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    Home » Recipes » Dinner » Rainbow Turk-a-Roni

    Rainbow Turk-a-Roni

    Updated: Jul 21, 2023 by Veronica Noone · This post may contain affiliate links · 21 Comments

    turk a roni pin

    I have a confession. It may be a culinary no no to admit but I don't care! :~)

    One of my favorite school lunches growing up was beef-a-roni. You remember it, right? Overcooked elbow pasta, grade F meat in some kind of tomato base. I don't know when the concept of “comfort” food begins but at age 9 this really hit the nail on the head for me. Maybe it was the massive amount of fat and carbs that made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Who knows. But whatever it was, that was one lunch I always asked for seconds of.

    Well tonight, armed with 8oz of defrosted ground turkey and remnants of weekly produce I gave my old favorite a nutrition lift. I'm calling it “rainbow” as I used a red, orange, yellow and green vegetable. It made the dish really pretty and you know what they say about eating from the rainbow.

    As for reviews, well this was the first dish in WEEKS that I got a “Mmmmmm this is a good” from the toddler. However, he did have to be coaxed to eat the veggies that were left in his bowl. I did my best to dice them small, which may have been a mistake. Here he is chowing down and looking awfully cute if I don't say myself. :~)

    Remember this is one of those 'take it and run' recipes! Use what ya got!

    Ingredients

    • 6oz of your favorite whole wheat pasta
    • ½ sweet onion diced small
    • about 10 baby carrots diced small
    • 8oz lean ground turkey
    • 1 yellow bell pepper diced small
    • 1 medium zucchini diced small
    • 1 medium tomato diced small
    • 1 8oz can of tomato sauce (like del monte)
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • Kosher Salt & Pepper

    Instructions

    Put the pot of water on high for the pasta and cook according to package.

    Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Dice and add the onion. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and leave alone for 2 minutes while you dice the carrots. Add the carrots to the pot, stir and leave alone while you dice the pepper. Add the ground turkey to the carrots and onion skillet and break apart a bit. Once it starts to brown (grey) add the diced peppers. Leave alone while you dice the tomato. Add the tomato and stir over medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked all through.

    At this point the pasta should be almost done. Drain the pasta when it's ready and set aside.

    Add the tomato sauce and spices to the skillet, sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked pasta, continue stirring until everything is coated. Shut off heat and serve or cover until ready to serve.

    Honestly it was a keeper, I'll make it again when it's just me and the little guy, he really liked it! Just look how pretty it is!

    📖 Recipe

    turk a roni featured

    Rainbow Turk-a-Roni

    Looking for a new recipe to mix up your weeknight dinners? Rainbow turk-a-roni is a colorful and tasty option that's easy to make and sure to impress.
    5 from 1 vote
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 5 minutes mins
    Total Time 15 minutes mins
    Course Side Dish
    Cuisine American
    Servings 6 cups
    Calories 175 kcal

    Ingredients
      

    • 6 oz of your favorite whole wheat pasta
    • ½ sweet onion diced small
    • about 10 baby carrots diced small
    • 8 oz lean ground turkey
    • 1 yellow bell pepper diced small
    • 1 medium zucchini diced small
    • 1 medium tomato diced small
    • 1 8 oz can of tomato sauce like del monte
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • Kosher Salt & Pepper

    Instructions
     

    • Put the pot of water on high for the pasta and cook according to package.
      6 oz of your favorite whole wheat pasta
    • Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the oil. Dice and add the onion. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper and leave alone for 2 minutes while you dice the carrots.
      ½ sweet onion diced small, about 10 baby carrots diced small
    • Add the carrots to the pot, stir and leave alone while you dice the pepper. Add the ground turkey to the carrots and onion skillet and break apart a bit. Once it starts to brown (grey) add the diced peppers. Leave alone while you dice the tomato. Add the tomato and stir over medium-high heat until the turkey is cooked all through.
      8 oz lean ground turkey, 1 yellow bell pepper diced small, 1 medium zucchini diced small, 1 medium tomato diced small
    • At this point the pasta should be almost done. Drain the pasta when it's ready and set aside.
    • Add the tomato sauce and spices to the skillet, sprinkle a bit more salt and pepper to taste. Add the cooked pasta, continue stirring until everything is coated. Shut off heat and serve or cover until ready to serve.
      1 8 oz can of tomato sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon dried basil, Kosher Salt & Pepper

    Nutrition

    Calories: 175kcalCarbohydrates: 29gProtein: 15gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 0.3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 0.3gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 236mgPotassium: 502mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 817IUVitamin C: 29mgCalcium: 36mgIron: 2mg
    Keyword Rainbow, Turkey
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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    Reader Interactions

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    1. Nubia

      November 15, 2010 at 2:40 pm

      Oh, WOW. My hubby came into the kitchen and said that it looked and SMELLED great. If given the choice, the only veggies he'd eat would be the mushrooms on his pizza, but this recipe was so awesome he didn't care there were any in there. He said it tasted like hamburger helper but GOOD. I'll so make this again! Thanks for sharing your cool recipes, this isn't the first/only one that I've tried and loved 🙂

      Reply
    2. Cindy

      July 07, 2010 at 3:26 pm

      We had this for dinner last night and it was a big hit in our house. Trying the 15 min red beans and rice tonight!

      Thanks Roni!

      Reply
    3. TheRoosterChick

      November 05, 2009 at 1:33 pm

      Oooo, pretty. Looks like a nice dish for spring or summer too.

      Reply
    4. sandy hoppenrath

      September 17, 2008 at 12:29 am

      thanks for the laughing cow ideas. I'll try it really soon!

