Turkey Tetrazzini is the perfect comfort food baked casserole recipe, and it’s great for using up leftover turkey meat.
Turkey Tetrazzini
This is a great-tasting, creamy casserole using leftover turkey, and there are no canned condensed soups used in this one at all! It’s our family’s favorite. I have another one you might like that’s a Turkey Noodle Casserole. It has slightly different ingredients, different pasta and maybe not as kid-friendly. But we do like that one too!
🛒 Ingredients Needed:
- water and salt
- spaghetti
- unsalted butter
- all purpose flour
- chicken broth
- heavy cream
- fresh rosemary and fresh thyme
- nutmeg
- freshly ground black pepper
- roasted turkey
- frozen peas
- dried breadcrumbs
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese
✏️ How to make Turkey Tetrazzini:
*The complete, printable recipe with all ingredients and instructions is at the end of this post.
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Fill a large stockpot ¾ full of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt and the spaghetti and cook until al dente (cooked through but still slightly chewy), 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside.
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Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.
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In a medium sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until faintly colored, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the stock or broth until the sauce is smooth and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the cream, then add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the rosemary, thyme, nutmeg, and pepper. Stir in the turkey and peas and heat through. Taste and adjust the seasonings, then remove from the heat.
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Put pasta in the prepared dish and spoon the turkey mixture over it.
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In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the Parmesan. Sprinkle evenly over the sauce.
Bake, uncovered, until heated through and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and quickly brown the top of the casserole.
★ Make-Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To make ahead, let the turkey tetrazzini cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 1 month. If frozen, let thaw in the refrigerator. Re-heat in a preheated 350 degree F. oven until heated through.
➡️ Recipe Tips and Substitutions:
- Use roasted chicken in place of roasted turkey!
- Most varieties of pasta will work for this recipe.
- Use turkey stock or broth if you can find it (in place of the chicken broth).
- If you only have dried herbs, use 2/3 teaspoon of dried rosemary and 1 teaspoon of dried thyme. Use about 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg in place of fresh.
- I prefer to use panko breadcrumbs over regular dried breadcrumbs.
✓ What to serve with Turkey Tetrazzini:
- If you are making this after a turkey dinner, it’s great to serve with your turkey dinner leftovers like cranberry sauce and homemade rolls.
- Turkey tetrazzini is great served with your favorite salad.
- Since this is a meal in itself, you might want to just serve it with a nice hunk of garlic bread and a light white wine.
❤️ What I Love About This Recipe:
- Turkey tetrazzini is the perfect recipe for using up leftover turkey!
- It’s family friendly, so usually everyone likes this one.
- The recipe makes quite a lot, so there will likely be plenty of leftovers!
Favorite Baked Casserole Recipes:
Turkey Tetrazzini
Looking for a recipe for leftover turkey? This one makes the perfect comfort food casserole.
Recipe Details
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 585kcal
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Ingredients
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 12 ounces spaghetti
- 6 tablespoons (¾ stick) unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3½ cups turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped thyme
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 3½ cups ½ inch diced roast turkey
- 10 ounces frozen peas
- ½ cup dried breadcrumbs or panko
- ½ cup (2-ounces) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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Fill a large stockpot ¾ full of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons of the salt and the spaghetti and cook until al dente (cooked through but still slightly chewy), 8 to 10 minutes. Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside.
-
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Butter a 9×13-inch baking pan.
-
In a medium sauté pan or skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, until faintly colored, about 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the stock or broth until the sauce is smooth and thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the cream, then add the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, the thyme, rosemary, nutmeg, and pepper. Stir in the turkey and peas and heat through. Taste and adjust the seasonings, then remove from the heat.
-
Put pasta in the prepared dish and spoon the turkey mixture over it.
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In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the Parmesan. Sprinkle evenly over the sauce. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Turn on the broiler and quickly brown the top of the casserole.
Notes
- Make ahead: Let cool completely, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 1 month.
- To reheat: If frozen, let thaw in refrigerator. Reheat in a preheated 350 degree oven until heated through.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving, Calories: 585kcal, Carbohydrates: 50g, Protein: 34g, Fat: 28g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.4g, Cholesterol: 129mg, Sodium: 1141mg, Potassium: 493mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1070IU, Vitamin C: 16mg, Calcium: 196mg, Iron: 3mg