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Home » Recipes » Main Dishes » Ground Turkey Spaghetti

Ground Turkey Spaghetti

February 16, 2023 by Christy Gurin 19 Comments

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This ground turkey spaghetti recipe is lightened up with ground turkey, but homemade and so flavorful you’d never know it’s turkey!

Table of Contents

  • Why You’ll Love This Recipe
  • Simple Ingredients
  • How to Make Turkey Spaghetti
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Storage, Freezing Pasta Sauce and Meal Prep
  • Additions and Substitutions
  • Other Recipes You’ll Love
  • Side Dishes to Serve with Turkey Spaghetti
  • Turkey Spaghetti
    • Equipment
    • Ingredients US CustomaryMetric
    • Instructions
    • Notes
    • Nutrition
      • did you make this recipe?
overhead close up of ground turkey spaghetti on a white plate

Homemade spaghetti sauce is one of my ultimate favorite things to make and this turkey spaghetti recipe does not disappoint! Sure, you can go with the pre-made stuff in a pinch, but making it from scratch really isn’t that hard and the little bit of extra effort is totally worth it.

Most of my recipes are quick and easy and I have plenty of 30-minute dinners for busy weeknights but this one is simmered over time for depth of flavor. This ground turkey pasta is a lazy Sunday sauce that simmers and fills the house with the aroma of a delicious homemade meal that the whole family (even the picky eaters!) will love.

I’ve tried one pot spaghetti and have several recipes using jarred tomato sauces which all have their time and place but nothing compares to this turkey spaghetti. I like to freeze the leftover sauce for a quick weeknight dinner later on and am always grateful I did! It will be a family favorite that the kids will beg you to make.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

  • Simple recipe where you can sit back and relax while the sauce is simmering – it takes time but it’s an easy dinner!
  • Makes TONS of sauce to serve for company or to freeze and reheat later
  • Flexible, pretty much foolproof, and easy to tweak based on what you have on hand
  • Seasoning the turkey itself instead of just the sauce makes it so flavorful
  • The recipe includes bell pepper and carrots to sneak some veggies in and make it more nutritious
  • It has rave reviews so it’s tried and true
vertical overhead of plate of spaghetti next to large pot and noodles

Simple Ingredients

  • Lean ground turkey: the turkey is the star of the show allowing you to eat delicious spaghetti without red meat. I used 85% lean turkey. A lighter, leaner meat means this recipe is lighterbut still full of protein.
  • Turkey sausage links: sausage will provide a great kick of flavor, and similar to our ground turkey, using turkey sausage means this recipe is healthier than other spaghetti sauces. You can substitute for more a half pound of ground turkey though if you prefer since that’s easier.
  • Olive oil: to cook the turkey and veggies in (can substitute avocado or another cooking oil)
  • Bell peppers: bell peppers give some extra nutrition to the sauce.
  • Onion: what’s a spaghetti sauce without the texture and flavor of onions? You’ll chop and use a whole yellow onion. Substitute a white or sweet onion in it’s place.
  • Garlic: garlic is essential for a good spaghetti sauce and you can measure to your own preference. Jarred garlic instead of actual garlic cloves is fine here.
  • Carrots: sneak in some extra veggies by mincing and adding them to your sauce.
  • Crushed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste: Yes, all of these canned versions of tomatoes work together to bring your sauce to life!
  • Salt and pepper: I use Himalayan pink sea salt and fine ground black pepper but use whatever you prefer.
  • Seasonings: Worcestershire, crushed red pepper flakes, fennel seed, bay leaves, fresh basil, oregano and parsley and an optional bit of sugar. For the fresh herbs, you can substitute dried just use less and and it earlier on with the meat. I’ve even substituted a few Tablespoons of Italian seasoning in place of the herbs and it turned out fine. Its delicious as written but you can and adjust to your own preferences or what you have on hand!
  • Noodles: Serve it over noodles (can use gluten free or whole grain noodles) or roasted spaghetti squash to make it low-carb. OR use it in any recipe calling for a meaty marinara sauce.

