I’ll let you in on a little secret. I love Turkey Tetrazzini. Okay, that’s no secret to those of you who know me.
The secret is that I don’t just wait until Thanksgiving with turkey leftovers to make it. I actually cook up a turkey breast either in the slow cooker or Hubby will smoke one for me in our his electric smoker. (I should probably tell you how we do both of those soon, huh?)
At this time of the year, it’s so economical to purchase an extra turkey or two and put them away in the freezer for later use. I may even take the time to go ahead and cook it so that I can strip the meat and package it for the freezer. I love having that on hand.
Many of you know that it took Hubby 30 years to tell me that he didn’t like mushrooms. What’s tetrazzini without mushrooms, right? So instead of thinly slicing the mushrooms, I finely shred them in the food processor. He knows they are in the dish, but since he never really bites into one, he’s okay with that. I get the flavor and he gets to be happy. Win. Win.
Another note on the mushrooms, classic tetrazzini uses white button mushrooms. I prefer to use baby portobellas. The flavor is not as intense as the larger variety, but there’s definitely more flavor than the button ones.
Did you know that portobellos (also spelled portobellas) are actually just brown creminis? Now you do!
My Turkey Tetrazzini recipe (and you can substitute chicken as well) easily makes enough for two casseroles for us. It’s nice to have one for dinner and one for the freezer. Or to share, perhaps, if I’m feeling really generous.
It’s also different in that it doesn’t include a béchamel sauce but, instead, uses a velouté which is a sauce based on stock rather than dairy. While I’m all for a good béchamel, I think the velouté allows the flavors of the turkey and vegetables to shine through in this tetrazzini version. I’d like to know what you think when you give it a try.
- 1/2 cup dried Italian breadcrumbs
- 1/2 cup panko
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 8 Tablespoons unsalted butter (plus more for buttering the casseroles)
- 16 ounces baby portobellos, wiped clean and finely shredded or thinly sliced
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 3 stalks celery, thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup minced red bell pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 4 cups chopped cooked turkey or chicken
- 1 1/2 - 2 cups frozen green peas
- Salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- 12 ounces linquine, vermicelli or other thin spaghetti, broken in half
- 2 cups (or more) chicken broth
- 1/2 cup white wine, if desired
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour (I use Wondra.)
- 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup sliced ripe black olives
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leafed parsley
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Butter a 9 x 13-inch casserole or two smaller ones.
- Topping: Mix together the Italian breadcrumbs, panko and 1 cup grated Parmesan; set aside
- Melt 3 Tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat; add the onion, celery, bell pepper, garlic and thyme; cook until slightly softened.
- Add in the mushrooms and sauté until the liquid from the mushrooms is mostly evaporated; pour into a large bowl and set aside.
- Add the turkey to the celery, onion and mushroom mixture; add in the peas and set aside.
- Stir in salt and pepper to the turkey mixture; set aside.
- Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 1 Tablespoon salt and the pasta to the boiling water; cook until al dente.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of the pasta water, drain the spaghetti and add it to the bowl with the chicken mixture.
- Melt 3 Tablespoons butter in a clean skillet over medium heat.
- Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the flour turns to a light tan, about 2 minutes.
- Add in the chicken broth and wine, whisking constantly; increase the heat to medium-high and simmer until thickened, about 3-4 minutes. If it get too thick, use the reserved pasta water to thin it.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the Parmesan, nutmeg and lemon juice. Adjust the seasonings.
- Add the sauce to the chicken, vegetable and pasta mixture; stir in 1/2 cup of the sliced black olives and the chopped parsley and stir to combine.
- Turn the mixture into the buttered casserole and sprinkle with the topping. Sprinkle with additional freshly grated Parmesan and sliced ripe olives, if desired.
- Dot the top with the remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter, if desired.
- Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top and the sauce bubbles, about 25-30 minutes.
- If you prefer a saucier tetrazzini, you will want to increase the broth by 1/2-1 cup.
Looks delicious. I like to have something like this on hand for busy days.
Looks delicious. I like to keep something like this in the freezer for busy days. Looks like comfort in pan.
It really is tasty. You’re right; it’s so nice to have it in the freezer. Are you at the beach?
New to your blog, my friend Martha S. referred your blog to me.Love your Turkey Tetrazzini recipe, haven’t had this in years, hope to make this…I used to work at a bank and we had free hot cooked lunch every day, and this was on the menu at least once a mo. and I always made sure I ate lunch that day….we had some great lunches there…..
Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you enjoy the tetrazzini.