Turn that leftover turkey into one of the most delicious casseroles ever! Make my Classic Turkey Tetrazzini and hear raves from your family.
This Turkey Tetrazzini is my standard after-Thanksgiving, use-up-the-turkey casserole. Its ingredients are so different from the flavors on the Thanksgiving menu and that makes it quite welcome. I serve this with garlic bread and a fresh mixed salad with a classic vinaigrette dressing.
Before I start the recipe, I want to share a photo with you. This is a very special, very rare photograph of five generations in the same place at the same time. And it was taken on my back deck on Thanksgiving afternoon in 2010.
I almost can't find the words to tell you what it's like to have your grandmother, mother, daughter, and two grandchildren all at the Thanksgiving table with you. The uniqueness of having family ranging in age from 4 to 95 all present and all enjoying each other is pretty incredible. I just don't believe there are many families that have this many living generations.
Over the years, we've been together lots and lots of times but somehow no one ever remembers to take a picture. And I meant, by golly, that this occasion was not going to slip by without getting a shot of us. I appreciate my Mama so very much for driving all the way here so that she and Polly could spend Thanksgiving day with us. It was so much fun! And I've almost recovered from all the cooking now :-)
(On a personal note: This post was originally written in 2010 and since that time, our wonderful Polly passed away. She was almost 102 years old and she lived every single day of her life to the fullest. She was an incredible person and we all miss her more than we can say.)
How to Make Turkey Tetrazzini
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Set aside.
Coat a large pan with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add butter or margarine. When melted, add mushrooms, onion and celery. Cook, stirring frequently until tender.
Whisk together the flour and milk until smooth.
Add the flour-milk mixture along with the chicken broth, salt and pepper to the sautéed vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from the heat and add cream cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in half the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, pimiento, turkey, spaghetti and parsley.
Or stir in the parsley after you've mixed everything together if you've almost forgotten it, like me :-)
Spoon the mixture into a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
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Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 8 oz spaghetti
- Cooking spray
- 1 tbsp butter or margarine
- 3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
- 1 small onion minced
- 2 ribs celery minced
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups milk
- 14.5 oz canned chicken broth
- 3 oz cream cheese
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ cup diced pimiento
- 2 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken
- ½ cup chopped Italian parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook the spaghetti according to the package directions. Set aside.
- Coat a large pan with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. Add butter or margarine. When melted, add mushrooms, onion and celery. Cook, stirring frequently until tender.
- Whisk together the flour and milk until smooth.
- Add the flour-milk mixture along with the chicken broth, salt and pepper to the sautéed vegetables. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove from the heat and add cream cheese, stirring until melted. Stir in half the Parmesan cheese, garlic powder, pimiento, turkey, spaghetti and parsley.
- Spoon the mixture into a shallow baking dish coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information is calculated by software based on the ingredients in each recipe. It is an estimate only and is provided for informational purposes. You should consult your health care provider or a registered dietitian if precise nutrition calculations are needed for health reasons.
RhondaNTx says
We used our leftover 20 lb turkey from Easter to make this. Our family has made it for decades with stuffed green olives with pimentos but I left those out but subbed sautéed red bell pepper. We boil the turkey wings and part of the carcus to get all of the meat off the bones and then use the turkey water to boil the spaghetti, making the pasta alot more flavorful. Takes more time doing this but it's worth it!
Lana Stuart says
I love your idea of cooking the pasta in the turkey broth! I'll definitely try that myself next time I make this.
Libby Moore says
I think I have tried every Turkey Tetrazzini recipe there is, and then I came across this one! I about fell over with how it all went together, and how easy it was, but wait...AND how delicious!! Had some friends over and they all loved it! My new standard "go to" recipe! Thank you SO much.
Lana Stuart says
Thank you, Libby. I'm so glad you liked it!
Pam says
Delicious!! I also used this recipe and substituted chicken.
Lana Stuart says
Yes, I do that sometimes, too. It's a great way to use leftover rotisserie chicken!
Barbara | Creative Culinary says
You are so lucky Lana, my mom died before I ever had kids and my grandmother shortly after my first daughter was born. My kids simply never had the childhood I did of family gatherings with generations present. How special!
Turkey Tetrazzini is a given for us after the holidays but I do dress it up a bit. There is BACON! :)
Lana Stuart says
We are lucky, Barb. Very. My grandmother is now 100 and still going strong.
Liz says
A beautiful family and a beautiful recipe. Thanks so much.
Pam says
This is the sweetest story of all time. I got a little weepy at the picture of your family together on Thanksgiving. I'm absolutely going to try the recipes. Thank you for sharing your story.
Debbie says
Beautiful family! I'm glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I enjoy all your recipes.