Pasta With Turkey Meatballs and Roasted Vegetables

You'll love this light, flavorful, one-dish pasta with turkey meatballs and roasted vegetables. It's an easy and satisfying dinner recipe that's ready in about 30 minutes.

By
Coco Morante
Coco Morante
Coco Morante
Coco began developing recipes for Simply Recipes in 2016 and is the author of five cookbooks. She is an industry expert on Instant Pot cooking.
Learn about Simply Recipes' Editorial Process
Updated December 16, 2022
Coco Morante
Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Vegetables in a white dish

Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

This pasta dinner comes together fast!

Meatballs and vegetables roast together in the oven while pasta boils on the stove, then everything gets tossed with some olive oil, lemon juice, and a handful of parsley.

Roasted vegetable and mini meatball pasta on a white plate

Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

A Flexible Dinner Recipe

The recipe is very adaptable. You can really use any kind of ground meat, and any of your favorite vegetables that have been cut into bite-sized pieces.

Today, I went with ground turkey for the meatballs, and zucchini, bell peppers, and onions for the vegetables. It’s a sort-of-Mediterranean mix that works well. I’ve also made this dish with just a head of cauliflower on nights when I can only be bothered to chop up one thing!

Mini Meatballs for the Win

The most time-consuming part of the recipe is rolling out the little meatballs—each one is about an inch in diameter, and the recipe makes about four dozen of them.

This is time well spent, though! Once you get started, you'll get into a groove rolling each one and they'll take no time at all. These bite-sized meatballs fit right in with the pasta and vegetables, so no knife is required at the table. Kids love them, too.

Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Vegetables in a white bowl

Simply Recipes / Coco Morante

Make the Meatballs Ahead

You can also prep the meatballs in advance and freeze them for later, if you like. Just put them on a sheet pan lined with plastic wrap, then freeze them until they’re firm, about two hours. After that, you can transfer them to a freezer-safe plastic bag and store them for about two months. Let them thaw overnight in the fridge before cooking.

Serve this pasta dinner with a big green salad or on its own. The leftovers make a great packed lunch!

More One-Dish Pasta Dinners

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Pasta With Turkey Meatballs and Roasted Vegetables

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Total Time 45 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

For the vegetables

  • 3 medium (about 3/4 pound) zucchini, cut into half moons

  • 2 large (about 3/4 pound) red bell peppers, sliced into 1-inch strips

  • 1 medium yellow onion, sliced into half moons

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

For the meatballs

  • 1 pound ground turkey

  • 1 large egg

  • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise

  • 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning (or 1/4 teaspoon each dried oregano, basil, marjoram, and rosemary)

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

For the pasta

  • 1 pound small-shaped pasta, like orecchiette, bow ties, or rotini

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Method

  1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF.

    Line 2 baking sheets with aluminum foil or silicone baking mats.

  2. Begin roasting the vegetables:

    Toss the vegetables with the olive oil and salt. Spread them out on one of the baking sheets in a single, even layer. Roast the vegetables for 30 minutes.

    Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Vegetables
    Coco Morante
  3. Meanwhile, prepare and begin roasting the meatballs:

    In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ground turkey, egg, mayonnaise, breadcrumbs, and seasonings. Roll into 1-inch meatballs and place on the second baking sheet, about 1/2 inch apart.

    Roast the meatballs for 20 minutes in the oven alongside the vegetables.

    Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Vegetables
    Coco Morante
    Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Vegetables
    Coco Morante
  4. Boil the pasta:

    Once both the vegetables and meatballs are in the oven, put a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Salt the pasta water to taste (I use about 3 tablespoons for a big pot) and boil the pasta. Cook the pasta according to the instructions on the package and drain.

    Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Vegetables
    Coco Morante
  5. Toss everything together and serve:

    In the pasta pot, stir together the roasted vegetables, meatballs, and pasta with the olive oil, lemon juice, and parsley. Serve hot.

    Pasta with Turkey Meatballs and Vegetables
    Coco Morante
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
487 Calories
26g Fat
37g Carbs
27g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 487
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 26g 33%
Saturated Fat 6g 28%
Cholesterol 113mg 38%
Sodium 529mg 23%
Total Carbohydrate 37g 14%
Dietary Fiber 3g 12%
Total Sugars 5g
Protein 27g
Vitamin C 110mg 552%
Calcium 89mg 7%
Iron 4mg 21%
Potassium 564mg 12%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.