Ground turkey zucchini pasta
A light, garlicky tomato pasta loaded with ground turkey and golden zucchini, finished with parmesan and basil.
- 30 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.87 a serving
- 650 calories
- Good the next day
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 12 oz penne
- 1 lb ground turkey
- ½ yellow onion, chopped
- 2 zucchini, cut into half-moons
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 can diced tomatoes
- ½ cup grated parmesan
- ¼ cup fresh basil, torn (optional)
From your pantry
- 1¼ tbsp salt, divided
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Each serving has about 650 calories, 38 g protein, 76 g carbs and 21 g fat, and costs about $2.87 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No penne? Rigatoni or elbow macaroni works.
- No ground turkey? Ground chicken works.
- No yellow onions? White onions or red onions work.
- No zucchini? Yellow squash works.
- No diced tomatoes? Crushed tomatoes work.
- No grated parmesan? Parmesan wedge works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Fill a large pot with water, add 1 tablespoon of the salt, and over high heat.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cook the penne as the package says. Scoop out ½ cup of the , then .
Reserve pasta water. It means scooping out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta. A splash helps the sauce cling and turn silky, and it’s the step everyone forgets.
How you’ll know: A mug of cloudy water is sitting by the stove before the pasta goes into the colander.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
High heatTimer: 11 min
While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a large over medium-high. Add the turkey and onion and cook 7 minutes, breaking up the turkey, until no pink remains.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min
Food safety: Ground turkey and ground chicken are done at 165°F, with no pink left anywhere in the pan.
Push the turkey to one side, add the zucchini to the empty side, and cook 4 to 5 minutes, turning once, until and just tender.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium-high heatTimer: 4 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Leave the zucchini alone so it browns. Stirring it constantly makes it watery.Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and pepper flakes and 30 seconds.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Medium heat
in the tomatoes and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt and 5 minutes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 5 min
Add the pasta, parmesan and of the and until glossy. Serve with basil on top.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Reserve pasta water. It means scooping out a cup of the starchy cooking water before you drain the pasta. A splash helps the sauce cling and turn silky, and it’s the step everyone forgets.
How you’ll know: A mug of cloudy water is sitting by the stove before the pasta goes into the colander.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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