This recipe for LEFTOVER TURKEY TETRAZZINI is the one they’ll ask for again and again!

You heard it here first, friends; this is an easy-to-prepare pasta dish that puts leftover turkey to good use, and might very well be our new favourite. Everyone we’ve served it to mentions how much they enjoy the creaminess of the cheese sauce, plus the crispy, almost crunchy topping. That said, we also like the simplicity; prepare the ingredients, cook some pasta, make a sauce, bake and serve. Wait until you try this tasty LEFTOVER TURKEY TETRAZZINI at home. We know you’re going to love it.

If you really want to test this homemade tetrazzini recipe against some stiff competition, check out our pasta category with similar baked meal ideas. You’ll find our fabulous BAKED LASAGNA, this BAKED CHICKEN CASSEROLE and our OLD-SCHOOL TUNA CASSEROLE. Is it recipes using leftover turkey that you crave, especially after Thanksgiving or Christmas? You should also try this TURKEY POT PIE, our amazing TURKEY HOT BROWNS and the classic HOT TURKEY SANDWICHES. Enjoy each and all.

Let’s get back to some tips on making LEFTOVER TURKEY TETRAZZINI:

INGREDIENTS

We started taking photos like the one above years ago with the goal of showing you all the ingredients you’ll need to make the recipe. Sometimes we set up the shot and think, “Hmmm, this recipe really only uses a few choice ingredients”, while other times it seems like a lot. This pic showcasing what you’ll need to make a turkey tetrazzini looks more complicated than it is. Gathering everything is easy: leftover turkey, a few veggies, seasoning, butter, cream, milk, chicken stock and flour. Sometimes, delicious requires a few extra things, but it all comes together to build those memorable flavours.

LEFTOVER TURKEY

This recipe was crafted using leftover turkey. Wait, let me rephrase that. This recipe uses leftover turkey from our DRY-BRINED TURKEY RECIPE. So what’s the big deal? The meat has a pleasing, memorable flavour thanks to us roasting it with fresh herbs that include sage, rosemary and thyme. Yet, it’s the brining that makes it a showstopper. Every time I carve and serve this turkey recipe, people comment on how the texture is so silky, and the meat is so juicy. Fingers crossed you have both light and dark meat leftovers to give the tetrazzini even more flavour.

CREAMY SAUCE

One of the hallmarks of a tetrazzini recipe is the rich cream sauce that envelops the pasta while it bakes. Click HERE to learn about the disputed origins of this pasta recipe. Some say it’s classic Italian-American cuisine, others claim famed French chef Auguste Escoffier created it. One thing’s for sure, it’s all about that cream sauce. In the VIDEO created for this recipe, I explain that we opted not to create the pasta sauce using a can of cream of chicken soup, sour cream or cream cheese. Instead, we went with a made-from-scratch sauce recipe. It’s just some butter and flour to make a roux, add some stock, cream and whole milk – easier than you might think.

WHAT TYPE OF PASTA?

Here’s a fun fact about tetrazzini – it can be made with chicken, salmon or shrimp instead of turkey. Yup, it’s open to interpretation, so make this recipe your own by using a favourite poultry or seafood. Another fun fact is that it’s traditionally made with long noodles. We made ours using linguine, but spaghetti, fettuccine, bucatini and tagliatelle work too. But please, do not make the recipe with fusilli, penne, farfalle or another short-noodle pasta variety. In our humble opinion, the cream sauce clings better to long noodles. And let our one tip about cooking the pasta be your phrase of the day: al dente. The pasta should still have a bit of bite when done.

MAKING THE SAUCE

We’ve included a series of photos of the actual making of the cream sauce to give a sense of the steps. This first photo shows the foundation of the flavours. We have a mirepoix of onion, celery and cremini mushrooms that then gets boosted with seasoning and finely diced garlic. For the seasoning, we used chili flakes to give the LEFTOVER TURKEY TETRAZZINI a bit of heat plus a teaspoon of our SALAD SPRINKLES. This dried herb and seasoning blend delivers notes of oregano, basil, rosemary and sumac. We also add white wine to the sauce to round out the earthy notes from the mushrooms.

First step to making the sauce is to melt butter in a large skillet or frying pan and sauté the onion, celery and thinly sliced cremini mushrooms. Stir these ingredients in the pan occasionally as they cook. 

The next step is to add the seasoning and garlic, followed by the wine. This step of de-glazing the pan captures all the flavourful, caramelized bits—called fond—from the bottom of the pan.

Once most of the wine has evaporated from the pan and cooked into the veggies and mushrooms, the final steps are to add the flour and liquids. The key here is to sprinkle the skillet or pan with the flour and then stir it into the veggies thoroughly, allowing it to cook in the hot pan. Then add the chicken stock, cream and milk. Make sure to thicken the sauce to a boil after the addition of the stock before adding the cream and milk. This yields a silkier pasta sauce.

Final step in making the sauce is to add the Parmesan cheese and the morsels of leftover turkey. Stir the cheese in and melt it into the creamy sauce before adding the meat. Once the turkey has had a minute or two to get hot in the sauce, remove the pan from the heat, season with salt and pepper and add the chopped fresh parsley. For those wanting to add peas, carrots or asparagus, go ahead, and to our herby friends wondering if they can add fresh basil instead of parsley, it’s a go on that too. This recipe welcomes innovation.

ASSEMBLE

You are going to love how easy the assembly is on this turkey tetrazzini recipe. Simply spill the cooked pasta into a 9 x 13-inch glass casserole or ovenproof baking dish. Then pour the creamy turkey sauce mixture, distributing it evenly in and amongst the noodles. Then add the topping and transfer to the oven to bake. Simple!  

TOPPING

Wait, whoa, Nik! What’s that about a topping? I’m glad you asked, as I’m thinking the little tweak we made to the topping for this tetrazzini recipe may be a game-changer. So again, traditionally, tetrazzini is topped with breadcrumbs made from crusty Italian bread or whole wheat bread. Gluten-free versions can also be made using gluten-free pasta and Japanese panko crumbs.

Those options got me thinking about something that would produce a golden-topped, extra-crispy topping. The solution: cornflake crumbs. Prepare to be amazed by the crispy crunch of our version, still blended with Parmesan cheese and also a smidge of chopped parsley. Terrific tetrazzini topper!

SERVE

There are no special directions to serve, although we’d better come clean… things may get messy. There’s no easy way to transfer long noodle pasta drenched in a creamy sauce over to dinner plates.

Simply dig down into the casserole dish using a spoon and fork, then try to lift the noodles up and out of the dish to serve. You may wish to go back and collect any additional moist morsels of turkey and crispy, crunchy topping. Garnish with parsley and enjoy!

PIN IT!

This delicious recipe is so wonderful, we suggest you PIN the recipe to a favourite main course and leftovers board on PINTEREST or BOOKMARK this tab for easy access. SHARE it with friends so they can make it too. We’d also appreciate seeing pics of all the delicious dishes you’re making these days. Use #weekendatthecottage when you post those pics on Facebook and Instagram. Thanks!

Breathe new life into leftovers by making this best recipe for LEFTOVER TURKEY TETRAZZINI, guaranteed!

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