      Reply
    5. Aimee

      September 16, 2008 at 7:53 pm

      This definitely got the thumbs up from both my husband and my 21 month old. I added some pinto beans because we love beans and I used a red pepper but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Really great! Thanks Roni.

      Reply
    6. roni

      September 15, 2008 at 3:19 pm

      Sandy - I’ve never been a “creamy” sauce kind of gal so I don’t have any ideas off the bat. But I do know of people who use Laughing Cow light cheese to make an Alfredo knock off. For example… http://ronisweigh.com/2007/07/laughing-cow-light-cheese-wedges.html#comment-530

      Reply
    7. roni

      September 15, 2008 at 3:16 pm

      Tamara - Glad you guys liked the idea!

      Reply
    8. Sandy Hoppenrath

      September 15, 2008 at 1:28 pm

      Hey, I'm LOVING your recipes. I've shared it with so many friends. Lots of your ideas are getting kid approved in our house...the husband here eats about anything. Anyway, do you have any lite ideas with "white sauce" instead of red sauces? My kiddos aren't much into red sauce, unless forced and I'm always looking for a healthier option than the high fat alfredo. Thanks for your help!

      Reply
    9. Tamara

      September 14, 2008 at 3:49 am

      I had a package of ground beef in the fridge that HAD to be used. The hubby didn't feel like going out to pick up hamburger buns to make his burgers, so I decided to do this and if he didn't like it, well he could just eat a can of tuna. I had some peppers, but he vetoed the zucchini so I ended up throwing some frozen vegetabels (caluiflower-broccoli blend) in, as well as some frozen peas. It was so great! I ended up making about three times the amount of your recipe since there was so much ground beef, but we just measured it out and froze a bunch of portions for quick meals this week. The only thing I might try is using our favorite spicy pasta sauce next time (which we were out of) for a bit of added kick. But LOVED it!

      Reply
    10. Allyson

      September 13, 2008 at 6:24 pm

      Okay, my husband and I made it tonight, and it is so stinkin' good!!! After we had taken our first few bites, we both looked at each other and nodded in agreement. It's a definite keeper!!

      What's even better is that it took VERY little time! YAHOO!! I LOVE that!!

      Reply
    11. Kendra

      September 09, 2008 at 8:43 am

      I bet this is so tasty! I love using whatever is leftover. Those dishes usually end up being in the regular rotation at our house. And oh my goodness, I used to be OB.SESSED. with Beefaroni. I still have little moments when I pass it in the store. I'd probably throw up a little if I ate it now since things from childhood rarely taste as good as you remember. So I'll stick with the memory, and it's oh so good.

      Reply
    12. Tina O.

      September 08, 2008 at 8:19 pm

      Oh, I LOVED the turkey gravy that you could get over rice or mashed potatoes! I just tried to re-create it recently and actually did pretty well, I thought. My kids liked it a lot, but I had to use 'jar' gravy which I usually find pretty gross. My older son has informed me that they do NOT serve that in school. I'm not sure if that's good or bad, but I will make it again!

      Reply
    13. Megan

      September 08, 2008 at 10:59 am

      Great recipe! I definitely have to try this!

      Reply
    14. dd

      September 07, 2008 at 10:44 pm

      I made this last night for dinner. My dh asked where I got the recipe...and (of course) I said, "Same place I've been getting all my new great stuff - GreenLiteBites!"

      He loved the recipe! I think it was really a comfort food for him. He's been working full time and going to school all weekend. He came home needing a home cooked meal, and this fit the bill just perfectly for him. (It definitely helped that it was quick and easy to make!)

      Thanks again, Roni! : )

      Reply
    15. Allyson

      September 06, 2008 at 12:46 pm

      That looks delicious!! I'm making next week's menu tonight, and we're definitely gonna have that!

      Thanks Roni!!

      Reply
    16. Allison K

      September 06, 2008 at 10:20 am

      Ryan is growing up so fast! What a cutie!

      I was wondering if you've ever considered cooking the pasta in the same pan as the veggie mixture? I saw this "one skillet" thing on America's Test Kitchen, tried a recipe and it was crazy fast, simple and delicious. They add either water or broth and then throw the pasta in, and the pasta absorbs all those yummy flavors already in the pan. I guess it's the same principle as your Roni's Chicken Surprise.. but with fresher ingredients?

      This looks great, it reminds me of your Quick Pepper Pasta thing that inspired me to experiment with all the weird leftover veggies in my fridge!

      Reply
    17. Shana

      September 06, 2008 at 6:29 am

      I have made a similar dish. Adding frozen mixed veggies and splah of balsamic vinegar sweetens the mix a bit. It's a great way toget "my toddler" to eat her veggies.

      Reply
    18. Melanie

      September 05, 2008 at 10:15 pm

      Great recipe -- I'm sure my hubby will love it! Look at Ryan! He's such a cute and grownup little man!

      Reply
    19. Ashley

      September 05, 2008 at 3:11 pm

      Looks delish! I make a similar dish, only it's baked. You line a casserole dish with your veggies, then cover them with a milk mixture and a few bread crumbs. You can also add cheese and it turns out just beautifully!

      Reply
    20. Ann

      September 05, 2008 at 2:53 pm

      I was trying to boost the MD hits, and I did a double take when I saw the BU t-shirt. Props to you, Roni!!

      Reply
    21. Sara

      September 05, 2008 at 2:40 pm

      Cute shirt! I have friends at Bloomsburg. I even used to spend a week there every August throughout high school for field hockey camp! Oh the good old days.

      Reply

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