30-minute, one-pot pasta meals recipes that are healthy, tasty, and easy enough to make any night of the week make me look a whole lot just like this → 💃💃💃 because guess what?
You many think because I’m a food blogger, I’m in the kitchen every day, whipping up recipes so that I never have to think twice about what’s for dinner. But the reality is that most days I’m NOT cooking, and when I suddenly realize that it’s not just 5:00 somewhere…it’s 5:00 RIGHT HERE…I panic. Because if I haven’t taken the time to think ahead and do a bit of meal prep, just like my teenager, I’m left wondering what’s for dinner, too.
See, I’m betting I’m a lot like you. A gal who is always juggling my roles as a spouse, mom, daughter, sister, friend, business owner, mentor, volunteer, and wanderer-of-the-aisles-at-HomeGoods-deal-shopper as I continually work on finding the right balance so that my own needs don’t get lost in the shuffle in this circus act called life.
The saving grace? Simple, healthy, bold-flavored, all-in-one meals like this one-pot pasta that don’t require a bunch of hard-to-find ingredients or have too many steps. And bonus points go to the recipe if I can scavenge my pantry for most of it.
With that said, and I don’t want to sound too boastful, but this 30-minute meal recipe made with penne pasta, ground turkey and spinach totally delivers on each and every count, especially in its kicked up Mexican-spiced flavor.
How to Make the Perfect One-Pot Pasta
One-pot pastas are one of my weeknight favorites because there’s no extra dishes to wash and everything cooks together, infusing the every bite of the meal with flavor.
The key to ease with a dish like this is the dried pasta is cooked directly with the rest of the ingredients, absorbing the cooking liquid for even more flavor.
To make, cook this recipe in layers, starting with the turkey and seasoning mixture first, then add the next layer of flavor with a quick sauté of the fresh veg, then adding the canned tomatoes, spices and dried pasta with the chicken broth to add even more depth of flavor. Use a good quality chicken broth or make my homemade chicken stock recipe here—I freeze it in zippered gallon freezer bags then defrost for quick dinner occasions just like this.
A bit of half and half thickens the sauce just a enough without adding a whole lot of fat, and a few handfuls of leafy spinach to add a fresh, healthy vibrance to the pot. You could use chopped kale or even arugula if you have those on hand instead.
Finally, the whole dish is topped with just enough cheese to make this dinner totally crave-worthy for every eater at the table. I used Monterey Jack for a melty cheese pull but any melty cheese like provolone, mozzarella or even Swiss or cheddar will work here too. Or, if you want to go full Mexican flavor, queso will give a tangier, less melty bite.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Bookmark this recipe and leave a comment below, or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
One-Pot Penne Pasta with Turkey and Spinach
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon canola oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt divided
- 3 teaspoon ground cumin divided
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper divided
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 medium onion diced
- ½ cup red bell pepper diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- 1 10- ounce can diced tomatoes and green chilies
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 10 ounces dried penne pasta
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup cream
- 4 cups or 2 big handfuls fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
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Heat the oil in a large, high-sided skillet or Dutch oven over medium high heat until it shimmers and then add the ground turkey with 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon 1 teaspoon ground cumin, the oregano, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper and the crushed red pepper. Break up the turkey with the spices and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the onion, red bell pepper, and pressed garlic and cook for another 5 minutes or until the turkey is browned and the veggies soften.
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Add the canned tomatoes with green chiles to the skillet or pot with the rest of the kosher salt, cumin, black pepper, chili powder and stir. Add the penne pasta and cover with the chicken broth, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, cover and cook until the pasta is just tender, about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
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Stir in the cream and fold in the spinach and cook until the spinach wilts, taste for seasoning and top with the shredded cheese. Garnish with the chopped cilantro, sit back and watch the forks fly!
More Weeknight Dinners to Love
I serve this 30-minute pasta dinner recipe with a simple dinner salad, this Chopped Mexican Kale Salad or my super easy Caesar salad. To make the rest of your weeknight dinners easy, here’s some ideas to get dinner on the table with ease.
- 30 Dinners to Make When There’s No Time to Cook
- Linguini and Zucchini Noodles with Shrimp
- 30-Minute Sesame Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry
- One-Pot Skinny Pasta Primavera
- 30-Minute Caprese Chicken
- One-Pot Black Bean Enchilada Pasta
- One-Pot Homemade Sloppy Joe Recipe
- 28 Days of Lighter Pasta Recipes to Make Now
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Olivia Atherton says
So yummy looking!!! Just pinned this away to make when my brother stops in unexpected!
