Description
A comforting and family-friendly shell pasta dish made with savory ground turkey and a creamy marinara sauce, perfect for an easy weeknight dinner.
Ingredients
- 12 ounces medium pasta shells
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- Fresh parsley or basil for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Cook pasta shells in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add diced onion and cook until softened. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add ground turkey and cook until browned, breaking it apart as it cooks.
- Season with Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and black pepper.
- Stir in marinara sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and Parmesan cheese, stirring until creamy and combined.
- Fold in cooked pasta shells and mix well.
- Sprinkle mozzarella over the top and allow it to melt by covering the skillet or briefly broiling.
- Garnish and serve warm.
Notes
- Add spinach or zucchini for extra vegetables.
- Use red pepper flakes for added heat.
- Substitute penne or rotini if shells are unavailable.
- Add a splash of milk when reheating to loosen the sauce.
- Freeze for up to 2 months and thaw before reheating.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 480 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 720 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 9 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 32 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
