Turkey tetrazzini is a retro casserole that I bet your grandma made with leftover turkey the day after Thanksgiving. It was developed in the early 1900’s and was quite popular in the 70’s and 80’s, but its popularity has fallen off a bit in modern times. It had a reputation for being heavy and a little dry, but today we are modernizing this classic and you are going to love it all over again.
If you are unfamiliar with turkey tetrazzini, it is basically a pasta casserole made with leftover turkey, mushrooms and peas in a cream based sauce and topped with a breadcrumb topping. Most of the OG recipes call for canned soup, cream cheese and margarine, but this modern take on the classic calls for real food, more vegetables than pasta and a little parmesan to amp up the flavor without the need for bouillon cubes or loads of salt.
This recipe will still definitely fall firmly into the comfort food category, but it I can recognize all of the ingredients and I love that.
Let’s get started…
Start by gathering your ingredients. You will need 12 ounces of long pasta (like spaghetti, linguine or fettuccine), 16 ounces of cremini mushrooms, a medium yellow onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 6 tablespoons of butter, 1/4 cup of all purpose flour, 1 1/2 cups of stock (chicken or turkey), 1 quart of half and half, 2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs, a cup of finely shredded parmesan, 1 cup of frozen peas, 4 cups of shredded leftover turkey, salt, black pepper and a pinch of nutmeg.
You will also need 3/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs, 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and 2 tablespoons of melted butter for the breadcrumb topping.
When it comes to putting this casserole together, you can either make it in a large skillet and then transfer it into a baking dish or you can make the whole thing in a dutch oven start to finish. This is my favorite method… less dishes to wash later is always a good thing!
Begin by cooking 12 ounces of pasta about 2 minutes under the manufacturers suggested amount of time. You want the pasta to be just under al dente, so it doesn’t become overcooked as the casserole bakes.
Place your skillet over medium heat with 2 tablespoons of butter, the diced yellow onion and the sliced cremini mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms and onions have softened and most of the liquid has been cooked out of the mushrooms. This usually takes 7-8 minutes.
Add the minced garlic and cook for another 60 seconds while stirring consistently and then add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter.
As soon as the butter has melted, sprinkle 1/4 cup of all purpose flour over the mushrooms and onions and stir to combine.
Add 1 1/2 cups of stock and a quart of half and half along with 2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs, a generous pinch of salt and black pepper and a small pinch of nutmeg and stir until everything has been fully incorporated.
As soon as the sauce begins to steam and form little bubbles around the edges, transfer it off of the heat and add a cup of finely shredded parmesan, a cup of frozen peas, 4 cups of shredded turkey and the cooked pasta and carefully mix until all of the ingredients are evenly distributed.
If you are transferring the casserole into a separate baking dish, do this now and then combine 2 tablespoons of melted butter with 3/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs and 1/2 cup of grated parmesan. Sprinkle this mixture over the top of the casserole covering the casserole completely.
Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake the casserole in a 375 degree for 25 minutes.
Remove the foil and bake the casserole uncovered for another 10 minutes or so to allow the breadcrumb topping to become golden brown.
This is exactly what you are looking for. Golden brown, crunchy breadcrumbs. So inviting, right?
Transfer your golden brown turkey tetrazzini onto a heat proof surface and let it relax for about 10 minutes to give the sauce some time to tighten up a bit. Then scoop a healthy serving onto a plate and get ready for a dose of old fashioned comfort food…
If you thought that you may have added too much stock and half and half when you were first assembling the casserole, you were right on track, because all of that creamy goodness has now been transformed into a perfectly balanced sauce to everything else ratio, so no more dry tetrazzini my friends… we have plenty of sauce to work with and I am loving it…
Something else that is nice about all that sauce is that if your turkey happened to turn out a little dry yesterday, it won’t matter today, because it is cozily nestled in a cream bed of deliciousness now.
Something else that I am in love with are those golden brown parmesan panko breadcrumbs over top. They add the perfect little crunch to the saucy tender vegetables and pasta.
The whole thing just works and now when I think of turkey tetrazzini, I am here for it and once you make yourself a batch… you will be too.
Modern Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 12 ounces of long pasta, dry (spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine)
- 16 ounces of cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 6 tablespoons of butter
- 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups of stock (chicken or turkey)
- 1 quart of half and half
- 2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs
- salt and black pepper
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 1 cup of parmesan, finely shredded
- 1 cup of peas, frozen
- 4 cups of turkey, cooked and shredded
Parmesan Breadcrumb Topping
- 2 tablespoons of butter, melted
- 3/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup of parmesan, grated
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook 12 ounces of pasta for 1-2 minutes less than manufacturer’s directions so it is just al dente. Drain, cover with a towel and set aside for now
- Add 2 tablespoons of butter into a large skillet over medium heat
- Add 16 ounces of sliced mushrooms and diced yellow onion and cook until softened
- Add 3 cloves of minced garlic and cook for 60 seconds
- Add 4 tablespoons of butter and once the butter has melted, sprinkle 1/4 cup of all purpose flour over the butter, whisk to combine and cook for about 60 seconds or until the flour slightly deepens in color
- Add 1 1/2 cups of stock and a quart of half and half and whisk to combine
- Add 2 teaspoons of dried Italian herbs, a generous pinch of salt and black pepper and a small pinch of nutmeg and continue cooking until the mixture begins to form small bubbles around the edges of the skillet
- Remove the skillet from the heat and add 1 cup of finely shredded parmesan, 1 cup of frozen peas, 4 cups of shredded turkey and the cooked pasta and carefully mix until everything is evenly distributed
- Note: if baking on a separate dish, transfer the mixture into that dish now
- In a small bowl, combine 3/4 cup of panko breadcrumbs with 1/2 cup of grated parmesan and add 2 tablespoons of melted butter and evenly spread the mixture over the casserole and cover the dish with foil
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 25 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until the breadcrumbs are golden brown
- Allow the casserole to rest for a few minutes before serving
- Garnish with fresh parsley
This is amaxing !