This traditional spaghetti is delicious, easy to make, and packed with amazing flavors. Al dente spaghetti comes together with a rich ground turkey sauce that is topped with parmesan right before serving.
Why choose traditional spaghetti?
This traditional spaghetti recipe is perfect for busy weeknights or situations where you have a packed schedule but need a delicious and nutritious dish.
Thanks to crushed canned tomatoes, you are able to make an amazing ground turkey sauce in a fraction of the time needed to make a traditional spaghetti sauce from scratch.
Another great thing is that you can have dinner on the table in no time by just following the three simple steps in the ‘how to cook’ instructions below.
Ingredients needed to make traditional spaghetti
It's a no-brainer that you'll need spaghetti for this recipe. But what else should you add to your shopping list before you get started with this delicious dish?
Here is the list of ingredients needed to make this quick and simple traditional spaghetti dish.
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
White Onion
Cup Carrot
Cup Celery
Garlic
Original Crabby Seasoning
Ground Turkey
Fresh Parsley
Salt
Parmesan
Ingredient notes for traditional spaghetti
Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Whole wheat spaghetti is recommended for this recipe because it has more nutrients and fiber. Switching out the whole wheat for regular spaghetti shouldn't be too much of a deal breaker for this recipe.
Herbs, spices, and vegetables
Onion, garlic, and original Crabby Seasoning are used together with finely chopped carrots and celery. This recipe calls for extra virgin olive oil, which is used to brown the onions. If you don't have extra virgin olive oil, you may use regular olive oil or other vegetable oils like canola or avocado oil.
Ground Turkey
The ground turkey is added to the sauce after the carrots and onions have been cooked. It is allowed to cook before adding the tomatoes. The great thing is that you may use ground beef or ground chicken in this recipe.
Dei Fratelli Crushed Tomatoes
This is the time-saver ingredient in this amazing traditional spaghetti recipe. Instead of making your tomato sauce from scratch, these crushed tomatoes in a tin give you the same amazing taste of garden-picked tomatoes while saving you the trouble of doing it yourself.
If you don't have this particular brand, you may go ahead and choose another one or use whatever you have in your pantry.
Fresh parsley and salt
These two ingredients are flavor enhancers that will add a pop of flavor to your dish. They are added to the sauce just before the spaghetti is added to it.
Parmesan for garnish
This is the perfect garnish for making traditional spaghetti because it adds a layer of cheesiness to the dish.
How to cook traditional spaghetti?
Cooking traditional spaghetti is quite simple. You just need to cook your pasta, make your sauce, and then combine the two together. If you are able to cook the spaghetti and make the sauce simultaneously, you'll be able to reduce the cooking time significantly.
Step 1
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the package until al dente. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Step 2
While the pasta is cooking, place a large skillet over medium heat and heat the extra virgin olive oil. Add the onion, carrot, and celery to the skillet and cook for about 6-8 minutes until the onions begin to brown. Stir in garlic and Original Crabby Seasoning and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Add the ground turkey and continue cooking while stirring frequently for about 3-5 minutes until brown. Add Dei Fratelli Crushed Tomatoes and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.
Step 3
Add the parsley and salt to the thickened sauce, then toss in the pasta. Garnish with parmesan before serving. And there you go, your traditional spaghetti is ready for you to enjoy every single forkful.
Recipe tips
Cooking traditional spaghetti is pretty straightforward and only includes a few steps. However, there are a few tips that you need to keep in mind to make sure that it comes out perfect every time.
Here are some things to keep in mind while you make this amazing dish.
Use a large pot of water
Use a large pot to cook your spaghetti. The larger the pot, the better it will be to hold a lot of water.
Don't overcook your spaghetti
When you are cooking your spaghetti, reduce the cooking time by one to two minutes less than the cooking directions given on the package. This will ensure that you end up with al dente spaghetti.
If you overcook your spaghetti, you will end up with a mushy traditional spaghetti , which you don't want.
Add the spaghetti to the ground turkey sauce when you are through cooking. This will ensure that you don't overcook them and make them mushy.
Drain but do not rinse
As soon as your spaghetti is through cooking, remove it from heat and drain. Do not rinse the spaghetti after you drain it. Rinsing will wash away the starch that helps the sauce to stick onto the pasta.
Cook simultaneously to save time
Instead of cooking the sauce after you have completed cooking the spaghetti, try cooking both dishes at the same time. Put on the pot with water for the spaghetti and the skillet for the sauce at the same time.
While you wait for the water to get to boiling point, you can cook the onion, carrot, celery, and seasonings.
After adding the spaghetti to the boiling water, you can add the ground turkey and crushed tomatoes to complete the final stages of the sauce.
Serving ideas for traditional spaghetti
This traditional spaghetti may go well with a serving of roasted Brussels sprouts or even a fresh garden salad.
You may also take a look at other recipe ideas from this blog that you may want to serve with your traditional spaghetti or try making for yourself.
I hope that you enjoy every bite of your traditional spaghetti dish with its rich ground turkey sauce and cheesy parmesan topping.
