Turkey Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe

This Turkey Vegetable Pasta Salad is a fabulous 30-minute meal!

I love the feeling of autumn coming on. The kids are back in school, the leaves start to show a change in color, the evenings start to bring a cool relief after warm sunny days, and there is a hustle and bustle in the air that feels homey to me.

It’s that time of year when people start to think about hot chocolate, sweaters, rain boots, splashing in puddles (as long as you don’t live in California… bring on the rain!!), and comforting dinners the family will enjoy while they recount their days at the dinner table.

But the funny part about early autumn is that we still have a lot of summer produce coming in. At least here in the Sunshine State. My basil plant is still going strong, the store-bought tomatoes still taste good, and most people still have a pepper or two in their gardens.

I haven’t seen pumpkins at the stores yet, but the Halloween decor is out in force, and there is no doubt that people will be switching from icy Mocha Frappuccinos to Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the very near future.

As many of you know, I just moved. If you follow me on Facebook, you know what a massive undertaking this has been for me. The past 7 months have been a nightmare with my mom getting sick, having to move overnight to care for her, leaving my life behind, and forcing my son to do the same. Then, selling both my mom’s houses (her’s and her rental) so that we could afford a house big enough to house all three of us and move back up to my beloved Sonoma County. Yep, it’s been a whirlwind.

I can’t pretend I’ve been a perfect clean eater during this time. But I’ve done the best I could. And now that we’ve nearly settled into the new house (though I may be unpacking boxes for years to come), I feel like I’m very slowly getting back into the swing of things just in time for this lovely, amazing, fantastic time of year. There is just nothing like Autumn in Sonoma County!

I’ve been pretty tired due to the move and a fall down the stairs at 2 am while trying to get a drink of water. My body has just had enough (Did I mention I have to shuffle around, organize, and unpack about 400 boxes?).

So dinner has to be simple. There is just no way around it. In fact, the very thought of cooking dinner feels overwhelming to me right now. But my mom’s diet is so strict with her condition that I really have no choice. So I turn on some music, get out my cutting board, and see what the fridge has to offer. This clean-eating turkey vegetable pasta salad was the result, and all three of us loved it!

More Healthy Pasta Recipes

• Mexican Lasagna
• Mexican Pumpkin Rotini
• Baked Italian Ziti

Turkey Vegetable Pasta Salad Recipe

This delightful dish cooks up in about 30 minutes, including prep! 

5 from 2 votes

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Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 223kcal

Ingredients

• ½ small red onion (chopped)
• 1 medium orange bell pepper (chopped)
• 1 tbsp. coconut oil (any oil will work)
• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 1 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tbsp. onion powder (yes, it’s okay. I know there is already onion in there)
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 2 medium tomatoes (chopped)
• fresh basil (chopped or sliced thin for garnish)
• ½ lb. whole wheat rotini pasta (cooked to package directions)
• parmesan cheese (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

• NOTE ABOUT THE PASTA: This dish is super quick if you already have cooked pasta handy. But if not, no worries. Simply cook the pasta separately while you do everything else and it should finish up about the same time as the meat mixture so that all you have to do is mix them together and dinner is done!
• In a large skillet, sauté the onion and bell pepper in the oil until translucent.
• Add the turkey, garlic powder, onion powder and dried thyme to the skillet and scramble, stirring until the meat is fully cooked.
• In a large mixing bowl, toss the meat mixture with the raw tomatoes, fresh basil, cooked pasta and top with parmesan cheese and/or salt and pepper as desired.
  

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data below is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25the recipe | Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 62mg | Sodium: 70mg | Potassium: 719mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1910IU | Vitamin C: 61.4mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 4.6mg