Lemon Ricotta Ground Turkey Pasta with Broccoli

ground turkey pasta shells in a pot with roasted broccoli and a lemon ricotta sauce

Lemon Ricotta Ground Turkey Pasta with Broccoli

Pan roasted broccoli and lemon pepper ground turkey pasta with a cheesy lemon ricotta sauce.

4.52 from 39 votes

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Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 40

Servings: Servings

Calories: 390kcal

Author: Mason Woodruff

Ingredients

1 ½ Tablespoon Olive Oil divided
8 to 12 oz Broccoli Florets cut into bite-size pieces*
1 pound Ground Turkey
1 Tablespoon Lemon Pepper Seasoning
2 cloves Garlic crushed or minced
1 Tablespoon Chopped Calabrian Peppers optional
8 oz Jumbo Pasta Shells
3 ½ cups Chicken Broth
Juice of 1 Lemon
3 oz Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan freshly grated

For the Ricotta Sauce

1 ¾ cups (15 oz) Low Fat Ricotta
¼ cup Milk
Zest of 1 Lemon
Black Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes to taste

Instructions

Use a food processor to blend the ricotta, lemon zest, and milk together until smooth. Set aside.
Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the broccoli and cook 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is vibrant green and slightly browning in spots. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Add the remaining half tablespoon of oil to the pot, followed by the ground turkey. Brown one side for 3-4 minutes before breaking apart and fully cooking.
To the fully cooked turkey, add the lemon pepper seasoning, garlic, and Calabrian chiles. Stir together and cook until the garlic is fragrant, about one minute.
Add the pasta shells, chicken broth, and lemon juice. Cook, uncovered, for 16-20 minutes until the pasta is just shy of al dente and very little to no broth remains. If the broth cooks off too quickly, add another 1/2 cup as needed.
Turn the heat to low and fold in the parmigiano reggiano, followed by the ricotta sauce and cooked broccoli. (You can add another ounce or two of cheese if your sauce isn't as thick as you'd like.) Garnish with red pepper flakes, black pepper, additional grated parmesan, and lemon juice, if desired.

Video

Notes

Nutrition Facts Notes

The macros were calculated with Kroger Private Selection jumbo pasta shells, 99% lean ground turkey, and Lawry's lemon pepper seasoning.

With a high protein pasta like chickpea-based Banza, each serving has 385 calories, 40 grams of protein, 32 grams of carbs, 5 grams of fiber, and 13 grams of fat.

Swapping low fat ricotta for whole milk ricotta takes each serving to 425 calories, 35 grams of protein, 39 grams of carbs, and 16 grams of fat.

Modifications & Ingredient Substitutions

*Broccoli lovers will want to go with the higher end to have broccoli in every single bite.

The ricotta cheese sauce works fine without blending, but it will have a slightly gritty texture. For the smoothest cheese sauce, blending is necessary.

If you can't find Calabrian peppers, you can use a bit of tomato sauce, sun dried tomatoes, chili garlic sauce or another form of chile paste, or omit altogether.

You can easily turn this dish into a soup by covering the pasta as it cooks and adding a bit of milk to the ricotta sauce. See my cheesy Italian ground chicken soup for an example.

If you'd like a stronger lemon flavor, add fresh lemon zest at the end. I like to start with the zest of just one lemon to avoid an overpowering flavor.

Pan roasting the broccoli is the easiest method, but you can get even better, more evenly roasted broccoli in an air fryer or oven while the pasta cooks. Toss the broccoli florets in olive oil and roast at 450ºF for about 12-15 minutes

Nutrition