How to Make Turkey Spaghetti

  1. In a dutch oven or large sauce pan, heat oil over medium heat before adding chopped onion and peppers. Saute onions and peppers for 2 – 3 minutes to soften.
  2. Add carrots, garlic, ground turkey, and turkey sausage and cook while breaking into small pieces with a spatula.
  3. Once you’ve mostly browned the turkey, add salt, pepper, Worcestershire, red pepper flakes, and fennel.
  4. Add crushed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and let simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
    spaghetti sauce in a large pot
  5. Add chopped fresh herbs in the last 15 minutes of cooking. This is the time you’d want to boil the noodles too!
  6. Drain the al dente noodles (if using) and plate the pasta.
    noodles in a strainer
  7. Ladle sauce on top of noodles and garnish with additional chopped parsley and parmesan cheese if desired before serving over pasta.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this spaghetti sauce recipe gluten free?

Yes! You can use gluten free Worcestershire to make it a gluten free spaghetti sauce and serve with gluten free pasta.

Can I use another meat?

Of course! If you’re just trying to make a spaghetti meat sauce, you can substituted with ground chicken, ground beef, sausage, venison or whatever you prefer. You can also make the sauce vegetarian and serve over meatballs if desired.

side angle of plate of spaghetti with red sauce

Storage, Freezing Pasta Sauce and Meal Prep

Unless you are cooking for a crowd, you may want to freeze some of the sauce for a future meal or reduce the quantity you make using the serving size adjustment tool in the recipe card, reducing from 12 servings to 6. If cutting the recipe in half, you can make it in a large skillet but make sure it has high walls to avoid splattering.

This ground turkey spaghetti recipe was developed for meal prep and makes enough sauce to cover approximately two lbs. of uncooked spaghetti noodles. It was made this way since the sauce simmers for so long and becomes so delicious that you’ll want to have some stashed away!

Here are some general guidelines:
Refrigerator storage: Let sauce cool before plating in a tightly sealing container and storing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
Freezing: To freeze, allow sauce to cool completely and then ladle into airtight freezer safe containers and place in freezer. Sauce can be frozen for 3-6 months depending on the container type and how much air is removed.

vertical side view of plate of ground turkey spaghetti

Additions and Substitutions

Red Wine: You can add half a cup of red wine to the turkey/veggie mix for more depth of flavor. If you do this, let meat simmer in the wine for a minute or two, before dumping the tomatoes in.

Herbs: I use fresh herbs here, but you can sub in about 1/3 to 1/2 the amount if using dried. You can also sub for an Italian seasoning blend. If you do this, add the dried herbs in earlier with the tomatoes.

Meatless: You can leave the turkey and sausage out and use this as meatless marinara sauce for recipes like these ground turkey cabbage rolls!

Diced tomatoes: for a chunkier sauce use plain or fire roasted diced tomatoes in place of one of the cans of tomato sauce.

More hidden veggies: I added carrot and red pepper since they go unnoticed in the sauce. Feel free to add whatever veggies you prefer. Riced cauliflower would be great to add in during that last 15 minutes of cook time. Tip: look for the convenient microwavable shelf stable packets at Costco where they’re lower cost).

Balsamic vinegar: a lot of people love adding vinegar to their spaghetti sauce. I personally think the tomatoes add enough acidity but if you’re a balsamic vinegar lover you may want to give this one a try.

One pot: some recipes add cups of chicken broth to turn it into a true one pot meal which you can experiment with.

Other Recipes You’ll Love

  • Instant Pot Beef Stroganoff
  • Bison Meatballs – another excellent meal prep recipe for doubling and freezing!
  • Eggplant Lasagna Roll Ups
  • Roasted Vegetable Pasta

Side Dishes to Serve with Turkey Spaghetti

  • Easy air fryer broccoli
  • Roasted asparagus or air fryer asparagus
  • Lemon kale salad
Recipe
overhead close up of ground turkey spaghetti on a white plate
Recipe
5 from 5 votes
click the stars to rate!

