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January 19, 2023 By Julia Pinney Leave a Comment

Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

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Make this warming and hearty Ground Turkey Pasta Bake soon. An easy baked pasta dish made with penne pasta, marinara sauce, ground turkey and mozzarella cheese. An easy to make budget friendly family dinner.

Pasta dishes on white plates.
Easy Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

What’s your go to comforting dinner? Through the years, here on the Blog, I’ve talked about comfort food a lot. It’s definitely my favourite type of food to cook and enjoy. And if I’m pressed to pinpoint my favourite comfort food, it’s has to be Pasta. Any kind, no discrimination. A few months back, I posted a recipe for Beef & Cheese Cannelloni that’s an absolute winner and everyone loved it. And we can’t forget our family favourite for years now, the Chicken & Spinach Lasagna. And as great as those dishes are, they are time consuming. Which is where this Easy Ground Turkey Pasta Bake Comes in. It’s quick to prep and bakes in under 30 minutes!

Close up of ground turkey pasta bake.
Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

What’s this Dish Like

  • Difficulty – This recipe is easily targeted towards the beginner cook. I used premade sauce, you can just jar sauce from the supermarket. It comes together quickly and you can’t really mess it up!
  • Taste – It has a rich tomato flavour from the marinara sauce. It’s isn’t cheesy, but rather has a crisp cheese crust on top.
  • Serving – This will make four generous servings and you could even stretch it to six servings if you had to.
Ground turkey pasta on plates.
Ground Turkey with Marinara Pasta Bake

Ingredients

  • Pasta – I used dried penne pasta.
  • Turkey – Ground turkey.
  • Onion – A small white onion.
  • Pasta Sauce – I used my own Marinara Sauce.
  • Cheese – Shredded mozzarella cheese.
  • Oil – I used olive oil.
  • Seasonings – I used a mix of garlic powder, onions powder, dried oregano, salt and black pepper.

REMEMBER, The full recipe and instructions can be found at the end of the post in the recipe card.

Ingredients to make Ground Turkey Pasta Bake.
Ingredients to make Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven – Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready a deep sided baking dish.
  2. Cook pasta – Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.
  3. Cook onion – In a large skillet set over medium to high heat, add the olive oil and onion and give a good stir. Reduce heat to medium and let the onions cook for about 5 minutes until soft.
  4. Cook turkey – Add the ground turkey and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook the ground turkey until browned and fully cooked through, about 8 minutes.
  5. Add seasonings – Add the dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir well.
  6. Add marinara sauce – Pour in the marinara sauce, stir well and bring to a simmer for 1 – 2 minutes.
  7. Add pasta – Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.
  8. Pour into baking dish and bake – Pour the mixture into a deep sided baking dish. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake between 25 – 30 minutes.
  9. Serve – Remove from oven and serve hot.
Cooking onions in a skillet.
Add olive oil and onions to a skillet
Cooked onions in a skillet.
Cook the onions for 5 – 7 minutes
Ground turkey and onions in a skillet.
Add ground turkey
Cooked ground turkey in a skillet.
Cooked ground turkey in a skillet.
Add seasonings to the ground turkey.
Add the seasonings to the turkey.
Add marinara sauce to turkey in a skillet.
Add marinara sauce to the ground turkey
Drained pasta in a colander.
Cook and drain pasta
Penne pasta with sauce in a skillet.
Add pasta to the skillet
Pasta with marinara sauce.
Add the pasta to a casserole dish
Pasta dish topped with mozzarella cheese.
Top with mozzarella cheese
Baked pasta bake with marinara and turkey.
Bake between 25 – 30 minutes until golden and bubbly

Recipe Tips

  • Make ahead tips – You can make this dish up to about eight hours before baking. Just cover it and keep it in the fridge until baking. Add an extra 5 minutes to the baking time if making in advance.
  • Time saving tips – Cook the pasta while you are cooking the turkey. This will save you up to 10 minutes of cooking time.
  • Cook pasta al dente – For baked pasta dishes, it’s best to cook the pasta until it has a bit of a bite to it. The Pasta will continue to cook in the sauce in the oven.
Turkey Pasta in a white casserole dish.
Turkey Pasta Bake with Marinara Sauce

