Baked Turkey Tetrazzini | Diethood

Creamy Baked Turkey Tetrazzini is one in all my finest leftover turkey recipes! This straightforward, basic pasta bake is made with tender cooked spaghetti and turkey tossed in a home made mushroom cream sauce, then baked beneath a layer of crunchy panko and parmesan. It’s the right lazy, post-holiday meal to make use of up these Thanksgiving leftovers.

Straightforward Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini with Mushrooms

I don’t learn about you, mates, however as soon as Thanksgiving has come and gone, I don’t even need to look at my oven for no less than every week. And that’s saying one thing, for me!

This is the reason I decide to get all my post-holiday cooking executed without delay, whereas there’s nonetheless leftover turkey within the fridge. I bake all of it up into this straightforward, one-shot, garlicky turkey tetrazzini recipe to tide us over for the subsequent few days. Dinner? Turkey tetrazzini. Fast lunch? Tetrazzini! 🫶

This straightforward pasta bake is so flavorful, we by no means get bored with it. I really like how the tender turkey, savory mushrooms, and creamy sauce tie collectively completely. Heck, generally I’ll even put together two casseroles, and freeze one for a later day.

If you happen to’re questioning what to do with a bucketload of leftover roast turkey, you’re going to like this scrumptious and creamy turkey tetrazzini! 

What You’ll Want

So, what’s tetrazzini sauce manufactured from? Let’s have a fast take a look at the substances you’ll want, and don’t neglect to verify the recipe card for the total quantities:

• Spaghetti: You’ll want a couple of pound of dry spaghetti pasta to make this baked turkey tetrazzini. Different lengthy pasta, like fettuccine or linguine, are additionally good choices.
• Butter and Olive Oil: You’ll use each all through the recipe for cooking and flavoring.
• Garlic: Freshly minced garlic or bust, mates! 
• Child Bella Mushrooms: Nearly any white or brown mushrooms will work, however I discover these child mushrooms to be an ideal dimension for simple slicing.
• Hen Broth: I like to make use of a low-sodium broth or inventory in order that the recipe doesn’t come out overly salty. Vegetable broth is the subsequent most suitable option.
• Flour: Simply common all-purpose flour, for thickening the mushroom sauce.
• Heavy Cream: Full-fat cream will yield the creamiest tetrazzini sauce. Nevertheless, you should use half-and-half or 2% milk if you happen to favor it lighter. 
• Leftover Turkey: Collect up that leftover cooked turkey from the fridge, and chop it into bite-sized chunks.
• Mozzarella Cheese: I soften shredded mozzarella into the cream sauce for next-level ooey-gooey, melty creaminess. (Is it me? Am I the drama?)
• Frozen Peas: Completely optionally available. Inexperienced peas add a pleasant pop of colour and I occur to like them! Be happy to omit if you happen to’d favor.
• Panko Bread Crumbs: Panko crumbs are the lighter, flakier cousins of normal breadcrumbs. They make the perfect topping for baked pasta recipes! 
• Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated, to mix with the panko for further taste.
• Salt and Pepper

How Lengthy Is Leftover Turkey Good For?

Saved hermetic, leftover Thanksgiving turkey will maintain for 4 days within the fridge. This leaves ample time to show it into one thing scrumptious, like this turkey tetrazzini. For longer-term storage, you may as well freeze leftover turkey for as much as 3 months.

Tips on how to Make Baked Turkey Tetrazzini

Whereas the oven preheats, get your spaghetti cooked al dente in keeping with the instructions on the package deal. Put aside the pasta, together with a greased baking dish, after which get began on the cream sauce: 

• Make the Mushroom Sauce: Saute the garlic in a Dutch oven with butter and olive oil, then add the mushrooms and a half cup of rooster broth. After a couple of minutes, add the remainder of the butter and extra olive oil, after which whisk within the flour. Lastly, pour within the remaining broth together with heavy cream. Toss in a pinch of salt and pepper, then simmer to thicken.

• Add Turkey: Subsequent, stir the chopped turkey, shredded mozzarella, and inexperienced peas into the sauce.
• Add Spaghetti: Subsequent, toss the spaghetti within the cream sauce to coat. Switch the spaghetti and sauce to the baking dish after which combine up the topping.

• Make the Topping: In a separate bowl, whisk collectively the panko, parmesan, and the final of the olive oil. Unfold the topping evenly excessive of the spaghetti within the pan.

• Bake: Lastly, bake the tetrazzini at 350ºF till the highest is crisp and golden, between 22 to 25 minutes. Make sure to let the casserole relaxation on the counter for 10 minutes or so, earlier than serving.

Suggestions and Variations

Listed here are much more methods to take advantage of out of this straightforward turkey tetrazzini recipe:

• Further Cheese: For much more cheesiness, stir a mix of cheeses into the sauce. Combine mozzarella with different melty varieties like, grated cheddar or provolone.
• Add Herbs: Convey extra taste to your tetrazzini with contemporary or dried herbs, like parsley, basil, oregano, thyme, and/or rosemary.
• Add Veggies: Why cease at frozen peas? Add further veggies to your pasta bake, resembling diced zucchini, carrots, and even cherry tomatoes. It’s additionally one other nice excuse to make use of up extra Thanksgiving leftovers, like Honey Roasted Butternut Squash or Straightforward Roasted Inexperienced Beans.
• Hen Tetrazzini: This recipe is a superb means to make use of up leftover vacation turkey. Nevertheless, it’s simply pretty much as good after I make it with chopped cooked rooster, too! You may also swap out turkey or rooster for diced vacation ham as an alternative.
• Add Bacon: Smokey, crispy cooked bacon is nice so as to add to the mushroom sauce or sprinkle overtop as soon as the tetrazzini is baked.

Serving Strategies

A comfy baked turkey tetrazzini goes with so many meal concepts! We love serving ours with a aspect of crusty No-Knead Skillet Bread and a contemporary fall salad. You need to strive my Apple Bacon Salad with Do-it-yourself Maple-Balsamic French dressing. 👌 Tetrazzini makes a satisfying lunch or gentle dinner on the times after an enormous vacation meal.

Serve this turkey tetrazzini with a number of of those straightforward aspect dishes:

Storing and Reheating Leftovers

• This baked turkey tetrazzini could be saved hermetic within the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
• Reheat parts within the oven at 350ºF, or within the microwave till warmed by means of.

Can I Freeze Turkey Tetrazzini?

• Sure! To increase the lifetime of your leftovers even longer, this tetrazzini could be frozen for as much as 3 months. Wrap the casserole tightly in plastic wrap, with an additional layer of aluminum foil, or retailer it hermetic in a freezer-safe container.
• Defrost the turkey tetrazzini in a single day within the fridge, then reheat within the oven or within the microwave (if reheating smaller parts).

ENJOY!

Extra Methods to Use Leftover Turkey