Turkey Spaghetti

Created by: Christy Gurin
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins
Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
12 servings
This turkey spaghetti sauce recipe is lightened up with ground turkey, but homemade and so flavorful you'd never know it's turkey!

Equipment

  • 2 Dutch oven or large pot one for spaghetti sauce and the other for the noodles
  • 1 Cutting board
  • 1 Chef knife
  • 1 Measuring cups and spoons set
  • 1 Spatula or wooden spoon

Ingredients
 

  • 1 1/2 lbs. lean ground turkey
  • 2 turkey sausage links casing removed and discarded (can substitute extra 1/2 lb. of ground turkey instead)
  • 1 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 bell peppers seeded and chopped
  • 1 large onion chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • 2 large carrots peeled and finely minced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons Worcestershire
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed
  • 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes
  • 28. oz. can stewed tomatoes
  • 15 oz. can tomato sauce
  • 12 oz. tomato paste Two 6 oz. cans
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped basil or 1 1/2 Tbsp. dried (adjust to taste)
  • 2 teaspoons fresh chopped oregano or 1 tsp. dried
  • 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
  • 1 teaspoon sugar optional
  • 32 ounces Spaghetti noodles see notes for quantity and meal prep

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add onion and peppers and cook for 2 – 3 minutes to soften.
  • Add carrots, garlic, ground turkey, and turkey sausage and cook while breaking into small pieces with a spatula.
  • While turkey is finishing browning, add salt, pepper, worcestershire, red pepper flakes, and fennel.
  • Add crushed tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and let simmer uncovered for 45 minutes to 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  • During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, add chopped fresh herbs. If sauce is too acidic, add sugar to taste (normally 1-2 teaspoons but I often leave it out). This is the time to boil the noodles too!
  • If serving with pasta, drain and plate al dente pasta as the sauce finishes cooking.
  • Ladle sauce onto pasta and garnish with additional chopped parsley and parmesan cheese if desired.

Notes

Quantity: This recipe was developed for meal prep and makes enough sauce to cover approximately two lbs. of uncooked spaghetti noodles. To make less sauce, simply use the serving size button to reduce in half by entering 6 servings instead of 12. This will reduce the quantities automatically. 
To make low carb: serve over roasted spaghetti squash.
Storage: Let sauce cool before plating in a tightly sealing container and storing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. 
Freezing: To freeze, allow sauce to cool completely and then ladle into airtight freezer safe containers and place in freezer. Sauce can be frozen for 3-6 months depending on the container type. 
 

Nutrition

Calories: 472kcal | Carbohydrates: 77g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 1086mg | Potassium: 1226mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 3379IU | Vitamin C: 49mg | Calcium: 101mg | Iron: 5mg

did you make this recipe?

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Originally published February 20, 2015. Recipe remains the same but post content has been edited to provide more detail.

posted in: Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten-Free, Keto, Low-Carb, Main Dishes, Meal Prep, Stovetop, Turkey

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    Comments & Reviews

  1. Mary says

    April 19, 2021

    I’m counting calories, so am assuming when you say each serving is 198 calories, the serving size is one cup? Just a guesstimate on my part without actually measuring it out.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      May 13, 2021

      Hi Mary – this makes an absolutely huge batch, enough to serve 12 people and the nutrition facts are for 1/12th of the recipe. Sorry, I did not measure it out so I’m not sure how much that is exactly.

      Reply
  2. Eve Hunt says

    July 8, 2019

    5 stars
    Thank you so much for wonderful recipes! What I love about your website most of all is that you post not only great recipes and descriptions but also stunning photos of food! Have a nice day!

