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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.
FYI-
Prep time is more than 10 minutes when cooking the spaghetti, cutting up the turkey.
My changes-
1 can of cream of celery / 1 can of cream of mushroom
1 small can of Mushrooms cut up into small pieces
I used dark and white turkey
1 cup frozen peas
I made this a little differently… I cooked my spaghetti just past al dente, I didn’t want it to sit for 30 minutes in the mixture in the oven. So what I did was put everything in a pot on the stove. Made sure it cooked for about 5 minutes while stirring. Added my frozen peas and frozen broth and brought it back up to a boil. Cooked for a couple more minutes and then added the spaghetti. Poured it all into the pan. Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Then broiled it until the top was brown and the sauce was puffy like about 3 minutes.
I have to agree with everyone else. This is lovely! I will make it again! Especially after Thanksgiving! We do ham for Christmas! Hope you have a recipe for left over ham. :0)
Super easy. Exactly what I was looking for to take care of left over turkey!
Glad you found it! Thank you so much!!
Love this Lil Luna site! So happy I found you.
I am so happy you found me, too! Hope you find recipes to try 🙂
We ❤️This!! I’ve made it with turkey and chicken.
I substituted water for chicken broth and I used cream of chicken soup instead of cream of celery soup. I also put Panko on top instead of bread crumbs. It made a nice crunchy topping. I’ve made it twice within 2weeks! ❤️
Sounds perfect!! Thanks for sharing what you did!
This recipe was a big hit with my family. I have 4 boys & my 16-year-old suggested this for dinner since he liked it so much last time. I enjoy cooking but don like picking meals day after day. Thanks for a great recipe. I added poRtabella mushrooms & used 2 cans of cream of mushroom.
You are so welcome! I am so glad it was a hit! It does get tiring picking meals!
This was a hit! During this time, we couldn’t find the Stouffers frozen dinner anywhere. It’s my moms favorite. Finally found a good use for leftover turkey in my freezer.. I made this as a surprise to her and she absolutely loved it. I added peas, and used 1 can cream of mushroom and 1 cream of celery. Thank you so much!
You are so welcome & what you did, sounds great! Thank you for sharing that!
This is also good with sauteed white mushrooms along with the turkey.
Yes! Thank you for sharing that!
Fantastic! I make this every couple of weeks with rotisserie chicken and my family loves it.
Yay!! Thank you so much!
Growing up my mom used to make this but with a lipton box (like hamburger helper) my dad was so upset when it wasnt avaIlable anymore. I just made this andni swear it brought tears to my eyes. tastes like my childhood lol. Thank you so Much. So yummy
Awe 🙂 I am glad it could remind you of that! Thank you for sharing that!
Good recipe. Very easy to make. Made stuffed artichokes to go with it. Thanks.
Yum! I am so happy you liked it! Thank you for letting me know:)