Decadent, 30 Minute Cheesy Ground Turkey Rotini

Need some help with dinner this week? Got a busy schedule, picky eaters, and a family who loves pasta? This cheesy turkey rotini recipe is packed with flavor, fresh herbs, garlic, and a rich tomato sauce that is sure to satisfy your schedules AND your appetites!

Ingredients for Cheesy Turkey Pasta Skillet (or bake!)

• Pasta! You can use any kind of pasta for this turkey pasta, but I went with a mix of rotini and cavatappi because that’s just what I had on hand – and it’s an easier pasta for my toddlers to pick up and eat with their hands (which is inevitable, no matter how many times I urge them to use their forks!).
• Canned Crushed Tomatoes. Any brand will do the trick, but I’m a huge fan of Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes. One 28oz can is what I use for this recipe.
• Fresh garlic and LOTS of it. I’m one of those weird people who loves it when my fingers smell like garlic for days, but if you’re not a garlic-obsessed-amateur-chef like myself, you can buy it already minced, or use a handy garlic press.
• Fresh mozzarella. I buy the kind that’s already pre-sliced, because have I mentioned I have FIVE children? I’ll pay for convenience when I can. The fresh mozzarella really takes this recipe to the next level, because it melts decadently into the pasta and meat sauce, creating a more rich and delicious dish.
• Yellow onion. You can use white onions or yellow onions. I actually used white but that was only because I didn’t have a yellow one on hand. I tend to prefer yellow onions.
• Ground turkey. Don’t go for lean turkey breast here, just get regular ground turkey. Fat is good for you, haven’t you heard?
• Salt & Pepper (I highly recommend Maldon Celtic Sea Salt!)
• Weber Montana Steak seasoning. I know it sounds odd, since we’re not making steak. But I use this seasoning on basically everything. It’s so so so good.
• Parmesan cheese, shredded, for garnish. I never have time to shred my own fresh parmesan cheese, but I hear it’s way better. I barely have time to brush my teeth though, so I’ll be indulging in the modern nicety of pre-shredded parmesan cheese, at least until my toddlers are teenagers.
• Fresh italian herbs. I admit, I didn’t have fresh herbs on hand tonight, so I used Gourmet Garden Stir-in herb paste, and this stuff is GOOD. I even add it to scrambled eggs, it adds such a lovely bright, fresh flavor to anything savory.
• Butter. Salted butter or unsalted butter. I’m not here to monitor your sodium intake. Personally, I love salted butter so that’s all I buy. But just use a nice pat of butter.

How to Make Cheesy Turkey Pasta in the Skillet

1. Start a pot of water and bring to a boil.
2. Add pasta (rotini, spaghetti, cavatappi, rigatoni, etc) and cook according to the instructions on the box. Drain and set aside when it’s done cooking.
3. In a skillet (cast iron skillet or any other kind) heat up a bit of oil and a pat of butter. Preferably a high quality olive oil or avocado oil, because seed oils are terrible for you so stay away from those if you can.
4. Add your chopped onions to the skillet and cook over medium heat until they start to slightly brown around the edges.
5. Add garlic to the pan and cook with the onions for a few minutes. Lower the heat as needed to ensure you don’t burn the garlic. Garlic is precious – treat it with the respect it deserves.
6. Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook over medium low heat, stirring every few minutes, until the turkey is cooked through and starting to brown or crisp in areas.
7. Add the Gourmet Garden stir-in paste italian herbs and stir to incorporate.
8. Add the Montana Steak Seasoning – a healthy sprinkling.
9. Pour in the canned crushed tomatoes and stir everything together.
10. Let the flavors meld, leave the sauce on low heat for about 10 minutes.
11. Lay slices of fresh mozzarella on top of the sauce and cover with a lid.
12. Let it simmer on low for about 5 minutes, until the cheese is melty.
13. Add some cooked pasta to a plate or a bowl, top with the turkey meat sauce and cheese, garnish with parmesan.
14. If you’re fancier than me and you have fresh italian herbs on hand, now is the time to sprinkle them on top and really make yourself look like a pro chef.

Action shot of the crushed tomatoes – my favorite part, after the sautéing of the onions and garlic!

The final step is laying that fresh mozzarella on top of the meat sauce. This cheese is HEAVEN.

Easy enough to serve to adults and toddlers!

Is Cheesy Turkey Pasta Quick To Make?

It’s not as quick as microwaving a hot pocket, but it’s still a pretty low effort meal for a weeknight. I pulled this meal together in about 45 minutes, but I was bombarded most of that time by my toddlers, stepping over land mines (their legos and cars on the kitchen floor, because of course the best place to play with cars is on the kitchen floor, directly in front of the stove, at 5pm).

Without the constant interruptions from young ones, I think this dish could be made in 30 minutes or less.

It also just so happened that my 1 year old son figured out how to open the freezer tonight so I spent 44 minutes of the 45 minute cooking period telling him, repeatedly, to close the freezer.

Can You Freeze Turkey Pasta?

Yes, you can freeze the meat sauce, but I wouldn’t recommend freezing the pasta. That’s why I keep everything separate as I’m cooking and even after serving. Storing the meat sauce with the pasta will bloat the pasta and it won’t taste very good later.

If you want to freeze the leftover sauce, just pour it into a gallon freezer bag and store in the freezer.

Can I Make Turkey Pasta in the Oven?

Yes, you can make this cheesy turkey pasta recipe in the oven. This dish works well either in the skillet OR the oven as a turkey pasta bake!

If you want to make this as a bake, then simply put the cooked pasta into an oven safe pan, top with the cooked turkey meat sauce, layer the fresh mozzarella cheese on top, and cook in a pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce is bubbly.

Will My Toddler Eat Turkey Pasta Bake?

I can’t speak for your toddler, but my toddlers loved this meal. Using rotini and cavatappi made it easy for them to eat with their hands, the sauce was salty and cheesy and yummy, and I served it with a heaping pile of fresh mango. You know, as a palate cleanser between bites of the rich pasta. Because we’re fancy like that in my house!

Don’t take my word for it though – look at this toddler enjoying her meal!

If your kid has particularly discerning taste buds and you need certified KID TESTED recipes, my friend has you covered with a plethora of proven recipes for kids of all ages. You’re sure to find something over there that your kids will enjoy for dinner tonight.

What Else Can I Make With Ground Turkey?

Ground turkey is great in a variety of meals – it’s a versatile protein and tastes good in stir fry, pasta sauces, egg scrambles, meatballs, meatloaf, over rice with a drizzle of sesame oil and a side of kimchi, and so many other things!

Modifications and Substitutions

There are some fun and easy modifications you make to this recipe as well, like adding in alfredo sauce for an even crazier cheese experience. Or, if your family loves queso, my recent homemade cheesy queso recipe would be an outstanding addition to this meal as well!

You can substitute any ground meat for the ground turkey. I often use ground chicken, but ground sausage or ground beef would be great too.