I’ve mentioned before that I like to cook dinners that take more time on the weekends. One of those dinners is turkey dinner. Around Christmas, when turkeys were still a very good price, I bought a 16lb frozen turkey and threw it in the freezer for cooking at a later date.
Last week I cooked the turkey and had a mini version of Thanksgiving. Now, I had lots of the turkey leftovers. One of our favorite dishes to make with leftover turkey is Turkey Tetrazzini.
The recipe I use is originally from The Good Food Book by Jane Brody. It’s a lighter version than most turkey tetrazzini recipes, but still yummy, and creamy, and good. This is a casserole with subtle flavors. It doesn’t hit you over the head with hot or spicy. The flavors of the turkey, Swiss cheese (I always use Swiss), mushrooms, and Worcestershire sauce blend and complement each other.
This is a fun dish to have the family pitch in and help with preparation. Someone can dice up the turkey, another person can slice the mushroom and chop the pepper, and someone else can shred the cheese (my girls love to shred cheese – of course, I’m always cringing as I hope they don’t shred their knuckles!). And in the end, they can be proud of the meal that they helped create.
After hot-turkey sandwiches, this is our favorite use of Turkey Leftovers. What is your favorite turkey leftover?
I usually make this with a whole pound of pasta, and then I leave about a serving out (someone doesn’t like mushrooms!), but I find that the sauce still does cover the extra pasta.
Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb mushroom sliced (about 3 cups)
- 1 tablespoon butter or 1 tablespoon margarine
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon salt
- 1 ⁄2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups skim milk
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 ⁄2 cup swiss cheese 2 oz or 1⁄2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded (2 oz)
- 1 green pepper seeded and diced
- 1 ⁄3 cup scallion sliced
- 2 pimientos finely chopped (optional)
- 2 cups cooked turkey cut into small cubes
- 1 ⁄2lb spaghetti cooked al dente and drained
- 1 ⁄4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- In a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat, saute the mushrooms in the butter or margarine, stirring them often, until they are just tender.
- Stir in the flour, salt, and pepper. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Add the Worcestershire sauce, and simmer the sauce stirring it, until it has thickened somewhat.
- Add the Swiss cheese or Cheddar, green pepper, scallions, and pimientos to the sauce, and mix the ingredients well. Stir in the turkey and spaghetti, combining the mixture well. Pour the mixture into a greased 2-quart shallow casserole or baking dish. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with the Parmesan.
- Bake the casserole, uncovered, in a preheated 350°F oven for about 20 minutes or until it is heated through.
