Turkey Tetrazzini

Deciding what to make with your cooked turkey (or chicken) is usually where people get stumped. We made a regular turkey dinner and turkey noodle soup. Now, we can make a batch of good ol’ Turkey Tetrazzini.

My husband and I are not huge pasta fans. How ever, I do try to throw it into our rotations because they are easy and the kids adore pasta. I usually use whole grain or calcium plus or veggie pasta to add additional nutritional value.

When deciding recipes, I tend to look for ones with very simple ingredients. I also try to avoid any processed foods or additional cans within my recipe. Since, you now know how to make your own chicken/turkey broth, you can avoid buying that.

So, I was searching for an easy recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini that did not involve cans of cream soups. I mentioned this to a good friend and she shared with me her favorite Tetrazzini recipe. The ingredients are mostly staples you will have on hand.

That being said, this Tetrazzini is rather yummy. It is also an excellent recipe to prepare one or 2 extra batches for the freezer. I made two batches with the turkey I cooked. One for the week and one for the freezer.

I am going to avoid a step by step instructional display. Instead I will just give you the recipe.

Shopping List for Turkey Tetrazzini:

• 6 TBS butter
• 1/2 cup flour
• 2 cups chicken/turkey broth (you made this so you shouldn’t have to buy it)
• 1 1/2 cups milk, 1/2 & 1/2 or light cream
• 3-4 cups shredded turkey/chicken (1 1/2 –2 lbs) (again you made this so you shouldn’t have to buy this)
• nutmeg
• salt
• pepper
• lemon juice
• 2-3 TBS sherry (optional)
• 8 oz pasta
• 8 oz mushrooms (optional)
• 1/2 cup almonds (optional)
• 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
• 
  

Instructions for Turkey Tetrazzini

1. In a large pot add:

• 4 Tablespoons of butter
• 1/3 cup of flour
• Whisk and cook for 1 minute.
• Remove from heat and add 2 cups of chicken/turkey broth and mix until smooth
• Add 1 1/2 cups of milk, 1/2 & 1/2 or light cream
• Place on medium heat, stir constantly and bring to light boil
• Add 1 1/2 –2 lbs shredded chicken (3-4 cups)
• 2-3 Tbs of sherry (optional)
• Several drops of lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2-3 pinches of nutmeg

2. Set Creamed Turkey aside. In a separate pan add:

• Melt 1 1/2 TBS butter
• Add 8 oz of mushrooms (2 1/2 cups) and cook 5 minutes (although this turns out nicely without mushrooms)
• Stir in mushrooms into creamed turkey mixture

3. Cook 8 ounces of pasta (whatever you have on hand spaghetti, penne, rotini)

4. Add 1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (you can toast if you want) (this recipe also turns out nicely without the almonds)

5. Mix and pour into a greased 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup parmesan cheese.

6. Bake at 400 for 25-35 minutes or until golden/bubbling.

If you want to get creative you can also add additional cheeses to the mixture. A mixture of butter, breadcrumbs and parmesan is also yummy on top.

That’s it! Enjoy!

I am participating in What's Cooking Wednesday, Tempt Your Tummy Tuesday, and Tasty Tuesdays. Take a look over there for more great recipes!