This Ground Turkey Spaghetti recipe was handed down to me from my mom and I’ve been making it this way for years. It doesn’t include your typical store-bought pasta sauce. Instead the spaghetti sauce is homemade with Italian herbs and spices, sautéed onions and garlic, and juicy tomatoes for a delicious flavor that truly makes this spaghetti stand out from the rest!
And of course you can't forget to add some buttery, homemade garlic bread on the side!
Homemade Spaghetti Sauce
For as long as I can remember my mom has always made her spaghetti sauce from scratch. It’s simple and easy to customize to your liking. Here’s what you need:
- Onions and Garlic: Both of these ingredients produce a great combination of aromatics to help flavor the meat sauce.
- Ground Turkey: I like to stick with 85% or 93% lean ground turkey. The leaner ground turkey breast option just doesn’t have enough fat and does not taste as good in my opinion.
- Spaghetti Seasoning: Lots of herbs and spices to season the meat and the sauce. Store bought seasoning packs can be pretty expensive, so I usually make my own batch!
- Tomato paste: A little bit of tomato paste will help thicken the sauce and add extra flavor.
- Diced tomatoes: A can of diced tomatoes adds texture and more flavor to the sauce. I like purchasing tomatoes with basil and oregano in it, but you can certainly use just regular diced tomatoes.
- Tomato sauce: And a can of tomato sauce to help finish the sauce. I use a small can in this recipe, but if you like your sauce really saucy, then you can use a larger 15 oz. can.
How To Make Homemade Spaghetti
Step One: Boil the spaghetti pasta according to package instructions. Reserve a little bit of the pasta water then drain the pasta.
Step Two: Sauté the onion and garlic in a large skillet then add the ground turkey and cook until fully browned.
Step Three: Now stir in the spaghetti seasoning listed below. Then add the tomato paste and some of the reserved pasta water.
Step Four: Stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, sugar, and a little more reserved pasta water if needed.
Step Five: Let the spaghetti sauce simmer for a few minutes so all the flavors can marry together.
Step Six: Now combine the spaghetti sauce with the cooked pasta. Mix together and get ready to enjoy some of the best homemade spaghetti that you've ever made!
Recipe Tip!
Don’t skip the sugar! Since you are making a homemade tomato sauce and not using a premade jar sauce, the sugar helps remove some of the tartness and acidity from the tomatoes. Trust me it’s necessary!😉
Easy Spaghetti Variations
- Ground Beef: Not a fan of ground turkey, no problem! You can easily switch out the ground turkey for ground beef.
- Gluten Free Spaghetti: We switched to gluten free spaghetti pasta a few years ago and guess what…they taste the exact same, maybe better! So feel free to switch out your regular pasta for gluten free pasta if you want.
- Add more sauce: This spaghetti recipe is a perfect balance of the seasoned ground turkey meat and the pasta sauce. But if you typically like your spaghetti to be extra saucy, then I suggest using a 15oz. can of tomato sauce instead of the 8oz. can that’s listed in the recipe. You may need to add a little more seasoning to accommodate the extra sauce.
- Mix things up: If you want to add even more flavor to your spaghetti, add in some sliced baby bella mushrooms! Toss them in and sauté them at the same time as the onions and garlic for tons of flavor and a spaghetti that will truly be one of a kind!
More Hearty Dinner Recipes
- Ground Turkey Chili Recipe
- Sheet Pan Sausage, Potatoes & Brussels Sprouts
- Taco Stuffed Bell Peppers
- Chicken Sausage and Cabbage Skillet
- Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta
Ground Turkey Spaghetti
Video
Ingredients
- 8 oz. spaghetti pasta
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lb. ground turkey*
- 1 ½ Tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
- 1 Tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the spaghetti pasta and boil according to the package instructions until the pasta is tender. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water then drain the pasta in a colander. Set the pasta to the side.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onions and saute for 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and saute for an additional 30 seconds.
- Now add the ground turkey and cook, breaking up the turkey meat, until fully brown.
- Add the spaghetti seasoning (Italian seasoning, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper to the skillet. Stir to combine all the spices with the ground meat. Then add in the tomato paste and ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water. Stir to combine.
- Now add in the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, the sugar, and the rest of the reserved pasta water. Stir everything together well to combine. Turn the heat down to medium-low and let the pasta sauce simmer for 4-5 minutes.
- Combine the cooked spaghetti pasta and the pasta sauce together in the same pot that the pasta was cooked in. Top with fresh parsley or grated parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic bread, a simple side salad, or your favorite vegetable. Enjoy!
Notes
- Purchase 85% or 93% lean ground turkey meat. The leaner ground turkey breast doesn’t have enough fat.
- Extra Tip: Prep the spaghetti seasoning first by mixing all of the spices in a small bowl so it’s ready to go when you need it!
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published October 2021. It has been completely updated and refreshed with new photos and information.
Haley says
I use this recipe every time I make spaghetti
Marsha McDougal says
Yay! Thank you Haley!😊