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Simple turkey tetrazzini is a flavorful pasta casserole dish. It’s perfect for using leftover holiday turkey, but tasty year round!
We love this baked pasta dish, and if you do too, you will also love our Baked Spaghetti, Pasta Bake, Baked Ziti!
best way to use leftover turkey!
I love to gather with the Luna gang at Thanksgiving to fill our bellies with all of the classic dishes! 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 recipe to make with leftover Thanksgiving turkey is the Turkey Tetrazzini.
We love it because:
- It’s delicious! We have been long-time fans of Chicken Tetrazzini and this recipe is a variation of it that is SO yummy!
- Simple. This recipe is so easy. Mix, combine and dump in the dish are the main steps.
- Loved by all. Turkey on it’s own isn’t always the whole family’s favorite, but put in this tetrazzini, and it’s a hit with everyone.
Ingredients
- 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.
- cooked turkey
- butter
- cream of celery soup (or cream of chicken or cream of mushroom)
- sour cream
- garlic salt (with parsley flakes)
- pepper
- chicken broth
- grated Parmesan cheese
- shredded Mozzarella cheese
- 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.
- PASTA. Cook noodles according to box instructions. Set aside.
- SAUCE. While noodles are cooking, make creamy sauce by mixing butter, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper, and chicken broth in a medium bowl.
- COMBINE. Mix well and add turkey chunks. Stir in noodles until well combined.
- TOPPING. Spray a 9×13 baking dish with cooking spray, and pour in the noodle mixture. Sprinkle cheese on top, along with bread crumbs. These add a salty, crispy taste that is delicious!
- BAKE. Heat it in the oven for 36-24 minutes, until the cheese is nice and bubbly, and voila!
recipe tips
Change it up:
- 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. Add some spicy flavor to the dish by sprinkling on some red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
Use leftover turkey in recipes by chopping it up, bagging it, and freezing it to use in this recipe for later!
Storing
- STORE 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.
- FREEZE. Divide leftovers into individual portions and freeze them for 1-2 months. You may need add milk or heavy cream when reheating to not be gritty.
- Freeze the entire casserole. Cool completely and cover it with heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to 4 months. For a freezer meal, cook noodles al dente.
- Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours before baking it. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F 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.
- Freeze the entire casserole. Cool completely and cover it with heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to 4 months. For a freezer meal, cook noodles al dente.
For More Leftover Turkey Dinner Ideas, Try:
- Turkey Soup
- Creamy Turkey and Noodles
- Turkey Cranberry Sandwich
- Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole
- Turkey Pot Pie
Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
Simple turkey tetrazzini is a flavorful pasta casserole dish. It's perfect for using leftover holiday turkey, but tasty year round!
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
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-x-13-inch baking dish and set aside.
- Cook linguine according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine chopped turkey, butter, soup, sour cream, salt, pepper, and chicken broth in a medium bowl. Stir in noodles until well combined.
- Pour into prepared baking dish. Sprinkle both cheeses on top and bread crumbs (if desired) and bake for 36–42 minutes, until cheeses are melted and bubbling.
Video
Notes
STORE leftover turkey tetrazzini in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days.
Freeze the entire casserole. Cool completely and cover it with heavy-duty foil. Freeze for up to 4 months. For a freezer meal, cook noodles al dente.
- 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
Calories: 240kcal, Carbohydrates: 3g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 22g, Saturated Fat: 13g, Cholesterol: 63mg, Sodium: 672mg, Potassium: 80mg, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 685IU, Vitamin C: 1.8mg, Calcium: 162mg, Iron: 0.3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Excellent! I’ve tried several recipes over the years but this is by far the best. I didn’t have the celery soup so subbed with mushroom soup – one can included roasted garlic!! Because I had it leftover from Thanksgiving, I used stove top stuffing instead of plain bread crumbs.
This was very easy to make and delicious! My family ate half the pan in one sitting and wanted more! I do make this dish from scratch with an old family recipe but it takes a while and this was just as good and very simple. I meant to add mushrooms which I think would be good too.
Thanks for sharing! Adding some mushrooms in there would be super yummy!
Is that 16 Oz of dry pasta or 26 Oz cooked pasta?
If you just use a 16 oz box (1 lb) of linguine and cook it up, that should be just the right amount for the recipe!
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!
Very easy. And super yummy. Thank you
You are welcome! I’m glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
This recipe came out perfectly. My family loved it. Easy to make too.
Perfect! Makes me happy to hear! Thank you!
Easy and delicious! My husband doesn’t usually like casseroles. However, he eats seconds of this recipe.
Woohoo!! I love hearing that! Thank you!
My family gobbled their Turkey Tetrazzini up. Thanks for a tasty recipe that was easy to put together.
5 star dish
Made full batch with dark meat. Pulled out portion for granddaughter. Added mushrooms and peas for large batch; g daughter appreciated mushroomless
It was creamy and oh so delicious. Recipe a keeper. Great way to utilize left over turkey
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 🙂
How can this only have 4 carbs? 16 oz of linguini has over 113 carbs. In 8 portions, that’s a minimum of 14 carbs per serving alone.
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.