Enjoy this savory ground turkey pasta recipe for a delicious and healthy meal. Mushrooms bring a depth of flavor to this tomato-based sauce with lean ground turkey. This is an easy recipe for busy weeknights that will delight both your taste buds and your health-conscious sensibilities.
We paired this ground turkey pasta recipe with an excellent red wine from the Montecucco region of Tuscany. Disclosure: The wine highlighted in the article was provided as a complimentary sample.
I love a good pasta with meat sauce. While ground beef is the classic choice, this ground turkey pasta gives you some of the nutritional advantages of turkey without sacrificing flavor.
Ingredients
Here’s an overview of the key ingredients for this ground turkey pasta sauce:
Ground turkey is of course a main ingredient. It is generally leaner than ground beef, particularly in terms of saturated fat. See this article for more information on the nutritional aspects of ground turkey.
Mushrooms help provide additional substance and flavor to this sauce. We used local shiitake mushrooms, but you can use other types of mushrooms you have available.
Basil if you have fresh basil available, that is ideal for its flavor. You can use ½ teaspoon dried basil if you don’t have fresh herbs. We used some basil microgreens, which worked nicely.
Diced tomatoes – I typically use canned tomatoes for this type of pasta sauce, but you could use fresh tomatoes if in season. The recipe called for a 28 ounce can of diced tomatoes, so the equivalent would be about 3 ½ cups of fresh diced tomatoes.
Recipe tips and overview
Here’s an overview of how to make this ground turkey pasta recipe. Head down to the recipe card for all the details.
Start cooking the onions in a large skillet with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
Add the mushrooms to the skillet, stirring to combine with the onions.
After cooking the mushrooms for a few minutes, they will begin to sweat.
Stir in the cooking wine and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until the wine is mostly absorbed.
Add the turkey to the skillet and break up with a heavy spoon.
Cook about 5 minutes until the turkey starts turning white.
Stir in the tomatoes, combining with the turkey and onion / mushroom mixture.
Add the basil and oregano.
We used some microgreen basil, which was very good. Regular fresh basil would work well, or you can use ½ teaspoon of dry basil. Learn more about microgreens in our podcast interview with Smita from Giant Gorilla Greens.
Cook the pasta as the tomatoes simmer with the turkey mixture. The ground turkey pasta sauce will be ready after about 20 minutes of simmering with the tomatoes.
When the pasta is done, toss to combine with the ground turkey and mushrooms sauce. Serve and enjoy!
Wine pairing
I had the wine in mind when making this ground turkey pasta sauce.
To pair with this dish, I opened the 2019 Parmoleto Montecucco Rosso DOC (appx. $11, 14% ABV). This red wine is a blend of 70% Sangiovese, 25% Montepulciano and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine is aged for 10 months in oak barrels.
I get violet and a bit of oak on the nose. Black cherry fruit on the palate. Good structure with some elegance – a well-balanced wine. Decent but not overwhelming acidity.
This is a high-quality wine, comparing favorably with pricier Sangiovese from other places in Tuscany. Definitely a good pairing for the ground turkey pasta sauce! If you can’t find this bottle, try other good quality Sangiovese.
About Montecucco
The Montecucco DOC wine region is a hidden gem nestled in the picturesque landscape of Tuscany, Italy. We’ve had a chance to explore the wines from this region — see for instance our white wine pairing from the region with our Pea and Asparagus Risotto recipe.
In addition, we had a chance to learn more through an interview with Giovan Battista Basile, the President of the Montecucco Consortium. We will be posting that to our YouTube channel soon – stay tuned!
Located close to renowned Tuscan regions such as Brunello di Montalcino and , Montecucco holds its own with a unique terroir that imparts distinct character to its wines. The region is renowned for its red wines made mostly from theSangiovese grape, which thrives in the area’s soils and favorable microclimate. As a less explored part of Tuscany, the Montecucco DOC wine region offers a great chance to enjoy some high quality wines at a reasonable price.
PrintRecipe card
Ground Turkey Pasta Sauce with Mushrooms
Enjoy this savory ground turkey pasta recipe for a delicious and healthy meal. Mushrooms bring a depth of flavor to this tomato-based sauce with lean ground turkey.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 45 mins
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Main
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 ½ cups mushrooms, chopped or sliced
- ½ cup red wine
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- handful of fresh basil or ½ teaspoon dried basil
- salt and pepper to taste
- cooked pasta to toss with the sauce
Instructions
- Start cooking the onions: Heat the tablespoon olive oil on medium heat in a large skillet. Add the chopped onion, and cook about 5 minutes until it begins to soften. Stir occasionally.
- Add the mushrooms: Stir in the mushrooms, and cook for a few minutes until they begin to sweat. Stir in the ½ cup cooking wine and minced garlic. Lower heat to medium low, and cook until the wine is mostly absorbed, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the turkey, breaking it up with a heavy spoon. Raise heat back to medium, and cook about 5 minutes until the turkey starts turning white on the outside.
- Add the tomatoes along with the oregano and basil, stirring to combine with the turkey. Raise heat to get the tomatoes simmering, then reduce to simmer on medium low. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook the pasta as the ground turkey tomato sauce simmers. The sauce should should simmer with the tomatoes for about 20 minutes.
- Drain the pasta when it is ready, and toss with the sauce. Serve topped with grated Parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- Turkey is generally leaner than ground beef, so it doesn’t benefit as much from long simmering. About 20 minutes simmering after the tomatoes are added is about right. Another 5 or 10 minutes would be fine.
- Fresh herbs are great to use if you have them, especially fresh basil.
More ground turkey recipes
If you like to use ground turkey, we have several more recipes for you to try!
You can also check out our ground turkey recipes category page for more ideas.
Jamie
This is such a great-looking pasta dish! Looks absolutely delicious and is a complete meal that everyone will love and enjoy eating! Plus we can never go wrong with pasta!
Amy Liu Dong
I love this! I love my pasta with mushrooms and this recipe just met my standards in pastas! Amazing and delicious!