Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
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Turkey Tetrazzini is an easy pasta casserole that is a perfectly delicious way to use leftover turkey or chicken. It is easy to make ahead to serve for a crowd.
Did you know that Turkey Tetrazzini is an American dish? Yup. According to Wikipedia, the American pasta casserole, that first surfaced in print in Good Housekeeping’s October 1908 issue, was named after an Italian Opera Star, Luisa Tetrazzini. While that may or may not be true (just because it’s on the internets doesn’t make it so, right?), it sure is fun to wonder what the famous opera star must have been like to be named after such a tasty casserole that has become a favorite comfort food classic for so many.
It got me thinking, if a dish were named after me what would that be? What would I want it to be? And would it have to be just one dish, because while I certainly do enjoy a fantastic pasta dish, I’m pretty smitten with decadent desserts? Seriously, these are all very important questions.
What kind of dish would you want named after yourself? Do tell. I’m interested to hear all about what it would be and why. I’ll be eagerly waiting your comments.
While you think on that, let’s talk about this recipe. If you’ve never made Turkey Tetrazzini, it may sound real fancy, but it is not. Not one bit. The steps are basic. Other than cooking the pasta in a stock pot, the rest of the dish can be whipped up in one large pan, then transferred to a baking dish to finish cooking in the oven. It is a super terrific way to use leftover turkey or chicken. Turkey (or Chicken) Tetrazzini is also a great dish for serving at a dinner party, along with a tossed salad. Just perfect! AND delicious!
More tasty turkey recipes you will enjoy:
And here are even more easy dinner recipes to check out from a few of my talented friends:
- Teriyaki Beef Casserole from Oh, Sweet Basil
- Tuscan Chicken Pasta from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
- Chicken and Rice Casserole from South Your Mouth
- Slow Cooker Jambalaya from Spicy Southern Kitchen
Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
A delicious pasta casserole made with turkey, mushrooms, broccoli and parmesan.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine (or preferred pasta noodles)
- 6 tablespoons salted butter, divided
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 cup finely chopped onion
- 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/4 cup sherry (cognac, brandy or marsala may be substituted)
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
- 3 cups milk
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 pound (about 4-5 cups) leftover turkey, shredded (minus skin and bones)
- 3 cups small broccoli florets
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs, dry
Instructions
- Butter or lightly coat with cooking spray a 9x13-inch baking dish. Preheat oven to 375-degrees F.
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions.
- In a large skillet or stock pot over medium heat, melt 3 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons oil. Add diced onion and mushrooms and season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Add sage and cook 2 minutes. Add sherry and cook, stirring occasionally for 2 minutes. Push onions, and mushrooms to one side of pan.
- Add 3 tablespoons butter. Sift in flour and whisk until smooth. Cook and stir until light tan in color, about 2 minutes. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Stir everything in pan together.
- Whisk in stock, increase heat to medium and bring to a simmer.
- Whisk in milk and nutmeg. Bring back to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally about 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat. Add drained pasta, turkey, and broccoli to the sauce and stir to combine. Stir in 1/2 cup of the grated cheese. Pour into the prepared baking dish.
- Mix together the remaining grated cheese and bread crumbs. Sprinkle over top.
- Bake at 375-degrees F until top is slightly browned and bubbly, about 30 minutes.
Originally published November 24, 2014.
I’m tickled that you’re here! Like you, I wear many hats, and live to tell about it. This space is a place for sharing food, home, garden, travel and lifestyle tidbits, with some fun always thrown in for good measure.
I made this Turkey Tetrazzini recipe a few days ago with some leftovers from Thanksgiving. I’ve made tetrazzini before and this is the absolute BEST!. It was absolutely delicious. The sherry was spot on. I made stock with the two carcasses from our dinner & I used that for my liquid instead of chicken broth. This is a very special recipe & I’m going to make it again next weekend. (I’ve frozen some turkey & also some of the stock)
Thanks so much for this definite Keeper!
So glad to hear that you enjoyed it, Connie!
Amy, here I am again. I smoked a turkey breast this weekend & got the urge for AMY’S TURKEY TETRAZZINI. I can’t say enough good things about it. So I’m making it again this weekend.
I have also spread the word to friends to check out yours site. Great recipes.
Thanks again.
Thank you so much, Connie! Now I’m craving turkey.
Thanks for sharing this recipe- a definite post-Thanksgiving keeper! The only thing we tweaked was adding a little ground white pepper in step 6 with the nutmeg. Delicious!
I found this recipe way off on proportions. If I had added all the wet ingredients to this I would have had a soupy mess! After putting in the 2 1/2 cups of broth, adding 3 more cups of milk would have made it really too soupy. I just used 1-1/2 cups of milk and bulked up the cheese a lot. Will see how it turns out. Also, way too much pasta. Will land up giving about a 1/4 of the pasta to the chickens tomorrow. Well good thing is they like pasta.
Amy, is this really enough for 12 people? The receipe says “yields 12” but the quantities don’t seem to be enough to serve that many.
I loved the photos of this recipe so I went ahead and made it. It was completely delicious. I always love pasta but this recipe was just so good it’s beyond words. I’ll be making it again soon. I used leftover turkey so now I need more turkey to make it again! I might try it with chicken next time. The flavors are irresistible and when they’re combined with pasta, I just can’t resist it. Thanks for such a delicious meal.
Turkey tetrazzini is my favorite dish to make with leftover thanksgiving turkey, and this recipe did not disappoint! For some reason I’ve never made this dish for my husband and he absolutely loved it. Would definitely recommend!
My mom used to make Tetrazzini, and I always loved it. Your recipe looked pretty close to hers, so I made it yesterday using your recipe and my mom’s, which my sister found when I was half way through the process. So, mostly yours with a little of mom’s thrown in for good measure. It was fantastic! Thank you so much. I can’t say enough good things about this recipe. Just superb!