Thirty-five minutes, one pot and one skillet. The broccoli goes into the pasta water for its final three minutes, so there is no third pan and no separate timing to manage.
The turkey is the part worth being careful about. Ground poultry is a 165 degree Fahrenheit standard whatever it looks like, and the recipe says both things: no pink remaining, and 165 on a thermometer.
Why This Recipe Works
- Dropping the broccoli into the boiling pasta means it is drained, timed and seasoned in one action rather than three.
- Browning the turkey in oil with the seasoning already on it develops flavour a bland mince otherwise lacks.
- Butter and garlic after the meat rather than before means the garlic never sits in a hot dry pan.
- Four minutes of simmering reduces broth and cream to a sauce that coats rotini.
Ingredient Notes
- Ground turkey
- A pound. Poultry, so 165 degrees Fahrenheit rather than the 160 that ground beef takes.
- Broccoli florets
- Three cups, cooked in the pasta water for the final three minutes.
- Rotini
- Twelve ounces. The twist holds an alfredo-style sauce in its spiral.
How to Make It
Pasta, with broccoli at the end
Cook rotini until al dente; add broccoli for the final 3 minutes and drain.
Brown the turkey to 165F
Brown ground turkey in oil with salt and pepper until no pink remains and it reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Butter and garlic
Add butter and garlic and cook 30 seconds.
Build the sauce
Stir in broth and cream and simmer 4 minutes; add Parmesan until smooth.
Toss together
Toss with rotini and broccoli and finish with parsley.
Ground Turkey Is a 165F Job
Lean ground poultry is exactly the case where guessing doneness by appearance goes wrong, so this recipe cooks to a stated temperature.
- Seasoned before it browns1 lb of ground turkey with 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp pepper into 1 tbsp of olive oil. Lean mince browns reluctantly, so seasoning it up front is where most of its flavour comes from.
- The pasta is already handled12 oz of rotini with 3 cups of broccoli added for its final 3 minutes, drained together. Neither is waiting on the turkey, so there is no pressure to call it done early.
Check before you continue
165F — Instant-read thermometer, into the thickest part of the crumble
Two cues, and the recipe gives both: no pink remaining AND 165F. Ground poultry is 165F, five degrees above the 160F that ground beef takes, and lean turkey can lose its pink before it gets there - which is why the colour alone is not the test.
- Then, and only then, the sauce2 tbsp butter and 3 garlic cloves for 30 seconds, 1 cup each of broth and cream simmered 4 minutes, 3/4 cup Parmesan stirred smooth. Tossed with the rotini and broccoli, finished with parsley.
Success Tips
- Check the turkey with a thermometer rather than by colour; lean mince can look done before it is.
- Set a timer for the three-minute broccoli window.
- Add the Parmesan after the simmer rather than during, so it melts smooth.
Serving Ideas
Six servings in white bowls, the rotini and broccoli coated in white alfredo sauce with the crumbled turkey through it, Parmesan and parsley on top.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why 165 and not 160 degrees?
Ground turkey is poultry, and poultry carries a 165 degree Fahrenheit standard whatever form it takes.
Do I cook the broccoli separately?
No. It goes into the pasta water for the last three minutes and drains with the rotini.
Can I use chicken instead?
This one is built on ground turkey.
