Ground turkey and red lentil pasta tossed in a tomato salsa base sauce with jalapenos and shredded cheese with onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, and fresh tomatoes and flavored with garlic, white wine, cumin, and paprika.
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“Helped Her Hamburger”
Growing up in the States, there’s probably a memory of you eating or making macaroni and cheese for the millionth time. Moreover, sometimes you get sucked into buying that "helper" box and adding the ground beef.
I'm sorry, but for me, those were good memories! Of course, blame the trio: Kraft, General Mills, and Betty Cocker! Hahaha. Furthermore, there's nothing like settling in with a warm bowl of cheesy pasta in your hand.
Seriously, name something and post it in the comments!! This loaded cheesy ground turkey and red lentil pasta dish is the adult version. For example, we add white wine, fresh basil, tomatoes, mushrooms, and gluten-free pasta. Let's get to it!
Are you looking for more red lentil pasta dishes? Check out the Plant-Based: Italian Sausage with Spicy Creamy Lentil Pasta recipe. If you are also crazy about pasta like me? Then try the Loaded Lemon Pepper Chicken Pasta and Jalapeño Pesto and Argentinian Shrimp Pasta, and Spicy Pesto Chicken Pasta Homemade One-Pot-Meal, for gluten-free use red lentil and chickpeas pasta.
Ingredients and Instructions
When I said loaded, I meant it. But most of the items you probably have anyway, there are a lot of staples here. To begin with, you'll saute onion, bell pepper, garlic, jalapenos, mushrooms, tomatoes, and carrots.
Then, add the tomato paste and white wine. Afterward, add some Italian herb seasoning. However, if you don't have that on hand, use dried oregano or a combination of rosemary, oregano, thyme, and marjoram.
The other spices used are smoked paprika and cumin. However, you can get away with taco, adobo, and Italian seasoning. Then, you'll add salsa.
Additionally, I love to use tomatillo salsa verde and fire-roasted tomato salsa. But your favorite spicy salsa will do. Finally, you'll finish with some shredded cheese; again, check out the notes in the recipe card for more detail because you can use a variety or just one type of cheese.
See the red lentil pasta recipe card for quantities.
Busy Folks - Become a better home cook with cooking tips to help you cook more efficiently on Cook's Notebook tab. In addition, some related detailed steps can be found there.
Substitutions
- Water, Chicken, or Vegetable Broth - You can use water if you don't have any broth. I was able to use water, and it came out tasting great.
- Cooking Wine, Optional - Wine gives the sauce a nice bold finish. But if you don't have it or can't use it. No worries, it will still come out great!
- Salsa - As you can see, salsa was used instead of tomato pasta sauce. For instance, pasta sauce tends to be a bit sweeter. In addition, using fresh tomatoes gave this dish some acidity. Meanwhile, the tomato paste provided sweetness without the extra sugar. And finally, the salsa gave extra heat with a more robust flavor.
- However, if you wish to use tomato pasta sauce, you can replace those three ingredients mentioned above.
- Additionally, my recommended salsas are tomatillo salsa verde and fire-roasted pepper salsas. Sometimes, I also like to mix the two. However, using one over the other on its own is great as well.
- Cheese Selection - Use what you have on hand. For instance, alone or combined with cheddar, Monterey jack, Colby, or Colby jack. You can also use a blended mix, usually labeled "Mexican" or "Fiesta."
- However, if you use mozzarella, mix it with another cheese, like cheddar. For example, using just mozzarella will make your pasta very stringy.
- Jalapenos - Mix up your peppers; add some Fresno chili, Serrano, and Anaheim peppers.
Change Heat Level - Modify the red lentil pasta recipe's heat level to your liking and learn more about the Scoville Scale and Chili Pairings.
Variations
- Cheesy Mixed Mushroom Pasta - Omit the ground turkey and triple up on the mushrooms; you can use a variety of mushrooms as well.
- Ground Chicken or Beef Cheesey Pasta - Don’t like turkey? You can use ground chicken or beef instead.
- Cheesy Orzo Pasta - Do you dare to try it? Replace the lentil pasta with orzo pasta. Yum!
- Cheesy Chicken Chipotle Pasta - Use chipotle peppers in adobo instead, with some seared chicken pieces.
How about some Curry Lentil Turkey Stew for dinner tomorrow?
Equipment
- Medium Saute Pan - Used for making the one-pot red lentil pasta meal. Because it's wide enough to saute and deep enough to boil and simmer like the All-Clad HA1 Hard Anodized Nonstick Sauté Pan with Lid.
Kitchen Must Haves - Find other tools I use here.
Storage
- Refrigerator - To store in the fridge, you can place the red lentil pasta mixture in a shallow 2-inch container to cool down quickly. Then, store in an air-tight sealing container. The meal will last up to two days.
- Freezer - Follow the refrigeration process mentioned above. Then, you can place it in the freezer in a labeled, airtight container.
