Turkey Tetrazzini

by Sabrina Snyder

Published on

1 Comments

5 from 1 vote
12 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
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Turkey Tetrazzini has tender turkey chunks, pasta, and peas all smothered in a creamy, cheesy sauce. A perfect way to use up leftover turkey.

Tetrazzini is an easy Weeknight Dinner with pasta and meat all tossed in a creamy sauce. The traditional version is Chicken Tetrazzini, but we’ve used turkey leftovers in this version.

Turkey Tetrazzini in baking dish with fresh parsley garnish

TURKEY TETRAZZINI

Casserole dishes like this one are the perfect recipes to throw together for easy, filling, comforting weeknight meals. The ingredients all come together in one rich sauce and then bake in the same dish. When it’s done, you’ll have a simple meal to feed a crowd that gets everyone asking for second helpings.

The creamy pasta dish is inspired by classic Italian recipes, however, Tetrazzini was actually created in the U.S. You can make Tetrazzini with chicken, mushrooms, seafood, or turkey (like we did for this recipe). The cheesy sauce is a great way to make any meat dish rich and comforting.

Turkey Tetrazzini is sure to become one of your favorite meals to make. The combination of turkey, noodles, peas, and a creamy cheese sauce are all mixed together easily. After the prep time, just put it in the oven to bake and your work is done. It’s the perfect way to repurpose leftover Roast Turkey to enjoy a whole new recipe!

MORE TURKEY RECIPES

COOKING TIPS FOR TURKEY TETRAZZINI

  • Prep: Preheat the oven and spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Then bring a pot of water to a boil to cook the dry spaghetti until al dente.
  • Creamy sauce: Add butter and flour to the base of a large pot over medium-high heat. Stir the melted butter and flour until they’re smooth. Then add the garlic and stir for another 15 seconds. Next, pour in the chicken broth and milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer and continue to cook for 6-8 minutes until the liquid is thickened. Whisk in the mozzarella cheese until the sauce is smooth.
  • Combine: Add the cooked turkey, spaghetti, and peas. Then toss until the ingredients are well coated.
  • Baking time: Add the Turkey Tetrazzini to the prepared baking dish, and bake for 25-30 minutes until the top is golden brown.

Turkey Tetrazzini in baking dish with fresh parsley garnish

VARIATIONS ON TURKEY TETRAZZINI

  • Noodles: You can try different varieties of pasta instead of spaghetti noodles. Egg noodles, farfalle, penne, fettuccini, or linguine are all good options.
  • Cheese: You can also try other varieties of grated cheese. Along with the mozzarella, parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, provolone, or Monterey jack would taste amazing.
  • Bread crumbs: For a crunchy bread topping, sprinkle panko breadcrumbs over the top of the casserole dish before baking.
  • Seasoning: Try mixing some different seasonings into the pasta and turkey mixture. Fresh parsley, oregano, rosemary, black pepper, onion salt, garlic salt, or an Italian seasoning blend would all go well with the recipe.
  • Mushrooms: Tetrazzini is often made with mushrooms. Try adding sliced white mushrooms to the dish.
  • Vegetables: There are plenty of other veggies you can add to the dish like green onions, bell peppers, green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, or spinach.
  • Extra creamy: If you want to make the sauce even creamier, you can use heavy cream to replace the milk. Or, add a dollop of sour cream to the mixture for some thickness and extra tangy flavor.

MORE CREAMY PASTA DISHES

HOW TO STORE TURKEY TETRAZZINI

  • Serve: After baking, don’t leave this recipe at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
  • Store: Cover the dish in tin foil or plastic wrap, or transfer it to an airtight container. The Turkey Tetrazzini can stay good in the fridge for 3-4 days.
  • Freeze: You can also put it in a freezer bag or another airtight container to store in the freezer for up to 3 months.

Turkey Tetrazzini on a plate with fresh parsley garnish

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Dinner, then Dessert

Turkey Tetrazzini

Turkey Tetrazzini has tender turkey chunks, pasta, and peas all smothered in a creamy, cheesy sauce. A perfect way to use up leftover turkey.
Yield 12 Servings
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder
Turkey Tetrazzini in baking dish with fresh parsley garnish
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Ingredients
 

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 cloves garlic , minced
  • 3 cups chicken broth , or turkey stock plus any drippings
  • 2 cups whole milk
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 pound turkey meat , cooked and chopped
  • 1 pound spaghetti , cooked 2 minutes shy of directions
  • 1 cup frozen peas

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Add butter and flour to a large pot on medium heat.
  • Stir melted butter and flour until smooth.
  • Add in garlic, stir and let cook for 15 seconds.
  • Add in chicken broth and milk.
  • Bring to a simmer and cook for 6-8 minutes until thickened.
  • Whisk in the mozzarella cheese until smooth.
  • Add in the turkey, spaghetti, and peas, tossing until well coated.
  • Add to 9x13 baking dish and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is golden brown.

Nutrition

Calories: 336kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 57mg | Sodium: 340mg | Potassium: 320mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 470IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 1mg
Keyword: Turkey Tetrazzini

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Turkey Tetrazzini Collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

See more posts by Sabrina

Dinner, then Dessert, Inc. owns the copyright on all images and text and does not allow for its original recipes and pictures to be reproduced anywhere other than at this site unless authorization is given. If you enjoyed the recipe and would like to publish it on your own site, please re-write it in your own words, and link back to my site and recipe page. Read my disclosure and copyright policy. This post may contain affiliate links.

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Comments

  1. I used fettuccine, one cup 2% and one cup 35% and it was delicious and creamy. It is now my favourite way to use up leftover turkey! I kicked up the flavor a bit with lots of garlic and some salt and pepper.
    Thank you for this wonderful recipe. Love how it is easy, and from scratch!

    Reply