Creamy Turkey Tetrazzini is the the ultimate way to follow up a turkey dinner. Use your turkey left overs to make this delicious and easy noodle casserole.
Many many years ago, my sister-in-law introduced me to her mother’s amazing Roast Turkey recipe. Since then, even if we aren’t hosting a large group, we love to make a big roast turkey around Thanksgiving. The recipe is so good that we devour it, and then we have plenty of perfectly cooked turkey to make some great leftovers!
One of my favorite Thanksgiving leftovers recipe is this amazing Turkey Tetrazzini. It’s made with a creamy mushroom soup (homemade or store-bought!), noodles, cheese, and of course leftover turkey. The flavors come together perfectly and this amazing casserole can be frozen! If you are tired of turkey just save this for a month or two from now when you need dinner in a pinch!
It was very good. It really surprised me.
How to Make Turkey Tetrazzini
You’ll be amazed how quickly this recipe transforms turkey leftovers. It comes together in just a few simple steps. Check out the recipe card below for complete ingredient measurements and instructions.
- Cook the egg noodles. Read below for my tips and tricks on cooking noodles for casseroles.
- Make the mushroom soup. This recipe can be made with store-bought cream of mushroom soup, but there’s no need when making it at home is so simple. While the pasta is cooking sauté some diced mushrooms in with some butter in a heavy skillet. add some flour, chicken stock, milk and spices to make a creamy roux for your sauce.
- Finish off the sauce/mushroom soup. We make it even richer by mixing in some sour cream and cheese.
- Put it all together. Finally, add the noodles, diced turkey and the creamy sauce to a greased baking dish, mix it all together and bake.
Cooking Noodles for Casseroles
When making noodles or pasta for casseroles, there are a few things that make the final dish turn out perfect.
- Make sure the water is at a full boil. Before you add the noodles to the water it should be at a roaring boil with big bubbles.
- Salt the water. I like to add about 1 teaspoon of kosher salt to a pot of boiling water for each pound of pasta I’m using.
- Cook the noodles for less time than is called for. Because these are going into a casserole and will cook longer after they are done boiling, I like to cook the noodles for just slightly less time, about one to two minutes, than is what is recommended on the package.
Egg Noodles
This recipe calls for egg noodles, which I think is perfect for this great casserole. If you would like to make your own egg noodles, I have a great recipe for them that is just two ingredients.
If your family isn’t a fan of egg noodles, no worries. There are a lot of great noodles and pasta that will work great in this. I would recommend spaghetti like in my Chicken Tetrazzini, but really whatever you have on hand will work.
Homemade Egg Noodles
Turkey Leftovers
If you have more turkey leftovers after making this delicious Turkey Tetrazzini, I have a lot of great Thanksgiving leftover recipes you can find here: Turkey Leftovers. But if you have had your fill of turkey already, you can easily freeze cooked turkey to keep on hand for later!
A good rule of thumb is to remember that turkey stays good in the refrigerator for about three to five days, but it’ll keep in the freezer for up to three months! Check out this post on Freezing Turkey Leftovers for everything you need to know about freezing the remainder of your bird.
Freezing Leftover Turkey
Making a Roux
Any time we are making a creamy based dish, like a casserole or a soup, you need to make a roux. A roux combines flour and fat, such as oil, butter, or bacon fat. In this recipe we are using butter that we sauteed the mushrooms in.
The fat from the butter coats the flour and keeps them suspended in the sauce to create the perfect creamy sauce. It’s helpful when making a roux to add the liquid The fat from the butter coats the flour and keeps them suspended in the sauce to create the perfect creamy sauce. It’s helpful when making a roux to add the liquid to it (in this recipe chicken stock or turkey broth), to it very slowly. I like to add about two tablespoons at a time, and only add more liquid once what you’ve just added has been absorbed. The more liquid you add the more quickly you can go.
Turkey Broth
Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
This Turkey Tetrazzini is so delicious because it’s made with a creamy homemade mushroom sauce. It is basically a Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup. However, if you are really pushed for time, you can opt for two cans of cream of mushroom soup and skip steps 3 to 6 in the recipe card below.
Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
Using Other Noodles
No egg noodles on hand? Not a fan of egg noodles? No worries! Grab any pasta in your pantry for this delicious tetrazzini. Here are some ideas:
- Spaghetti noodles
- Penne
- Fettuccini
- Linguini
Other Recipes for Turkey Leftovers
If you need even more recipes to make this holiday season with those delicious turkey leftovers, look no further than this fantastic list!
If you make this recipe for turkey tetrazzini or any of my other recipes, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. I absolutely love hearing from you!
Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 12 ounces egg noodles (340 grams)
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (118 grams)
- 16 ounces mushrooms (453.592 grams) chopped small
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour (40 grams)
- 2 cups chicken stock (473.176 ml)
- 1 cup milk (236.588 ml)
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup sour cream (227 grams)
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese (226 grams) shredded and divided
- 2 cups cooked turkey (270 grams)
- 1/4 cup Parmesan (28.5 grams) shredded
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spray a 9 by 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season the water with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt. Add the egg noodles and cook according to package instructions, taking 1 to 2 minutes off the cooking time.12 ounces egg noodles
- While the noodles are cooking, melt butter in a large skillet. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they are soft, about 4 to 6 minutes.8 tablespoons unsalted butter, 16 ounces mushrooms
- Whisk in the flour and then very slowly whisk in the chicken stock. Add just a few tablespoons at a time, whisking to combine it, until it is completely added. The whole process should take less than a minute or two.1/3 cup all purpose flour, 2 cups chicken stock
- Whisk in the milk, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.1 cup milk, 2 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Bring to a simmer, and then cook, stirring often, over low heat for 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream and 1 cup mozzarella, taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.1 cup sour cream, 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- Add noodles and diced turkey to the prepared baking dish. Stir in the sauce. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Cover and bake for 30 minutes.2 cups mozzarella cheese, 2 cups cooked turkey, 1/4 cup Parmesan
Jodie Herrera says
Do you have a recipe for Sweet potatoe pie
I do! This Sweet Potato Chess Pie is delicious!
Christine Chen says
Thank you for your sharing
I hope you enjoy it Christine!
Molly Zullo says
I would love to make this but I am not fond of mushrooms nor is anyone in my house. What other veg do you recommend? Spinach? Broccoli? Thank you!
Sure! Replace the condensed cream of mushroom with my homemade condensed cream of chicken soup (double the recipe or use two store-bought cans). And then you could put in peas. Wilted spinach would be great in this too!
Mark Parlier says
It was very good. It really surprised me.
I’m so glad you liked it!
Deb says
Just an FYI, I made half of this recipe and had to use 2 casserole dishes. It makes quite a bit.
I’m really surprised to hear that. This recipe fits perfectly (as the whole recipe) in my 9 by 13 inch pan as you can see pictured here.
Marilyn says
I cooked a 20oz package of ground Turkey and substituted that for the two cups cooked Turkey. It was very good. I may add Worcestershire sauce the next time to give it a little more flavor.
I’m so glad that you liked it!
Mary says
Is it possible to make ahead and bake latter? How would I do that?
Thank you
Yes! You can make it and refrigerate it instead of baking it. Just bake it within 24 hours. You could also freeze it, wrap it really well, and it will last for three months in the freezer. Pull it out, let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then bake.
Julie Slominski says
Hi this is Julie slominski and was wondering if you had recipes with almond paste and more crockpot recipes thank you 😊
Donna says
Could you make a smaller batch of this recipe? What would you change?
You could definitely cut the recipe in half. Then bake it in a smaller baking dish.
Peggy says
Lisa, I just want to thank you for all your wonderful recipes! I am a “from scratch” cook, too, and I appreciate you showing people how they can cook without packets and cans. I’ve been cooking since I was 11, 62 years ago, and I can still learn new tricks. Thank you for sharing all of yours! Many blessings to you and your family. 💞
Thank you so much, Peggy!