This ground turkey pasta sauce is rich, zesty, and easy to make! Just a quick prep and the sauce simmers until rich and thick.

This is a healthy ground turkey recipe, perfect served over pasta or even spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles. Add in a side salad and some crusty bread for the perfect meal.

Turkey Spaghetti Sauce on a plate with pasta

An Easy Weeknight Meal

This saucy recipe is a family favorite.

  • It’s a healthier choice made with ground turkey but ground chicken works in this recipe too.
  • I love that the prep time is quick and then it’s hands off as it simmers.
  • This recipe reheats (and freezes) beautifully so feel free to double the recipe.

ingredients for Turkey Spaghetti Sauce on a sheet pan

Ingredients and Variations

GROUND TURKEY Ground turkey is the perfect lower fat protein in this meal (ground chicken works too).

VEGGIES Onion and garlic with bell pepper give the sauce a great flavor. If you have leftover roasted vegetables, toss them in!

TOMATOES Crushed tomatoes for the base, diced tomatoes for texture, and tomato paste for thickening.

HERBS Fresh herbs are added at the end of cooking for great fresh flavor. If substituting dried, reduce the amount by 2/3 and add them at least 30 minutes before serving as as the herbs will need a little bit of time to rehydrate and flavor the sauce.

Turkey Spaghetti Sauce in a pot with basil and parsley

How to Make Ground Turkey Pasta Sauce

Cook up this one-pot, healthy turkey recipe anytime a pasta or casserole is needed!

  1. Brown ground turkey, onion, and garlic in a large stockpot.
  2. Add remaining ingredients (per recipe below) and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened.

Serve over pasta, garnish with Parmesan cheese, and don’t forget to serve with a side of garlic toast.

Turkey Spaghetti Sauce in a pot

Leftovers

Store cooled turkey pasta sauce in a covered container in the refrigerator for about 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop and serve as desired.

For batch cooking, make at least two batches and freeze in quart-sized zippered bags with the date labeled on the outside. Turkey pasta sauce will keep up to 3 months in the freezer, just long enough to get through the winter!

Ground Turkey Favorites

Did you enjoy this Ground Turkey Pasta Sauce? Be sure to leave a rating and comment below!

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Turkey Spaghetti Sauce on a plate with pasta
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Ground Turkey Pasta Sauce

Ground turkey pasta sauce is loaded with three kinds of tomatoes and healthy low-fat ground turkey.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 6 cups
Author Holly Nilsson
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Ingredients  

  • 1 pound ground turkey
  • 1 large onion diced
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 28 ounces canned diced tomatoes
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
  • ¾ cup water
  • 1 large green bell pepper diced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Instructions 

  • Brown ground turkey with onion and garlic until no pink remains. (Drain fat if needed).
  • Add remaining ingredients (except parsley & basil) slightly breaking up the tomatoes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer uncovered 1 hour or until desired consistency.
  • Stir in parsley & basil.
  • Serve over hot pasta.

Notes

Any ground meat can be substituted for ground turkey in this recipe.
Add your favorite vegetables, panfry them quickly in a little bit of oil, and let them simmer along with the sauce.
This freezes well, double (or triple) the recipe, and save extras for future meals.
 
5 from 10 votes

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 180 | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 665mg | Potassium: 1055mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 941IU | Vitamin C: 54mg | Calcium: 119mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Dinner, Pasta
Cuisine Italian
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Ground Turkey Pasta Sauce in the pot with a title
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About the author

Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
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Comments

  1. This sauce is amazing!!! Seriously the best I’ve had in a long time. I used dried herbs (perhaps you could add the correct dried amounts to the recipe?) and it smelled and tasted heavenly. Thank you so much!5 stars