Creamy Cheesy Ground Turkey Penne
Looking for the ultimate comfort food? This creamy, cheesy dinner is one of the best ground turkey pasta recipes for busy weeknights. Healthy, budget-friendly, and kid-approved!
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Dutch oven or large pan
Ingredients
Pasta & Base
- 12 oz penne pasta or pasta of choice
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion diced
Protein & Seasoning
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 2 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 5 cloves garlic minced
Sauce & Cheese
- 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 15 ounce tomato sauce 1 can
- 1 cup half and half
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of boiling pasta water before draining. Set the pasta aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven set over medium heat. Cook the onions until soft and translucent, approximately 5 minutes.
- Add the ground turkey and cook over medium to medium-high heat, breaking it into small bite-size pieces. Once cooked, season with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning and stir in the minced garlic.
- Sprinkle the ground turkey with 2 tablespoons of flour and mix well. Pour in the chicken broth and the tomato sauce and let it come to a simmer.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and pour in the half-and-half. Stir to combine. Use reserved pasta water if a thinner sauce is desired.
- Stir in half of the mozzarella and cheddar cheese. Top with the remaining cheese, cover with a lid on low heat until melted, then garnish with parsley and chili flakes.
Notes
Since ground turkey is quite lean, don't be afraid to add a tiny splash of extra olive oil if it looks dry. Freshly grated cheese melts much smoother than the bagged kind!
