Parmesan if desired. Enjoy.
- Other seasonings that make a great addition, but not necessary include garlic power, onion powder, red pepper chili flakes, dried oregano and cayenne.
Equipment
Video
Notes
- Add red pepper chili flakes for a little heat!
- If you don’t want to use heavy cream, you can make this pasta creamy by using whipped ricotta. (or use half heavy cream and whipped ricotta, it’s fun to play with pasta recipes, you can’t really “mess” it up!)
- May sub shell pasta for a different shaped pasta such as rotini or penne. I’ve even made it with cheese tortellini and added in spinach as well for a fun twist!
- Other seasonings that make a great addition, but not necessary include garlic power, onion powder, fennel, seed, dried oregano and cayenne.
- If you make with more pasta (16 oz box of shells) add in more heavy cream or tomato sauce.
- Can add in more ground turkey if you want too!
Nutrition Information
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is automatically calculated. It should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Kroll’s Korner can’t make any guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Just really not a fan. It came out really soupy even though I followed the recipe exactly. Maybe it was the broth, more tomato would’ve been better
Dang, I am so sorry! The great thing about pasta is that it really absorbs the sauce, so hopefully it will thicken up for you.
Fantastic! Adding it to my regular repertoire.
I’m so glad! Thank you!
This was fantastic! My whole family loved it. I love it because it tastes great and it was very easy to make! This will now go into my meal rotation. Thank you!
Really tasty and easy to make! I didn’t have bell peppers, but I used broccoli and yellow squash instead. It worked really well and quick to make. Thanks!
Thank you so much Cristina! Love that swaps with broccoli and squash, I will have to try that next time:) xo, Tawnie
We are eating less beef this year, so looking for alternative proteins. I am also allergic to milk, so cannot have any dairy. I substituted the cream with Vegan Shredded Mozzarella Cheese alternative. I served Parmesan cheese for those who wanted to add it at the table. Family gave it 2 thumbs up- and were licking the plates : )
Hi Shelly! I love those substitutions! I am dairy free right now too and made it with coconut cream the other night and it was delicious! I’ll have to try the vegan mozz next time. I am so glad your family enjoyed it too! xo, Tawnie
This was absolutely amazing! I will be adding this into my rotation. Thank you so much for sharing!
Aw I am so glad you enjoyed it Natalie! Thank you so much! xo, Tawnie
Sooooo good and easy! I didn’t have mushroom so I just added more bell pepper. Such an easy recipe to tweak. Yum!
I made this dish for dinner this past week. It was AMAZING! I did not use mushrooms as I don’t like them and green peppers as they were cheaper. It made for some nice leftovers and definately will be on the menu again 🙂
Hi Nate! So glad this will be making it on your menu again, thank you for making it! 🙂 xo, Tawnie
I used chicken broth, that is what I had and i used cream of mushroom soup i never have whipping cream in the house. I always forget to buy it. But it turned out wonderful.
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed it, thank you Wendy!
This was delicious! I only had a small bag of shells so we also mixed in spaghetti which was goofy but still delicious. I added Italian seasoning, garlic and onion powders and oregano. I also added some halved cherry tomatoes with all the other veggies and used a jar of mushrooms. Sooo good! Even the kiddo loved it!
That sounds amazing, thank you so much Gabby! xo, Tawnie