Ground Turkey Pasta
This Ground Turkey Pasta is a super easy meal that is packed with flavor for a perfect quick dinner option! This orzo dish has ground turkey, spinach, pine nuts and golden raisins, all topped with olive oil and shaved parmesan. The complexity of flavors in this Mediterranean-inspired dish is amazing, but you don't have to spend a long time getting this dinner together!
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Easy Ground Turkey Pasta Recipe
Quick dinners. We all know how important it is to have those quick-and-easy dinner recipes in our arsenal. This particular recipe came about when we first moved to Arizona when we were living with my parents.
My mom and I would take turns making dinner for the five of us (my parents, grandmother, husband and me) and at one point we discovered this recipe. I don't remember the original, but it used leftover chicken so we would often make grilled chicken to use for this. One time we had ground turkey so that's what we used, and it turned out so perfectly that I haven't made it with chicken since.
I'm going to show you how I make this recipe at least once a week, and how easy it is to customize based on what you have. I think you're going to love it too!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This dish is one of those that fools you a little bit... It tastes so good, and there is so much variety in flavors that it feels fancy. You think someone toiled over it. The truth is...
- This recipe is ready in under 30 minutes, which is something we all need some days!
- This dish makes enough to share or to have leftovers ready for a few days! It's great for meal prep.
- It tastes so fancy. This one feels like takeout from an upscale Mediterranean place.
Ingredients & Substitutions
I mentioned the complexity of flavor in this dish and it's truly one of the things I love most about this recipe. Let me lay this out for you. This orzo dish has ground turkey, spinach, pine nuts and golden raisins.
There is no real "sauce" to this pasta, just olive oil, salt, pepper, spices like Italian seasoning and it's topped with shaved parmesan.
But it's easy to customize: Use sausage or ground chicken. You can chop the spinach up into super small pieces, if you need to hide it from the kids (or adults - lol). Skip any of the mix-ins or add your own. Olives, kale, lentils, fresh oranges... You have sweet, savory, salty, crunchy and soft all combined into one dish.
Orzo is a pasta that I didn't get exposed to until after college but it's such a great one! It's lighter than a lot of pastas because the pieces are so small. But you can make this with other small pasta like pearl couscous, ditalini and acini di pepe, or even with rice.
Extra orzo? Use it to make Chicken Orzo Soup!
How to Make Ground Turkey Pasta
Making this pasta dinner is super simple!
First get out a medium skillet, then turn up the heat to medium high. Season ground turkey with salt and pepper, then brown the meat. Remove turkey from pan and set aside once cooked. (You can put it on a paper towel-lined plate to drain any grease.)
Meanwhile, add about 2 cups of water to medium pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add orzo (or whatever pasta you are using).
In the pan used for the turkey, toast pine nuts on medium-low heat, tossing occasionally with a wooden spoon, until pine nuts are light golden brown. Return the turkey to pan with pine nuts and add spinach and raisins. Cover and set to low heat. This allows the spinach to wilt slightly and the raisins to get a bit of moisture.
Drain orzo once cooked. If it will fit, add to pan with turkey and toss with olive oil and spices. This will help wilt the spinach as well. If not, toss everything in a large bowl. Add shaved parmesan cheese on top right before serving, and enjoy!
This dish makes enough to share or to have leftovers ready for a few days! You could also half the recipe if you don't need as much.
FAQ
Orzo is ready when it's tender but still has a slight bite - like al dente pasta. The best way to tell is to taste a piece. It should be soft on the outside but not mushy. Another sign: the pasta will swell a bit and look plump, not chalky in the center.
Let the orzo and turkey mixture cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 3 to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of broth or water to loosen it back up.
More pasta dishes
Did you make this recipe?
If you make and love this recipe, please leave a ★★★★★ review below! It means so much to me when you try my recipes, and I'd love to know how it goes. Please leave a comment below if you have any questions.
Spinach Turkey Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups orzo
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 1 ½ cups loosely packed spinach cut into 1 inch pieces
- ½ cup golden raisins
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasonings
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- ½ cup shaved parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a medium skillet, season ground turkey with salt and pepper, then brown the meat. Remove turkey from pan and set aside once cooked.
- Meanwhile, add about 2 cups of water to medium pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add orzo
- In the pan used for the turkey, toast pine nuts on medium-low heat, tossing occasionally with a wooden spoon, until pine nuts are light golden brown.
- Return turkey to pan with pine nuts and add spinach and raisins. Cover and set to low heat. This allows the spinach to wilt slightly and the raisins to get a bit of moisture.
- Drain orzo once cooked. If it will fit, add to pan with turkey and toss with olive oil and spices. This will help wilt the spinach as well. If not, toss everything in a large bowl.
- Add shaved parmesan cheese on top right before serving.
Nutrition
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Best dinner ever - Charlie, almost 4 years old
This is really good. I did NOT put a tablespoon of salt or pepper—a teaspoon each was adequate. I used regular raisins (delish!) and waaaaay more spinach than the recipe->4 full hands full. YUM. My orzo was no longer in a package and my kitchen scale wasn’t working, so who knows if I had the right amount. But I love orzo, so who cares.
Will make again.
I actually love to use more spinach too - I'm glad you went for it! The golden raisins are fun, but regular raisins work too! So glad you enjoyed it, Diane!