Ground Turkey Spaghetti

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

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

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.
   
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.
   
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

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.

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

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