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. Chunky shell pasta is sauced with a zesty combination of hearty roasted tomatoes with green chile, salsa verde, aromatic veggies, Mexican spices, and juicy ground turkey. The sauce and pasta are all prepared in the same pot, using chicken broth to create ample and flavorful cooking liquid for the pasta. Once the pasta and sauce come together, the dish is finished with pitted black olives, a shredded Mexican cheese blend, and fresh jalapeños and cilantro as garnishes. The result is all the flavors of taco night with the comfort of freshly cooked pasta.
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.
Step 1: Heat the avocado oil
Heat the avocado oil in a large heavy Dutch oven or braiser over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Brown the turkey
Add the ground turkey and brown, breaking up the meat into small pieces.
Step 3: Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic
Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until the vegetables have softened slightly, about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Add the spices
Add the chili powder, paprika, cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook and stir for 1 minute longer until very fragrant.
Step 5: Add the broth, tomatoes, and salsa verde
Stir in the chicken broth, canned tomatoes, and salsa verde and bring to a simmer.
Step 6: Stir in the pasta
Stir in the pasta, pressing it down to fully submerge into the liquid.
Step 7: Cover and simmer
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.
Step 8: Add the olives and shredded cheese
Add the olives and shredded Mexican cheese, stirring to incorporate fully until the cheese has melted.
Step 9: Garnish and serve the pasta
Serve the pasta in warmed bowls, and garnish with the jalapeño slices, queso fresco, and cilantro.
1-Pot Turkey Taco Pasta Recipe
Comforting, hearty, and easy to whip up due to its one-pot nature, this turkey taco pasta makes for the perfect weeknight dinner.

Ingredients
- 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
Directions
- 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.
Can I bake this turkey taco pasta instead of cooking it on the stovetop?
If you want to take this dish one step further to create more of a casserole-style presentation, try baking the pasta after the initial cook. Preheat your oven to 400 F. Select a large casserole dish (or individual dishes) and give it a generous coat of avocado oil. As soon as everything has finished cooking on the stovetop, transfer it to the prepared dish(es). For some extra crunch and taco flavor, top the pasta with crushed tortilla chips and then sprinkle on the queso freso and add the jalapeño slices. Bake the pasta for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chips are golden brown and the cheese has melted. Remember that the pasta is already fully cooked, so this final bake is just a finishing step. Remove the pasta from the oven and garnish with the chopped cilantro.
Baking the prepared turkey taco pasta is also an effective way to reheat leftovers, or meal prep for the week ahead. Simply divide up the pasta into individual baking dishes, top with the tortilla chips, queso fresco, and jalapeño slices then wrap and chill until ready to bake. Garnish with the fresh cilantro after baking, if desired.
Can I use other types of pasta in this recipe?
Although the shell-shaped pasta is a nice play on taco shells for the theme, there are several other varieties of pasta that will taste equally as delicious. Fusilli and cavatappi are both short, curly shaped pastas that allow sauces to cling to their twists and grooves. These types of chunky pasta are also sturdy enough to pair up with a hearty sauce. Penne and rigatoni are tubular pastas that also work well in robust preparations. Both of these shapes have grooves for attracting sauce, as well as the hollow openings to allow ingredients to sneak inside. Not only would they work well for the initial cooking of this recipe, but hold their form and texture during baking.
Regardless of which form of dried pasta you choose, be sure to purchase a high-quality brand. Looking for labels such as "bronze die-cut" or "slow dried" will indicate that the manufacturer adheres to traditional and superior production methods for producing pasta.