Turkey Meatball Penne
made with Pre-Cooked Turkey Meatballs
- Milk
- Wheat
We firmly believe pasta night is a holiday—one that should be celebrated at least once a week, if not more. But when a pasta and meatball craving strikes on a weeknight, who has the time to make those meatballs from scratch? Enter: our not-so-secret ingredient, pre-cooked turkey meatballs. We sear them for a gorgeous crust that forms in just minutes, then toss with al dente penne noodles in a creamy tomato sauce with Parmesan. Now, let the carb celebrations commence!
Ingredients
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
2 unit
Tomato Paste
4 ounce
Cream Sauce Base
(Contains: Milk)
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 clove
Garlic
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon
Chili Flakes
8 ounce
Pre-Cooked Turkey Meatballs
1 unit
Shallot
Not included in your delivery
teaspoon (tsp)
Black Pepper
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Salt
1 teaspoon (tsp)
Sugar
2 tablespoon (tbsp)
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
2 teaspoon (tsp)
Olive Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Halve, peel, and mince shallot. Peel and mince garlic.
• Remove meatballs* from packaging. • Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in a large, preferably nonstick, pan over medium-high heat. Add meatballs and cook, turning occasionally, until browned and warmed through, 3-5 minutes. • Transfer to a plate.
• Once water is boiling, stir penne into pot. Cook until al dente, 9-12 minutes. • Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water, then drain.
• While pasta cooks, melt 2 TBSP butter (3 TBSP for 4 servings) in pan used for meatballs over medium heat. Stir in shallot and garlic; cook, stirring, until softened, 2-3 minutes. • Add half the Italian Seasoning (all for 4) and a pinch of chili flakes if desired; cook for 30 seconds. • Stir in tomato paste; cook for 1 minute.
• Pour ¾ cup plain water (1½ cups for 4 servings) into pan; stir until smooth. • Cut top off carton of cream sauce base to open fully; pour contents into pan. Using a spoon or spatula, scrape any remaining sauce from carton into pan. Add half the Parmesan (save the rest for serving), 1 tsp sugar (2 tsp for 4), and ½ tsp salt (1 tsp for 4). • Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed. Turn off heat.
• Stir meatballs and drained penne into pan with sauce until coated. If needed, stir in reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is coated in sauce. • Divide pasta between bowls. Top with remaining Parmesan and more chili flakes if desired. Serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the creamy tomato sauce, but opinions on the turkey meatballs were mixed; some found them flavorful while others disliked the texture or seasoning.
- Ease of prep: Customers appreciated how quick and easy this meal was to prepare, especially with the pre-cooked meatballs.
- Suggestions: Consider adding a vegetable like spinach or broccoli; some preferred less cream or sugar in the sauce for a lighter taste.
- Portions: Several mentioned wanting more meatballs or pasta; others found it filling with leftovers for lunch.
- Texture: Some found the meatballs dense or rubbery; a few suggested using ground turkey instead of pre-formed meatballs.
Reviews from our home cooks
This recipe was very good! It was quick and easy to follow. I liked that the meatballs were already pre-made you just had to heat them up. They even had really good flavor. And you can customize how much Italian seasoning or heat from the chili flakes by starting out with a little and adding as you go.
I really love these pre-cooked turkey meatballs. It's so easy to cook this meal and my family doesn't know the difference.
Delicious and loved the pre made turkey meatballs. It was a new to us recipe that we really enjoyed. Could have used something "green" like maybe some fresh parsley garnish.
We both really liked this meal and would get it again. I thought the meatballs were very dense, especially compared to the turkey meatloaf and other turkey meals. I didn't overheat them, so next time, I plan to cut the turkey balls into quarters first. The flavors were wonderful, and penne is one of my favorite pastas to work with.
The sauce was top notch. I was not a fan of the pre-cooked turkey meatballs. They were a little tough and my favorite. The rest of the dish I loved though. Will definitely make that sauce again!
The turkey meatballs need to be cooked a bit longer than stated. Next time I will cut them in half, heat and brown them in the frying pan than leaving them whole. They can cook better and have a softer texture not where they did not seem to be cooked.
The turkey meatball penne was great. I put too much water in though the sauce was thin, the tenderloin I have not tried yet, the spaghetti I have not tried yet but will this weekend
Loved this! I made extra turkey meatballs and doubled the penne. I had enough leftovers to pack in my lunch!
REALLY flavorful sauce, and so easy since meatballs are pre-made
I like that the meatballs were precooked and the flavor was amazing. Super simple to make.