Mike Hill says
A great one pot meal! I subbed hot Italian chicken sausage and added chopped carrots and celery for extra crunch. Topped with shredded smoked chipotle Gouda.
Thanks for the inspiration.
shiraosa says
Juhu!! Hvor er jeg en heldig kartoffel!! Sender dig straks mine kontaktoplysninger! kh Ulrika
Mycustomeressay says
More arugula recipes: How to make arugula pesto [FoodieCrush], Slow Cooker Sausage Arugula Lentil Soup [Melanie Makes], and Arugula Berry and Goat Cheese Salad [RecipeGirl].
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Kim says
This was very yummy! A hit with the whole family. Will definitely make again
Customeressay says
Thank you. Worthwhile report.
run 3 says
Juhu!! Hvor er jeg en heldig kartoffel!! Sender dig straks mine kontaktoplysninger! kh Ulrika
Ana says
The flavor of this pasta sauce is amazing! So delicious! This recipe has just the right amount of kick and seasoning. Love it. Thanks for the recipe!
Marci says
Just made this recipe tonight and it’s absolutely delicious!! Made it exactly the way it’s written. Perfect!
camile baby says
Just made this recipe tonight and it’s absolutely delicious!! Made it exactly the way it’s written. Perfect!
Sarah says
I just made this with some substitutions:
Didn’t have red bell pepper so used zuchinni instead
Didn’t have cream so used cream of mushroom soup instead
Used beef broth instead of chicken broth
Used gluten free brown rice pasta
It still turned out AMAZING even with all the subs! Thanks!
Veronica says
What kind of cream do you use ?
Georgia says
Thank you so much for this recipe. My husband has NEVER asked me to print out and save a recipe before, but he did with this one “One-Pot Penne Pasta with Turkey and Spinach.” Also, I used what I had on hand “frozen spinach” and it was still delicious.
Vanessa says
Hubby has congestive heart failure. This recipe is not only heart healthy but with few adjustments (no salt) he said it tasted like a delicious meal that he hasn’t had for over a year now! Huge compliment! Please keep them coming! Absolutely Deeeeelicious!
Joan says
Substituted organic red lentil Sedanini ( from trader joes). Cooks just like pasta but made from lentil flour.
Also added kale since I didnt have spinach. Very yummy!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
That sounds delicious!
Theresa Stoner says
Very. Very yummy. My picky eaters said it was delicious. Only variation I did was added a little more pepper flakes for a bigger kick and more like 3/4 cup of cheese . Also forgot to buy fresh spinach had to use frozen.
Made no difference it was really great! Thanks for the recipe. It’s a keeper !
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
I sure love when a recipe wins over the picky eaters! YAY!
Evie And maggie Walcott says
First time making a one pot pasta. Genius! It was such a great weeknight quick meal. My kids are buttered noodle fans. At first there was a chorus of “I won’t eat this!”. Then they were asking for seconds!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
I am so glad that it was a big hit for the whole family!
Andrea says
I was looking for an easy recipe with ground turkey and spinach and I’m so glad I found yours. Not only was it easy, but tastes great! I was out of penne pasta so ended up using whole-wheat macaroni and only used half the amount which made it more like a soup which I really liked! I couldn’t get over how great the turkey tastes since it can run on the “bland” side but is a great substitute for ground beef. Thank you so much for sharing your family goodness with us. :)
Heidi says
So glad you enjoyed it Andrea! Whole wheat is always a great substitution and gives it a nutty flavor. Cool idea with the soup, my husband would love that version.
Gwen says
I googled for a recipe using ground turkey and pasta …. and this popped up! I didn’t have fresh spinach but I added some frozen chopped spinach. Also threw in some broccoli. It was delicious! Thank you for the great recipe!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
That sounds so great! I love when you guys make these recipes your own with what you have on hand! Thanks Gwen
Brenda says
I made this dish for my family. They loved it and have requested that I keep this recipe for future meals. My husband asked that I reduced the amount of crushed red pepper next time but he isn’t a spicy food lover like my kids and grandchildren. I thought the added cream and cheese softened the hot just right.
Mary Henderson says
Made this for the first time tonite. And it won’t be the last time! It’s filed under my favourites
Kevin says
It was out of this world excellent — like a signature pasta dish from a semi higher end Italian restaurant. The only thing I switched up was Cayenne Pepper instead of Chili Powder (for a spicier kick).
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
YAY!!! Thanks Kevin. Glad you enjoyed it.
Rebecca Martin says
Great recipe, I made it pretty close to directions. Substituted half and half for cream. Turned out really delicious though! Definitely a keeper!
Ashley @ Foodie Crush says
Sounds delish! Thanks Rebecca1