Made with marinara, lean ground turkey, and a handful of hidden veggies, this creamy ground turkey pasta comes together in 30-minutes. A healthy, family-friendly weeknight dinner with real-food ingredients the whole family will love!

Close up shot of a pan filled with cooked pasta shells, ground turkey, and marinara on the gray background with a wooden spoon.

5 star review

“I made this again, the same way and still delicious! My boyfriend said it’s the best meal he’s ever eaten. Thank you!!”

– Kris
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My Favorite Creamy Ground Turkey Pasta Dish

Getting real-food dinners on busy weeknights is one of my specialties, and this ground turkey pasta is one of my favorite ways to do it without compromise. My goal with this one was a one-skillet meal that would feed the whole family, lean on pantry staples, and deliver enough flavor that nobody notices it’s secretly packed with vegetables. What makes this recipe work is the balance of ease and substance, and it’s the kind of dinner that’s fast enough for a weeknight but good enough that everyone goes back for seconds.

A couple of tips to make things easy. First, grating the zucchini and carrot on a box grater is the key to hiding the veggies in the sauce! Diced pieces stay visible, but grated veggies melt into the marinara so even picky eaters won’t spot them. And be sure to reserve a half cup of pasta water and add it gradually at the end with a few tablespoons of cream cheese. This combo is what pulls everything together into a silky, cohesive sauce that clings to the shells .

Serve this ground turkey pasta with a simple green salad and crusty garlic bread and everyone will be very happy. Leftovers reheat beautifully, just add a splash of water or broth when warming them up to loosen the sauce. And for the best flavor, the homemade marinara sauce I use here takes 30 minutes and makes a real difference in the final dish. Then, when you want another ground turkey dinner with the same cozy Italian flavors, check my equally easy turkey spaghetti.

Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Pasta with Ground Turkey

Jump to Recipe Instructions
Ingredients for ground turkey pasta, including ground turkey, pasta shells, marinara, grated zucchini, cream cheese, chopped onion and spices.
Gather the ingredients.
Cooked zucchini, carrot, and onion in a large pan.
Cook the onion, grated zucchini and carrot.
Cooked zucchini, carrot, and onion with raw ground turkey and spices in a large pan.
Add the turkey, spices, and salt.
Cooked ground turkey with vegetables and garlic.
Add the garlic, then the marinara sauce.
Ground turkey with cooked pasta shells and marinara.
Add the cream cheese, then the cooked pasta and pasta water.
Overhead shot of a pan filled with cooked pasta shells, ground turkey, and marinara on the gray background.
Simmer to thicken, then top with parmesan.
Overhead shot of a pan filled with cooked pasta shells, ground turkey, and marinara with basil and parmesan on the gray background.

Testing Tips for Ground Turkey and Pasta

  • Peel the zucchini before grating if you don’t want green flecks showing in the final sauce! The skin is perfectly fine to eat, but some family members spot it and the whole hidden-veggie plan is blown.
  • Undercook the pasta by 2-3 minutes before draining. It finishes cooking in the sauce during that final simmer and absorbs flavor along the way, which is what you want instead of fully cooked noodles that turn mushy.
  • Don’t skip reserving the pasta water! That starchy liquid is what emulsifies the sauce with the cream cheese and gives you that restaurant-style silky texture.
  • If you can, let the cream cheese sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before adding it to the pan, or cube it small before stirring in. Cold cream cheese takes longer to melt and can leave white streaks in the sauce.
  • Double the batch and freeze half for a future dinner! The sauce freezes beautifully on its own, so cook the pasta fresh when you’re ready to serve and just reheat the sauce gently on the stovetop with a splash of water to loosen.
A wooden spoon scooping a serving of cooked shell pasta with ground turkey and marinara.
Close up shot of a pan filled with cooked pasta shells, ground turkey, and marinara on the gray background with a wooden spoon.
4.95 stars (38 ratings)

Ground Turkey Pasta (Healthy 30-Minute Dinner)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 6
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Ground turkey pasta simmered in a quick marinara sauce with hidden veggies. A healthy 30-minute dinner for busy family weeknights.
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Ingredients

  • (8-oz) medium-sized pasta shells
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • ¾ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cups grated zucchini 
  • 1 cup grated carrot
  • 1 pound 93% lean ground turkey
  • 1 teaspoon no-salt added Italian seasoning
  • 4 garlic cloves minced
  • 3 cups (24-oz) marinara sauce

To Add at the End

  • 3 tablespoons cream cheese

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to taste, then cook the pasta 2-3 minutes short of the package instructions. Carefully ladle out ½ cup pasta water and set aside. Drain the pasta and set aside.
  • Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini and carrot, sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt, then cook until softened, about 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Turn the heat to medium high, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, turkey, ¼ teaspoon salt and Italian seasoning. Break the turkey into small pieces, then cook until browned and cooked through, about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the marinara sauce, stir, cover and bring to a strong simmer. Reduce to a low simmer and cook, covered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the cream cheese, stirring until well incorporated. Add the drained pasta along with the pasta cooking water, stirring to combine. Simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.
  • Serve sprinkled with parmesan cheese and fresh basil if desired.

Notes

  • Zucchini: You can also peel the zucchini first if you want to avoid any green parts appearing in the final sauce. Then cook the veggies until tender, add the turkey and spices, brown, then add the marinara and cream cheese to finish the sauce.
  • Pasta Water: Toss in the cooked pasta along with the reserved pasta water for a restaurant-quality pasta dinner at home!
  • Smart Prep: While the pasta cooks, chop the onion and grate the carrot and zucchini, which allows the vegetables to “melt” into the sauce and become mostly undetectable. 
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 6), Calories: 374kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 0.1g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 748mg, Potassium: 816mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 4317IU, Vitamin C: 19mg, Calcium: 72mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition disclaimer
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