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Katie's Cucina » Recipes » Turkey

Turkey Pesto Pasta

Published: Dec 26, 2012 · Modified: Oct 4, 2022 by Katie · This post may contain affiliate links

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Two purple plates filled with pasta, turkey, spinach, and peas.

My Turkey Pesto Pasta recipe takes only 30 minutes to make, and uses leftover turkey, pesto, spaghetti, and other vegetables to transform into an Italian-American easy dinner!

Turkey Pesto Pasta

I don’t know about you but when I make a big holiday meal I want to stretch the turkey leftovers as far as possible. This means transforming leftovers and re-inventing them so your family and friends don’t get tired of eating essentially the same foods over and over again! My easy recipe for Turkey Pesto Pasta does just that. By using the leftover turkey I create a delicious and filling pasta dinner in under 30 minutes.

Table of contents

  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Turkey Pesto Pasta
  • FAQs
  • Tips & Tricks
  • Pesto Recipes

Ingredients

  • Turkey
  • Spaghetti Pasta
  • Olive oil
  • Salted butter
  • Garlic
  • Frozen peas
  • Pesto
  • Smoked sun-dried tomatoes
  • Shredded turkey cooked
  • Spinach chopped
  • Parmesan cheese
  • Reserved pasta water
Turkey Pesto Pasta

How to Make Turkey Pesto Pasta

  • Cook spaghetti according to package. Cook it 2 minutes less than required. Make sure to RESERVE 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Once cooked, set to the side until needed.
  • In a large skillet heat olive oil, butter, and garlic on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then add frozen peas and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until peas are defrosted.
  • Then add the pesto, 2 cups cooked turkey to the skillet as well as ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Stir until incorporated then add pasta and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and if needed add the remaining pasta water to the skillet. Serve pasta and garnish with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

FAQs

How many people does this recipe serve?

This recipe serves about 6 adult portions.

How do you cook frozen pesto?

I typically always have pesto frozen in my freezer, I will freeze small portions for future use. Then cook into a warm skillet until thawed! Perfect for tossing in with pasta!

How long is leftover turkey good for in the fridge?

Leftover turkey is good for 3-4 days. I typically love to make this dinner two nights after making turkey. It gives a whole new flavor profile to the leftover turkey.

Tips & Tricks

Here are all my tips and tricks when transforming my leftover turkey into pesto pasta dinner.

  • Garnish – I love to use fresh chiffonade basil and more Parmesan cheese for garnish.
  • Turkey – If you don’t have leftover turkey on hand you can use cooked ground turkey. Simply cook the ground turkey before the garlic.
  • Pesto – You can use fresh, freshly frozen that you thaw, or even a store bought pesto.
  • Pasta Water – I love to use pasta water to help thin my sauces whenever I toss the pasta with a thick sauce like pesto. I always reserve pasta water just in case I want to thin out my sauce but yet keep it flavorful.

Pesto Recipes

Love pesto? Try these other pesto recipes!

  • Pesto Pasta with Peas
  • Arugula Pesto
  • Baked Caprese Pesto Chicken
  • Grilled Chili Chicken Skewers with Cilantro Lime Pesto
  • Arugula Pesto Pasta Salad with Grape Tomatoes

If you make this recipe, I would be honored and love for you to take the time to leave a star rating and comment! I spend hours developing and testing these recipes, and always love to hear feedback and user experience!

Don’t forget to FOLLOW ME on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram, and subscribe to my email list!

Turkey Pesto Pasta

My Turkey Pesto Pasta recipe takes only 30 minutes to make, and uses leftover turkey, pesto, spaghetti, and other vegetables to transform into an Italian-American easy dinner!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Save Saved! Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 370kcal
Author: Katie

Equipment

  • Stove Top

Ingredients

  • 8 oz. Spaghetti Pasta
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon Salted butter
  • 1 Garlic clove thinly sliced
  • 1 cup Frozen peas
  • ½ cup Pesto
  • ¼ cup Smoked sun-dried tomatoes
  • 2 cups Shredded turkey cooked
  • 1 cup Spinach chopped
  • ½ cup Parmesan cheese shredded
  • 1 cup Reserved pasta water

Instructions

  • Cook spaghetti according to package. Cook it 2 minutes less than required. Make sure to RESERVE 1 cup of pasta water before draining. Once cooked, set to the side until needed.
  • In a large skillet heat olive oil, butter, and garlic on medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Then add frozen peas and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 2-3 minutes until peas are defrosted.
  • Then add the pesto, 2 cups cooked turkey to the skillet as well as ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Stir until incorporated then add pasta and Parmesan cheese. Mix well and if needed add the remaining pasta water to the skillet. Serve pasta and garnish with additional parmesan cheese and fresh basil.

Notes

  • Garnish – I love to use fresh chiffonade basil and more Parmesan cheese for garnish.
  • Turkey – If you don’t have leftover turkey on hand you can use cooked ground turkey. Simply cook the ground turkey before the garlic.
  • Pesto – You can use fresh, freshly frozen that you thaw, or even a store bought pesto.

Nutrition

Serving: 1c | Calories: 370kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 399mg | Potassium: 413mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 1252IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 161mg | Iron: 2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @KatieJasiewicz or tag #katiescucina!

Disclosure: There are affiliate links present in this post. That means if you click on a link and purchase something. I will receive a small percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you. Thank you for your continuous support of Katie’s Cucina!

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About Katie

Katie is a busy mom of 2 children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don't take hours to cook! She started her blog 15 years ago as a way to help others get cooking in the kitchen.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Irma

    December 16, 2014 at 8:02 pm

    Made this for dinner tonight.  I didn’t have sundried tomatoes on hand, but I did have a jar of pimentoes, so I substituted them.  I also didn’t see mention of spinach in the directions, so I sauteed them quickly and threw them in towards the end.  I sprinkled garlic and herb blend on top.  It was a great meal, and easy to alter.  Thanks!

    Reply
    • Katie

      December 16, 2014 at 10:43 pm

      Hi Irma! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment/feedback. I’ll go back in and make an edit about the spinach! Great pasta dish–and super easy to make (and alter just like you said)!

  2. Peggy

    June 26, 2013 at 8:51 pm

    Just wondering why you listed spinach in the ingredients but didn’t use it n the receipt?

    Reply
  3. Cassie | Bake Your Day

    December 26, 2012 at 11:19 am

    This looks so good! I’m a fool for pesto!

    Reply
  4. Katrina @ In Katrina's Kitchen

    December 26, 2012 at 11:15 am

    Nice! I use Dreamfieled too. This is a gorgeous dish!

    Reply
5 from 1 vote (1 rating without comment)

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I'm Katie Jasiewicz: home cook, food blogger, and recipe developer. A busy mom of two children who loves to feed her family delicious meals that don’t take hours to cook! My mission is to create easy-to-make modern comfort food for the busy family. (more)

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