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Simple turkey tetrazzini is a flavorful pasta casserole, perfect for using leftover holiday turkey, but tasty year round!
best way to use leftover turkey!
We love to gather with the Luna gang at Thanksgiving and fill our bellies with all the classics! Even with a crowd, we inevitably have leftovers (probably because we all love food, and bring way too much!)
One item we always have leftovers of is Turkey, and although we love turkey sandwiches, our go-to main dish to make with leftovers is turkey tetrazzini. It’s easy, cheesy and delicious and is the perfect variation of our class Chicken Tetrazzini.
WHY WE LOVE IT:
- It’s delicious! With butter, sour cream, cheese, pasta and more, this recipe is hard NOT to love.
- Simple. This recipe is so easy. Mix, combine, and dump for an easy dinner idea.
- Loved by all. Turkey on its own isn’t always the whole family’s favorite, but add tetrazzini and it’s a hit with everyone.
Ingredients
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
COOK TIME: 35 minutes
- 16 ounces linguine – switch the linguine noodles for cooked spaghetti noodles, or egg noodles. Boil 16 ounces of noodles in a large pot of salted water for added flavor.
- 3 cups cooked turkey – this is a perfect dish for leftover turkey, but you can purchase fully cooked turkey or buy thick slices of turkey from the deli and chop it at home.
- ½ cup butter – use salted or unsalted butter
- 2 (10.5-ounce) cans cream of celery soup – or cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
- 2 cups sour cream – adds a creamy tangy flavor as well as thickens the sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth – chicken stock or vegetable broth can also be used
- 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs (optional) – or top with Panko breadcrumbs for a crunchy topping and fresh parsley for color
How to make Turkey Tetrazzini
- PREP. Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- PASTA. Cook 16 ounces linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- SAUCE. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine 3 cups chopped turkey, ½ cup butter, 2 (10.5-ounce) cans cream of celery soup, 2 cups sour cream, 1 teaspoon garlic salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and 1 cup chicken broth in a medium bowl. Stir in noodles until well combined.
- BAKE. Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese and 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese on top and ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs (if desired).
- Bake for 36–42 minutes, until cheeses are melted and bubbling.
Turkey Tetrazzini
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces linguine, cooked
- 3 cups chopped cooked turkey
- ½ cup butter, softened
- 2 (10.5-ounce) cans cream of celery, (or cream of chicken)
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Italian bread crumbs, (optional)
Instructions
- Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine chopped turkey, butter, cream of celery soup, sour cream, garlic salt, pepper, and chicken broth in a medium bowl. Stir in noodles until well combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese and shredded Mozzarella cheese on top and Italian bread crumbs (if desired).
- Bake for 36–42 minutes, until cheeses are melted and bubbling.
Video
Notes
- Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before baking it. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35 minutes or so, until the edges are bubbling and it’s heated through.
- Bake it from frozen. Leave it covered with tinfoil and add an extra 45 minutes or so to the bake time. Uncover for the last 15 minutes of baking.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
> Mushrooms. Add sautéed mushrooms before stirring in the noodles.
> Peas. Add frozen peas when you combine the noodles and sauce mixture.
> Onions. Add diced onions to the mixture or green onions on top.
> Add some heat. For more spicy flavor to the dish by sprinkling on red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
Leftover turkey tetrazzini casserole in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about 3 days.
Reheat. The easiest way to reheat the leftovers is in the microwave. It can be reheated on the stovetop, over medium heat, or in the oven.
Divide leftovers into individual portions and freeze them for 1-2 months. Add milk or heavy cream when reheating to not be gritty.
Love how easy this Is this to put together. I Recently just tried with the left over turKey frOm thanksgiving like you MENTIONED on yoir stories. It was delicIous. Also love that i can make it all before donner and just reheat.
Thank you for trying it!! I am glad you liked it. Thank you for sharing that!
What a fabulous recipe for thanksgiving leftovers or just for a weeknight dinner. Yummy!
I love dishes you can make ahead. Especially the pasta based ones. Very taSty and easy.
I never really paid much attention to turkey recipes until I cooked my own turkey and had a lot of leftovers. I like chicken tetrazzini and am anxious to try it with leftover turkey from THANKSGIVING.
This is our favorite meal to make, especially after Thanksgiving! It’s a great way to use up any leftover turkey.
Great recipe – absolutely wonderful comfort food! Plus I had all the ingredients on hand which is always a plus. I wasn’t planning on changing anything, but I ended up tossing in a little bit of leftover cream cheese that I had to use up and everyone just loved it. (No idea if that really changed anything since it was just a few tablespoons. THanks for a great recipe. This is a keeper for sure.
You are so welcome!! I love when I have everything on hand! Thank you so much!
Cant wait to try iy
Hope you like it!! Thank you!
I made this low sodium by making my own cream of chicken soup. I added a cUp of chopped celery, 1-2 cup sliced MUSHROOMS And a 1-2 cup of frozen peas, thawed. this was the best turkey tetrazzini both my husband and I have ever eaten!!!!
Sounds perfect!! Thank you for sharing that! I will have to try!
Made this tonight. We loved it. Substitute 1 can of cream of bacon, added peas and doubled bread crumb and parmesan cheese
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing that! I will have to try!
My kids and I really liked this recipe. I Baked it in an 11×15 pan to make sure it wouLd fit and used one can of the family sized cream of celery souP i think it is 26 ounces for a liTtle extra sauce. It was a yummy casserole my teenage boys and smaller kids enjoyed. My husband tolerated it, but he doesn’t really like pasta casseroles.
That’s good to hear!! Thank you for trying it!!
A follow up for you… my husband was eating the turkey tetrazinni leftovers last werk and he said it was really good. I told him i though he didn’t care for it. He said he liked it, but it wasn’t tacos which are really good, haha. Tacos are the gold standarD. Thanks again for a tasty recipe.
LOL!! Thank you for letting me know!
We LOVED this Turkey Tetrazzini. It was so easy to make and is perfect for any leftover turkey you may have after a holiday. Thanks!
I agree!! I am so glad you loved it! Thank you!
Can you use cream ofr chicken or mushroom instead not a fan of cream of celery?
I just made the with cream of chicken and my family loved it!
Happy to hear that!! Thank you for sharing that!!
I used cream of mushroom soup and it was great!
Perfect!! Thanks for sharing that!!