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Easy Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe Perfect for Leftover Turkey

Turkey tetrazzini is a creamy turkey casserole recipe made with pasta, mushrooms, and cooked turkey smothered in a flavorful cream sauce and topped with cheese. It’s a delicious way to use up leftover turkey or chicken, and will have your family asking for more!


  • GREAT WAY TO USE TURKEY LEFTOVERS – After an abudance of leftover turkey sandwiches, this creamy pasta casserole is a nice change.
  • PERFECT FOR DINNER GUESTS – Although it’s an easy dish to make, it’s fancy enough for a dinner party!
  • CREAMY – Unlike some pasta casserole recipes, this turkey tetrazzini has the perfect ratio of pasta to creamy sauce. It’s not too dry, nor runny. It’s perfect!
  • AN OLD FASHIONED CLASSIC RECIPE-This old fashioned recipe is made with a homemade sauce – no cream of mushroom soup in this one. It has a wonderful flavor made with common ingredients.
  • ENJOY IT YEAR ROUND– Although turkey tetrazzini is a great way to use up that Christmas or Thanksgiving leftover turkey, this bubbly casserole recipe can be enjoyed year-round using leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken, too.
Turkey tetrazzini recipe being scooped out of a large dutch oven with the noodles dripping off the spoon.
You can make this turkey tetrazzini recipe with cooked chicken if you prefer. Either way, it’s delicious!

Ingredients for Turkey Tetrazzini

(A printable recipe card is provided below for your convenience.)

  • 3 1/2 cups cooked turkey cut into large dices
  • 12 ounces vermicelli – or any other type of thin pasta noodles
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1- 284 ml (or 10 fl oz) can mushroom pieces and stems, drained
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese – divided
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup white wine (or cooking sherry – or chicken broth can be substituted)
  • 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • salt and pepper

Step by Step Instructions for this Leftover Turkey Casserole

  1. Break the noodles in half and cook in salted boiling water according to package directions until just al dente (a little bit undercooked). Drain noodles and place in a dutch oven or 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. While the noodles are cooking, prepare and measure out all the other ingredients and set aside. Once you start making the sauce you need to move quite quickly, so it’s nice to have everything ready to dump in!
  3. Preheat a large skillet and melt the butter. Add in the mushrooms and heat through. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
  4. Make a roux sauce by first adding the flour to the melted butter and whisking together. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture becomes yellow.
  5. Slowly add in the milk and chicken broth whisking constantly until it becomes smooth. Continue to whisk as it cooks and becomes thick. Sprinkle in salt and pepper. Add in 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir until melted and thickens. Add in the cooked turkey, mushrooms, and white wine and stir until heated through.
  6. Pour the sauce over the cooked noodles in the dutch oven. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese and panko bread crumbs.
  1. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for 15 minutes more or until it is hot and bubbly around the edges and the cheese and panko crumbs are just starting to turn golden brown.
Baked turkey tetrazzini in a large dutch oven.
This casserole recipe has the perfect amount of sauce and is smotherd in cheese!

What to serve with turkey tetrazzini

This creamy pasta casserole can be served with a green salad (like spinach salad with this poppy seed dressing recipe) and dinner rolls or garlic toast.

Substitutions for this casserole recipe

  • If you prefer fresh mushrooms to canned, substitute 8 ounces sliced mushrooms for the canned mushrooms.
  • Monterey jack cheese is a yummy substitute for the mozzerella cheese
  • You can add in some frozen veggies (like frozen peas) for a casserole with more vegetables.
  • Sherry can be substituted for the white wine, or you can substitute chicken stock for the wine.
  • You can omit the panko crumbs and sprinkle on parmesan cheese instead.
Turkey tetrazzini being dished out of the dutch oven with a large spoon.

How to store turkey tetrazzini leftovers

If you have leftovers, good for you! This is one of those recipes that can disappear quickly.;)

To store the leftovers, cover in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months. If frozen, to reheat it, let it thaw completely and bake in a 350 degree oven until heated through.

Other Casserole recipes:

This recipe was inspired by Debra’s old fashioned chicken tetrazzini recipe.

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Close up of turkey tetrazzini in a dutch oven.

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Creamy Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe

Creamy Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe

Yield: 6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Turkey tetrazzini is a creamy turkey casserole recipe made with pasta, mushrooms, and cooked turkey smothered in a flavorful cream sauce and topped with cheese. It’s a delicious way to use up leftover turkey or chicken, and will have your family asking for more!

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups cooked turkey cut into large dices
  • 12 ounces vermicelli – or any other type of thin pasta noodles
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1-10 oz can mushroom pieces and stems, drained (It is 284 ml here in Canada)
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese – divided
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • 1/4 cup white wine (or cooking sherry – or chicken broth can be substituted)
  • 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
  • salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. Break the noodles in half and cook in salted boiling water according to package directions until just al dente (a little bit undercooked). Drain noodles and place in a dutch oven or 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
  2. While the noodles are cooking, prepare and measure out all the other ingredients and set aside. Once you start making the sauce you need to move quite quickly, so it’s nice to have everything ready to dump in!
  3. Preheat a large skillet and melt the butter. Add in the mushrooms and heat through. Remove the mushrooms and set aside.
  4. Make a roux sauce by first adding the flour to the melted butter and whisking together. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture becomes yellow.
  5. Slowly add in the milk and chicken broth whisking constantly until it becomes smooth. Continue to whisk as it cooks and becomes thick. Sprinkle in salt and pepper. Add in 1 cup of the grated cheese and stir until melted and thickens. Add in the cooked turkey, mushrooms, and white wine and stir until heated through.
  6. Pour the sauce over the cooked noodles in the dutch oven. Top with remaining 1 cup cheese and panko bread crumbs.
  7. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Then remove the cover and bake for 15 minutes more or until it is hot and bubbly around the edges and the cheese and panko crumbs are just starting to turn golden brown.

Notes

The sauce might seem too thin when it's finished, but it isn't! It will become thicker as it bakes together with the pasta noodles.

8 ounces sliced fresh mushrooms can be substititued for the canned mushrooms.

Chicken broth can be substituted for the white wine.

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