Substitutions and Flavour Changes

  • Pasta – I used penne pasta but pasta shells, pasta spirals or bowtie pasta will all work well.
  • Ground turkey – Alternatively you could easily use ground chicken, ground pork or ground beef for this pasta dish. You could add diced peppers and leave out the protein portion and make it vegetarian.
  • Marinara Sauce – I have a recipe for Homemade Marinara Sauce which I used, but pasta sauce from the grocery store is perfect.
  • Dried herbs – I used just dried seasonings and herbs in this pasta dish, but you could use fresh parsley or fresh basil.
  • Mozzarella cheese – I used mozzarella cheese to top this dish, but you could use pepper jack, Gouda or cheddar cheese.
Close up of a pasta dish on a plate.
Baked Turkey and Marinara Pasta

Serving

Pasta dishes go great with any kind of Salads like the Classic Caprese or the Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Salad. You could just serve it with a leafy green salad or just as it is. And pasta goes great with my all time favourite Garlic Knots.

Pasta bake on a white plate with a casserole dish.
Baked Turkey Pasta Dish

Frequently Asked Questions

Do you need to cook pasta before baking?

Although some recipes state you can put uncooked pasta into the oven, it’s a good idea to cook it before you add it to you baking dish. I like to cook it aldente so it still has a bit of a bite before baking. For firmer pasta, just cook the pasta halfway before adding to the baking dish.

When should you top a pasta bake with cheese?

If you want melty cheese on the top of you pasta dish, add it just about 10 minutes before the pasta dish is finished baking. For a crisper cheese topping, add the cheese at the beginning of the baking time.

Pasta on white plates.
Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

Bell Pepper & Bacon Pasta Bake

What's more comforting than a delicious pasta dish?  If I find out, I'll let you know.  This Bell Pepper and Bacon Pasta Bake would be sure welcomed on a blustery cold evening.  Take a look and see how it comes together.
Check out this recipe
Bell pepper nad bacon pasta bake in a serving dish

Turkey Meatballs in a Marinara Sauce

Take a spin on classic meatballs and use turkey! For a lighter spaghetti and meatballs, give these Turkey Meatballs in Marinara Sauce.
Check out this recipe

Chicken Leek & Broccoli Pasta Bake

This Chicken Leek & Broccoli Pasta Bake is perfect for winter. Comforting baked pasta with leeks and broccoli all wrapped up in a creamy sauce.
Check out this recipe

Turkey Pasta in a white casserole dish.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ground Turkey Pasta Bake

Make this warming and hearty Ground Turkey Pasta Bake soon. An easy baked pasta dish made with penne pasta, marinara sauce, ground turkey and mozzarella cheese. An easy to make budget friendly family dinner.
Prep Time15 mins
Cook Time40 mins
Total Time55 mins
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: North American
Keyword: budget friendly dinners, ground turkey recipes, pasta bake
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 582kcal
Author: Julia Pinney

Ingredients

  • 8 oz Penne pasta
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 3 Cups Marinara Sauce
  • 1 1/2 Cups mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp onion powder
  • 1 Teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon black pepper
US Customary – Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Have ready a deep sided baking dish.
  • Cook pasta according to package. Drain and set aside.
  • In a large skillet set over medium to high heat, add the olive oil and onion and give a good stir. Reduce heat to medium and let the onions cook for about 5 minutes until soft.
  • Add the ground turkey and break it up with a wooden spoon. Cook the ground turkey until browned and fully cooked through, about 8 minutes.
  • Add the dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper. Stir well.
  • Pour in the marinara sauce, stir well and bring to a simmer for 1 – 2 minutes.
  • Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine.
  • Pour the mixture into a deep sided baking dish. Cover with shredded mozzarella cheese and bake between 25 – 30 minutes.
  • Remove from oven and serve hot.
Nutrition Facts
Ground Turkey Pasta Bake
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 582 Calories from Fat 180
% Daily Value*
Fat 20g31%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Trans Fat 0.02g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g
Monounsaturated Fat 9g
Cholesterol 96mg32%
Sodium 1779mg77%
Potassium 1085mg31%
Carbohydrates 56g19%
Fiber 5g21%
Sugar 9g10%
Protein 46g92%
Vitamin A 1111IU22%
Vitamin C 14mg17%
Calcium 262mg26%
Iron 4mg22%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Filed Under: Chicken & Turkey, Main Courses, Pasta, Pizza & Risotto Tagged With: easy dinner recipes, family recipes, ground turkey, pasta bakes

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