Air Tight Food Containers - I use Glass Food Storage Containers with a plastic clipping lid to store food. For example, I always suggest glass storage containers since you can microwave them and hold food without staining the container, and the glass keeps them at a more stable temperature, which keeps the food fresher longer.
Cooking tips
- Why Add Cheese Slowly?
- If you are shredding your own cheese, I suggest combining your 1 cup of cheese with ½ teaspoon of cornstarch to help with a more stable melting.
- Already shredded cheese is usually coated with cellulose to prevent clumping. It also assists in melting into a creamier consistency instead of separating into solids and oil.
- And this is why you will lower your heat in the recipe to prevent separation. For example, you want to keep it stable by slowly adding your cheese.
- What Pasta Shape to Use?
- Whatever is your favorite or that you can find. It is recommended to use ½-inch to 2-inch in size pasta shapes. For example, try using ziti, rigatoni, fussilli, penne, gemelli, catappi, farfalle, or orechiette.
Frequently Asked Questions
Red lentil pasta is low on the glycemic index and a good source of soluble fiber, which helps with heart health by lowering cholesterol levels.
Pasta Recipes
Looking for other pasta recipes like this? Try these:
- One-Pan Calabrian Chickpea Pasta Recipe | Fast & Flavorful
- One-Pot Curry Meatball Soup with Ground Turkey and Kale
- Bold and Spicy Caribbean Beef Noodle Soup Recipe Twist
- Healthy Haitian-Style Creole Spicy Shrimp Pasta
Poultry Recipes
Looking for other pasta recipes like this? Try these:
- Jerk Fajita Trio: 3 Must-Try Recipes for a Spicy Weeknight Cook-Up
- Air Fryer Chicken and Pork Belly Tacos | Easy & Crispy
- Easy Sheet Pan Jerk Chicken Fajitas | Oven-Roasted Yum
- Quick Spicy Potstickers | Chili Momo Tibetan Style
Video
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📖 Recipe
Loaded Cheesy Ground Turkey Red Lentil Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ cup onions small dice
- ½ cup bell pepper small dice
- ¼ cup jalapenos small dice
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ cup mushrooms quartered
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- ¼ cup carrots small diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 8 ounces of ground turkey
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon cooking wine
- 1 cup salsa
- 1 teaspoon Italian herb mix
- ½ teaspoon smokes paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup basil leaves torn in halves
- 1 ½ cup broth vegetable or chicken
- 1 cup lentil pasta
- 1 cup shredded cheddar and Colby mixed cheese
Equipment
Instructions
- Save time in the kitchen: Read the instructions thoroughly, then gather and prep all your ingredients before cooking! Learn Prepping Tips.
- Saute the Vegetables: Heat the oil in a medium saute pan on medium-low heat. Then add onion, bell pepper, and jalapenos and saute while occasionally stirring until halfway tender with no browning.
- Add the garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, and carrots, combing well.
- Cook the Ground Turkey: Once the vegetable produces some liquid, increase the heat to medium-high and add the turkey and give it a good stir.
- Then add tomato paste, smash the paste in, and combine well. Continue cooking to evaporate most of the liquids and allow the tomato mixture to brown slightly.
- Deglaze with White Wine: Scrap the ground turkey to one side of the pan and add the wine straight onto the pan's surface. The wine will quickly boil, evaporating most alcohol for about 15 seconds.
- Then combine the meat mixture with the wine, spreading the mixture again evenly across the pan. Add the salsa, spices, torn basil, and broth, mix well and cover.
- Add the Pasta: When the sauce is boiling, add the lentil pasta and combine well. Allow the lentil pasta to cook as instructed for al dente.
- Check a piece of pasta for tenderness, then lower the heat back to medium-low to allow the sauce to simmer.
- Finish with the Cheese: Once the sauce is simmering, add ¼ of the cheese and stir in. Keep stirring until the cheese has melted.
- Add another ¼ cup of the cheese and repeat the process until you've added all the cheese. Then remove it immediately from the stove and serve.
- Plate Up: Garnish with thinly sliced basil.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Food safety
- Cook chicken to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C).
- Do not use the same utensils on cooked food that previously touched raw meat to prevent foodborne illness from contaminated uncooked meats.
- Wash hands after touching raw meat to prevent cross-contamination.
- Don't leave food at room temperature for extended periods; this can breed bacteria.
- Never leave cooking food unattended to prevent burns and fires.
- Use oils with a high smoke point to avoid harmful compounds.
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning.
See more guidelines at USDA.gov.
Have a Comment or Question?
If you have a question or comment about this red lentil pasta recipe, please post it below. You will definitely get a quick response. It also helps our other readers to stay informed. Thanks!
Ava says
Ok! Gonna do this with beef though.
Maika says
Hi Ava! Sounds good. Let me know how it turns out!