Dinner S.O.S.: Orecchiette with turkey and broccoli

Kids love pasta! We love how quickly it cooks. To make this dish healthier, we've added protein-rich ground turkey and tons of broccoli.

Are you struggling to get meals on the table for your family? Don’t sweat it! We’ve got a brand new web series, Dinner S.O.S., featuring our friends Ceri Marsh and Laura Keogh of Sweet Potato Chronicles. We’ll be solving your dinnertime dilemmas with time-saving ingredients, double-duty meals, and one-pot wonders. So breathe a sigh of relief, and come join us in the kitchen!

This, we’ve learned: kids love pasta! We love it because it’s so fast to cook. To up the health quotient in this dish, we’ve used whole wheat pasta, protein-rich ground turkey, and lots of broccoli. Watch Ceri Marsh demonstrate the recipe in the video below.

Orecchiette with turkey and broccoli

spc_logo(Serves 4 with leftovers)

  • 1 box (1 lb) orecchiette
  • 4 cups of broccoli florets (cut them quite small)
  • 3 Tbsps olive oil
  • 1 lb ground turkey
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 tsp fennel seeds
  • 1/2 tsp crushed dried chilis (optional)
  • 1 cup chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method 

Put a big pot of salted water on to boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions. Set a timer for 2 minutes before the pasta will be done – at that point you’re going to toss in your broccoli.

Warm your olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, garlic, onion, fennel seeds and chilis. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the meat is browned.

Drain the pasta and broccoli and then add them to the skillet. Toss everything together well. Add the stock and toss more. Serve in a big bowl with a good sprinkle of Parmesan on top.

How fast was that?

Two more pasta dishes from Sweet Potato Chronicles:

Ginger pork noodles

Sundried tomato and spinach farfalle with walnuts

Photo by Maya Visnyei