Make Ahead
Turkey Tetrazzini
- Serves 6-8
Author Notes
In my mind, this is the best way to use leftover Thanksgiving turkey. My Grammy used to make this for my dad—sadly, she never gave up the recipe, but I have done my best to recreate it, based on a Giada de Laurentiis classic chicken tetrazzini recipe. This is nontraditional in the sense there are no mushrooms, because my dad won't touch them! Enjoy! —Emily | Cinnamon&Citrus
Test Kitchen Notes
This is very rich! I'm not sure I want something this rich the day after the year's biggest meal, but it was very tasty.The sauce was creamy, velvety, and almost decadent. The crunchy topping doesn't hurt either. —feastathome
What You'll Need
Ingredients
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Dark meat from one leftover turkey thigh and drumstick, pulled or shredded
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4 tablespoons
butter, divided, plus more for preparing the baking dish and finishing
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1 tablespoon
olive oil
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1
large yellow onion, small dice
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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5
garlic cloves, minced
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1 tablespoon
fresh thyme leaves
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1/2 cup
dry white wine
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3 tablespoons
flour
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4 cups
milk, at room temperature
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1 cup
heavy cream, at room temperature
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1/2 cup
turkey stock (chicken is fine)
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1/2 cup
leftover turkey gravy
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1/8 - 1/4 teaspoons
freshly grated nutmeg
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1 cup
frozen green peas, thawed
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1 cup
fresh breadcrumbs
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1 cup
grated Parmesan cheese
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1 pound
fusilli
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Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Directions
- Place the turkey in a large mixing bowl. Preheat the oven to 450° F. Prepare a 13"x9"x2" baking dish by lightly greasing it with butter.
- In a large sauté pan with high sides, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and cook the diced onion and thyme with a pinch of salt and pepper over medium heat until translucent, about 7 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring frequently. Add the wine and deglaze the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the wine is mostly evaporated, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mixture to the bowl with the turkey.
- In the same pan, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook about 1 minute. Whisking constantly, add the milk, cream, stock, and gravy. Season with the 1 3/4 teaspoons salt, 3/4 teaspoon black pepper, and the nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for about 10 minutes until the mixture is thick and coats the back of a spoon. Taste for seasoning.
- While the white sauce is simmering, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook the fusilli until al dente, about 8-9 minutes or one minute less than the package's directions. Drain and add to the turkey and onion bowl.
- Add the peas to the turkey mixture then pour in the white sauce, stirring to combine. Pour into your prepared baking dish.
- In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese with a few grinds of black pepper and distribute evenly over the top of the casserole. Place a few dots of butter across the top of the breadcrumbs, if desired.
- Bake for 20 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are brown and the mixture is bubbly. Remove and let rest 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle individual servings with fresh parsley, if desired.
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