1-Pot Turkey Taco Pasta Recipe
If your tastebuds can't decide between tacos or tortiglioni, we've got great news — you can enjoy the best of both culinary worlds with this one-pot turkey taco pasta from recipe developer Julie Kinnaird.
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 medium green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed, diced
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 (14-ounce) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes with green chiles
- 1 cup roasted salsa verde
- 8 ounces dried large shell pasta
- 1 cup canned small black California olives, drained and roughly chopped
- 1 ½ cups shredded Mexican cheese blend
- 1 large jalapeño pepper, stem removed and sliced into thin rounds
- ½ cup crumbled queso fresco
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- Heat the avocado oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat.
- Add the ground turkey and brown, breaking up the meat into small pieces.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened slightly, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute longer until very fragrant.
- Stir in the chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and salsa verde and bring to a simmer.
- Stir in the pasta, pressing it down to fully submerge into the liquid.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Add the olives and shredded Mexican cheese, stirring to incorporate fully until the cheese has melted.
- Serve the pasta in warmed bowls, and garnish with the jalapeño slices, queso fresco, and cilantro.
This one-pot recipe is a breeze to make and serve, and Kinnaird shares some tips down below for mixing up the presentation as well as the pasta. This recipe is an excellent choice for a quick everyday dinner, game day, or meal prep to please the whole family.
Gather the 1-pot turkey taco pasta ingredients
For this one-pot recipe, you will need ground turkey (thighs preferred) and a bit of avocado oil for cooking the turkey in. Kinnaird prefers ground turkey thighs as they have a more juicy quality over ground turkey breast due to a higher fat content. To the browned meat you will add yellow onion, green bell pepper, and fresh garlic. Chili powder, smoked paprika, ground cumin, dried oregano, kosher salt, and black pepper infuse the meat with taco seasoning flavors.
Fire-roasted canned tomatoes with green chilies and roasted salsa verde form the base of the sauce for the pasta, along with some low-sodium chicken broth to add enough liquid to allow the pasta to cook. Dried large shell pasta is ideal (with a play on taco "shells"), but other similar-sized study pasta shapes will also work. Black California olives and shredded Mexican cheese finish off the dish, and sliced jalapeño peppers, crumbled queso fresco, and chopped fresh cilantro are the final garnishes at the end.
