Italian Style Ground Turkey Spaghetti
Spaghetti tossed with a hearty tomato sauce made from ground turkey and Italian sausage, flavored with Italian herbs and garlic.
Servings: 8 servings
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 16 ouncesspaghetti
- 1 poundground turkey
- 1/2 poundItalian sausage
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cantomato sauce (15 ounce)
- 1 canfire roasted diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce)
- 1 canItalian-style diced tomatoes (14.5 ounce)
- 1 cantomato paste (6 ounce)
- 1 teaspoondried Italian herb seasoning
- 2 teaspoonsgarlic powder
- 1 teaspoonsalt
- 1/2 teaspoondried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoondried thyme leaves
- 1/4 teaspoondried basil
- 1 tablespoonwhite sugar
Instructions
Instructions
- Heat a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ground turkey, Italian sausage, and chopped onion. Cook, breaking up the meat with a spoon, until the meat is browned and the onion is softened, about 6–8 minutes.
- Carefully drain and discard any excess fat or liquid from the pot.
- Add the following to the pot: 2 cans (15 ounce) tomato sauce, 1 can (14.5 ounce) fire-roasted diced tomatoes, 1 can (14.5 ounce) Italian-style diced tomatoes, 1 can (6 ounce) tomato paste, 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme leaves, and ¼ teaspoon dried basil. Stir to combine.
- Increase heat just until the sauce comes to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to low. Cover partially and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes.
- While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the 16 ounces spaghetti according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the spaghetti.
- After the sauce has simmered 20 minutes, stir in the 1 tablespoon white sugar.
- Serve immediately by either tossing the drained spaghetti with the sauce in the pot until coated, or plate the spaghetti and spoon the sauce over each portion.
Equipment
- Large Pot or Dutch Oven
- Spoon
- large pot for pasta
- Colander
Notes
Ground Turkey– You can substitute ground turkey or ground chicken if you want to lighten it up a bit.
Italian sausage– You can use ground Italian sausage or links and bust out the meat from the casing. For a little extra bite, use spicy sausage. If you prefer to only use turkey you can but the flavor of the spaghetti sauce will change a little.
Onion– Yellow or white onions will both work.
Dried herbs– If you want to swap out any of the dry herbs for fresh herbs, multiply the amount of dry by 3. So ¼ teaspoon dried thyme would amount to ¾ teaspoon fresh chopped thyme.
Garlic powder– You could substitute 2 tablespoons fresh grated or minced garlic instead, but garlic powder is the quickest and easiest option.
How to Store:To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
in the freezer up to a month
How to Freeze:Making this easy weeknight spaghetti with meat sauce recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below, and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container: gallon ziptop bags, mason jars, or containers with lids. Then, spoon the sauce into the container.
If freezing in a zip-top bag, place the bag flat on a baking sheet and in the freezer. Once frozen, you can stack them more easily. Be sure to label the sauce with a name and date.
How to Reheat:
In the microwave on 30 second increments, stir and continue until heated through.
How to Scale:This recipe can be halved, but if you double it you would need another crockpot.
Italian sausage– You can use ground Italian sausage or links and bust out the meat from the casing. For a little extra bite, use spicy sausage. If you prefer to only use turkey you can but the flavor of the spaghetti sauce will change a little.
Onion– Yellow or white onions will both work.
Dried herbs– If you want to swap out any of the dry herbs for fresh herbs, multiply the amount of dry by 3. So ¼ teaspoon dried thyme would amount to ¾ teaspoon fresh chopped thyme.
Garlic powder– You could substitute 2 tablespoons fresh grated or minced garlic instead, but garlic powder is the quickest and easiest option.
How to Store:To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
in the freezer up to a month
How to Freeze:Making this easy weeknight spaghetti with meat sauce recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below, and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Allow the sauce to cool completely before transferring it to a freezer-safe container: gallon ziptop bags, mason jars, or containers with lids. Then, spoon the sauce into the container.
If freezing in a zip-top bag, place the bag flat on a baking sheet and in the freezer. Once frozen, you can stack them more easily. Be sure to label the sauce with a name and date.
How to Reheat:
In the microwave on 30 second increments, stir and continue until heated through.
How to Scale:This recipe can be halved, but if you double it you would need another crockpot.