This Turkey Noodle Casserole is ready in under 30 minutes and it is packed full of flavor! Such a great way to use Thanksgiving leftovers, but makes a great comfort food dinner any time of year!
If you are like me, you are in the thick of holiday season and also thinking about the fact that your family can survive on cranberry sauce and no bake cookies alone.
Dinner still has to happen.
With that, I give you this delicious and amazing cheesy casserole that can be made with your Thanksgiving left overs. If you are brining a whole turkey this year or just making my turkey breast recipe, this will be the perfect recipe to use those left overs in.
This recipe is a quicker version of my Chicken Noodle Casserole and I think you will love it.
Made this tonight, the whole family enjoyed it. Thank you for sharing.
HOW TO MAKE TURKEY NOODLE CASSEROLE
This easy dinner idea comes together in 30 minutes with fully cooked left over turkey.
- Start by cooking noodles in chicken stock. Check out my tips and tricks for saving money on this step.
- Create a roux by melting butter, adding flour, and slowly adding a combination of reserved noodle water and milk.
- Add sage and thyme to really enhance the turkey taste of this noodle casserole.
- Add in the cooked noodles, turkey, frozen vegetables and cheese and put in a casserole dish.
- Bake and then enjoy!
TIPS AND TRICKS
- This recipe calls for 8 ounces egg noodles. If you don’t have a kitchen scale, that is approximately 6 cups.
- Use chicken stock base (found in the grocery store in powder form by the liquid stock) to make the liquid that the noodles cook in. It’s not as high quality as homemade chicken stock or store bought base, but it will save quite a bit of money on steps like this.
- Cooking the noodles in chicken stock adds such a nice flavor to this recipe, but you could also make turkey stock from your left over Thanksgiving turkey.
- If you skip cooking the noodles in chicken or turkey stock, you will likely need a bit more salt and pepper.
- When you make the roux (butter and flour), make sure to go really slowly adding the liquid. That is what makes this casserole so creamy, so you it’s an important step.
- Buy brick cheese and shred it. You guys know by now my feelings on this. It melts better and gives better texture. I really think it’s worth the time.
- If sage and thyme aren’t your thing or you don’t have them on hand, you could easily switch them out for basil and oregano.
HOW TO MAKE AHEAD
This is a great casserole to make the night before. Get all the way to the step of baking, and then wrap tightly and put in the refrigerator.
Add 5 minutes to your baking time.
You could also freeze this by wrapping it three times and putting in the freezer. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Add 15 minutes to your baking time if you take it right from the freezer.
Note: If you want to freeze this and put it right from the freezer to the hot preheated one, use a disposable casserole dish for freezing and baking. This way you won’t crack your ceramic one.
OTHER GREAT RECIPES
If you are looking for another recipe to use your left over turkey, try my Turkey Dumpling Soup. It’s a winner.
You will also love my Easy Tuna Noodle Casserole. Who isn’t in the market for fast dinners?
Finally, my Creamy Cajun Shrimp Pasta is a great weeknight dinner everyone loves.
If you make this Turkey Noodle Casserole or any of my other recipes, I’d love to hear what you think!
Turkey Noodle Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces egg noodles (or 6 cups noodles) cooked in chicken stock, reserve one cup cooking liquid before draining
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup frozen corn
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 cup milk I used skim
- 1 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoons dried sage
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 cups cooked turkey
- 2 cups shredded cheddar divided
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Spray a 3 quart casserole dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in chicken stock for two minutes less than the package suggests. Reserve one cup of cooking liquid before draining noodles and settting them aside.
- Melt the butter over medium low heat in a large stock pot. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the flour to the pan, mixing it in to make a paste. Very slowly add the reserved chicken stock. Add approximately a tablespoon of the reserved 1 cup stock stock at a time, waiting until the last bit of stock was completely combined before adding the next bit. Then add in the milk. This whole process should take about 3 to 5 minutes and result in a nice creamy sauce.
- Once all the milk is mixed in, add the thyme and sage. Then season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in one cup of the cheese. Then add the turkey, cooked noodles, and frozen vegetables. Pour the mixture into the greased casserole dish and top with the remaining cup of cheese.
- Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese on top begins to bubble.
Karl says
Didn’t have any leftover poultry but my wife was sick and wanted comfort food so I poached some chicken and cooked the noodles in the herb and aromatic laden poaching liquid. Came out fantastic
I’m so glad that you liked it, Karl!
mike says
Reading the ingredients it sounds like it wud be a nice, easy recipe. Then I read the instructions. I am not a chef but I have been cooking for for more years than I care to think about. I have never run into cooking instructions so difficult to follow. Maybe it”s me, but, I’m going to rewrite the instructions and then I will submit a rating a rating. I still think it’s a nice sounding recipe. I have been married for more 56 years (same wife) and I helped raise 2 kids. And, although she was, and is, a great cook, she has MS and we have always worked together in the kitchen. I have taken the title chief cook and bottle washer. Just my way of saying I know how to read a recipe. I really do not like to make negative comments but I hope u will take these comments positively and not not as my trying to be hurtful. God Bless!
Hi Mike! This isn’t a comment I’ve gotten on this recipe before. Can you tell me which part you are finding difficulty understanding? I’m happy to try to clarify.