Cheesy turkey and broccoli spaghetti
A delicious, creamy pasta supper that will feed four people generously but easily stretches to six if you have younger children to feed. If your children are older, you could add some extra pasta. Turkey is often an economical choice, so think about swapping it in for chicken breast in your favourite dishes.
This recipe is part of a budget meal plan for six. In November 2023 this recipe was costed at an average of £6.41 when checking prices at four UK supermarkets. It is designed to be made in conjunction with a low-cost store-cupboard.
Ingredients
- 375g/13oz dried spaghetti, or other pasta shape
- 1 head broccoli (around 350g/12oz), cut into small florets
- 375g/13oz turkey breast steaks or mini fillets, cut into roughly 2cm/¾in chunks
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 25g/1oz plain flour
- 1 chicken stock cube
- 450ml/16fl oz milk
- 50g/1¾oz cheddar, coarsely grated
- salt and ground black pepper
Method
Half fill a large saucepan with water, cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to separate the strands. Then add the broccoli to the pasta and cook for 2–3 minutes more, or until the spaghetti and broccoli are just tender.
While the pasta is cooking, season the turkey pieces with a little salt and some ground black pepper. Heat a tablespoon of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan for a few seconds and fry the turkey over a medium-high heat for 3–4 minutes, or until lightly browned, stirring regularly. Tip onto a plate.
Return the pan to the heat, add the remaining oil and fry the onion over a high heat for 3–4 minutes, or until softened and lightly browned, stirring regularly.
Reduce the heat to medium, sprinkle the flour over the onion and stir well. Crumble over the stock cube and gradually start adding the milk, just a little at a time, stirring well between each addition.
Once all the milk is added, return the turkey to the pan, add the cheese and bring the sauce to a gentle simmer. Cook for 2–3 minutes more, stirring constantly. Add ground black pepper to taste.
Drain the pasta and broccoli in a large colander then return to the pan and stir in the turkey mixture. Toss well together and serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
If your turkey comes in larger packs, use the whole pack (up to 500g/1lb 2oz) to save waste, or freeze the unused steaks, wrapped tightly in foil, for up to 2 months.
You can use chicken breast instead of turkey if you like, although it will likely cost more so may push you over budget if you're following the meal plan.
Instead of cooking the turkey, you could use leftover cooked chicken or turkey (making this a great recipe for right after Christmas). Or swap the turkey for mushrooms for a meat-free alternative.
The pasta will soak up the creamy sauce quickly, so add a splash of extra milk or water if you are reheating any leftovers.
You can test the broccoli is ready by inserting the tip of a sharp knife into the thickest part of the stalk – it should slide in easily.
You can make your broccoli go further by thinly slicing the stalk too. If you don’t have fresh broccoli, you can use frozen broccoli or any other frozen vegetables instead. The frozen sweetcorn can be swapped for a tin of sweetcorn if you prefer.
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