This creamy Turkey Tetrazzini is a simple and flavorful pasta casserole dish. It’s perfect for using leftover holiday turkey, but makes for a crowd favorite year round!
I don’t think I’ll ever get sick of baked pasta dishes! The whole family loves this turkey tetrazzini, as well as our classic version with chicken. But if you’re looking for more casserole-style pastas, definitely try baked spaghetti, or our three cheese pasta bake!
best way to use leftover turkey!
Thanksgiving is almost here and if you’re anything like me, you’re BEYOND excited to gather with friends and family and eat delicious food. We gather with the entire Luna gang for hanging out and feeding our faces, but there’s always one problem. We make WAY too much food!!
One item we always have leftovers of is the turkey, so today I wanted to share a delicious and simple recipe for all that leftover meat—because let’s be honest, you can only eat so many turkey sandwiches.
We have been long-time fans of Tetrazzini (mostly because it’s SO easy), but we’ve always made it with chicken. I wanted to modify this classic recipe to use turkey, and I’m so glad I did. The result was amazing and the hubby declared it tasted better than our classic version.
How to make Turkey Tetrazzini
This recipe really is so simple and doesn’t take long to prep and make.
Cream mixture. I began by combining the butter, sour cream, cream of celery, chicken broth, salt and pepper in a medium bowl to create my cream mixture.
Combine. From there I added the turkey chunks and cooked linguine. Once this is all combined, I poured it into a greased casserole dish.
Top it off. From there, I topped the dish off with some grated Parmesan cheese, Mozzarella cheese as well as some bread crumbs. The cheeses and crumbs added so much flavor and create the perfect tetrazzini along with the creamy turkey linguine base.
Bake. Then I just baked it in the oven for 35-40 minutes until the cheese was nice and bubbly, and voila! The end product: a casserole dish full of creamy, wonderful comfort food.
Easy Turkey Tetrazzini Tips + Tricks
I already mentioned how much my hubby loved this recipe, but even my picky-eating kids enjoyed it. It’s impossible to go wrong with all the ‘kid-friendly’ ingredients. If you do want to add a few extra veggies, or switch out the type of noodles, here are some options to make it your own way:
- Switch the linguine noodles for spaghetti or egg noodles. Still use 16 ounces of noodles, and follow the normal cooking instructions.
- Add sautéed mushrooms before stirring in the noodles.
- Add frozen peas when you combine the noodles and sauce mixture.
- Use cream of mushroom soup instead of cream of celery.
Can turkey tetrazzini be frozen? Like most other cream-based casseroles, you can freeze tetrazzini after baking. Make sure it is completely cooled before covering it with heavy duty foil and putting it in the freezer. It will last in the freezer for up to 4 months. If you are planning to freeze the dish, cook noodles al dente.
Reheat. To reheat, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before you plan to bake it. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35 minutes or so, until there are bubbling edges and you can tell it is heated through.
If you didn’t have time to thaw your tetrazzini casserole in the fridge, you can still bake it frozen. Make sure you leave it covered with tinfoil, and add an extra 45 minutes or so to the time. Uncover for the last 15 minutes of baking.
HOLIDAY TIP: Use leftover turkey in recipes by chopping it up, bagging it and freezing to use in this recipe for later!
We have turkey for several holidays, so I’m excited to chop up leftover turkey, bag it and freeze it for future meals. It doesn’t get better (or easier) than that! I hope you guys enjoy this recipe as much as we did. It really is so simple and so tasty. 🙂
what to serve with turkey tetrazzinI?
Here are some of our favorites…
For more leftover turkey recipes, check out:
Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
Ingredients
- 16 oz linguine, cooked
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 2 10.5 oz. cans cream of celery
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 3 cups chopped cooked turkey
- 2 TB grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350.
- Cook noodles according to box instructions. Set aside.
- While noodles are cooking, combine butter, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper and chicken broth in a medium bowl. Mix well and add turkey chunks. Stir in noodles until well combined.
- Spray a 9x13 pan and pour in noodle mixture. Sprinkle cheeses on top along with bread crumbs.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes. ENJOY!
Can this be assembled and then frozen to bake later? Sounds delicious!
I haven’t tried freezing before baking. Usually, you can’t freeze sour cream, but baked in a dish, it seems to be ok. Make sure it is completely cooled before covering it with heavy duty foil and putting it in the freezer. It will last in the freezer for up to 4 months. If you are planning to freeze the dish, cook noodles al dente. Reheat. To reheat, take it out of the freezer and let it thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before you plan to bake it. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35 minutes or so, until there are bubbling edges and you can tell it is heated through.
This was very good but the sauce could have been more creamy, a tad dry. I only made half recipe and was plenty.
Thanks for trying it 🙂
My family gobbled their Turkey Tetrazzini up. Thanks for a tasty recipe that was easy to put together.
Easy and delicious! My husband doesn’t usually like casseroles. However, he eats seconds of this recipe.
Woohoo!! I love hearing that! Thank you!
This recipe came out perfectly. My family loved it. Easy to make too.
Perfect! Makes me happy to hear! Thank you!
I think I’m in the minority here when I say that my family and I did not care for this recipe. It was not creamy enough for us. It was a good starting point though. I think instead of cream of celery I’ll use cream cheese next time. I also plan to mix in mozzarella or parmesan cheese into the pasta while also adding to the top. It has potential for us. Just not with 100% these directions. I apologize if I upset anyone. Just stating my opinion.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate the feedback!
Very easy. And super yummy. Thank you
You are welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Very good with chicken also! I added garlic and onion powder too.
Mmm sounds delicious! Yes, chicken is a great protein to use as well. So glad you enjoyed it!