    Reply
  3. Alisha Ross says

    June 4, 2019

    5 stars
    I love trying new recipes with vegetables with my kids. My daughter is the master at the food processor and Kitchenaid mixer. We also love baking low carb desserts from your site!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      June 11, 2019

      Happy to hear you and your kids like my recipes! I can’t wait to cook with my daughter when she’s big enough!:)

      Reply
  4. Moses Brodin says

    June 3, 2019

    Well I thought I had bought ground turkey but instead bought sausage!! How could I have done that!! And thank you for the brown rice link, and yup that was the one!! Anyway I did make this tonight but instead of turkey I used ground beef! It was all I had and I wanted to make this so bad. But guess what – it was fantastic!! I know it would have been healthier with the turkey but this was, as my husband said — give it two yums!!! Thanks again

    Reply
  5. Sheila Davidson says

    May 24, 2019

    For a creamy style sauce … add 1/4 cup soft goat cheese.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      May 27, 2019

      Oh my lands! That sounds so incredibly good! Goat cheese would be such a great addition to this.

      Reply
  6. Moses Brodin says

    April 17, 2019

    This is an awesome easy fall dinner! I love the contrasting textures and flavors.

    Reply
  7. Denise says

    January 24, 2019

    NOT A GLUTEN FREE RECIPE! This recipe says it’s “naturally” gluten-free yet one of the ingredients is Worcester sauce which is made from wheat and is widely known as containing gluten. Obviously those of us cooking gluten-free can skip the Worcester sauce if we are aware it contains gluten. When printing recipes online, please review ingredients and don’t tout them as something they aren’t.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      January 26, 2019

      Good to know, thanks Denise! I’ll add that clarification in the recipe.

      Reply
    • Yvonne says

      March 3, 2019

      Actually, there is gluten free Worcester Sauce. I know this because my grand daughter can neither have wheat nor corn and I have purchase it.

      Reply
      • Christy says

        March 24, 2019

        The kind I buy is gluten free too (Lea & Perrins) so I assumed they all were. I’ll add a note in about that brand for others wondering the same thing! 🙂

  8. Lola Rusin says

    May 16, 2018

    5 stars
    I made this yesterday and my family absolutely LOVED it!!! This is a keeper and works within my Weight Watchers Freestyle program.
    Thank you!
    Lola

    Reply
    • Christy says

      May 16, 2018

      Oh good!!! Happy to hear it Lola! This is one of my all time favorites. And as an aside, I almost named my daughter Lola. 🙂

      Reply
  9. Vicki says

    December 19, 2015

    5 stars
    This was delicious! I was afraid of the fennel…but it gave the sauce the best flavor! I didn’t have fresh oregano…I’m sure it would have been even better! Thanks so much..it’s a keeper!

    Reply
    • Christy says

      December 19, 2015

      So glad you liked it Vicki! I have an oregano bush so I’m always looking for ways to use it. Dried works just fine too though if you use a little less than the recipe calls for.

      Reply
  10. Kate @ Babaganosh.org says

    February 24, 2015

    5 stars
    Great idea to use turkey in a pasta sauce – healthier and probably tastes as good as beef covered in sauce.

    I haven’t tried quinoa pasta either, but it’s definitely something I’ve been curious about and will buy when I run out of pasta reserves at home. By the way, isn’t it awesome when you find frozen sauce, or pre-portioned frozen food? It makes me feel so proud of myself and so responsible when I think ahead like that.

    Reply
    • Christy says

      February 24, 2015

      Funny you should say that – I know exactly what you mean! Just yesterday I found some leftover pulled pork in the freezer and felt like such a domestic diva.

      In other news – my freezer *might* be in need of a deep clean…

      Reply

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Christy - Author of Feasting Not Fasting.

Hi, Im Christy

The foodie, photographer and recipe developer behind Feasting Not Fasting, a site centered on making it easier to eat healthy.

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