Turkey Pasta Bake (with Leftover Turkey)
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This creamy Turkey Pasta Bake is my go-to recipe when I have turkey leftovers. It is the perfect one-pot meal to repurpose turkey from your holiday meal. With a few pantry staples and a few fresh items added in, it’s an easy dinner the whole family will love.
Fresh roasted turkey tossed with linguine and smothered in a rich, creamy sauce made from mushrooms and melty cheese is the ultimate in stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. Cheesy and hearty food at its best.
It is always great to have a few options for using up leftovers and this turkey pasta fits the bill nicely.
Besides my leftover turkey pasta, I have lots of ways to use leftover turkey, like these: Turkey Reuben Sandwich, Turkey Oscar, or Turkey Salad Sliders.
LEFTOVER TURKEY TETRAZZINI
When you search turkey pasta, the majority of the recipes that come up use ground turkey. I am sure those ground turkey pasta bake recipes are great and would make a delicious meal if you wanted to run out and grab the ingredients sometime.
But when it comes to this time of year, I want to be able to take leftovers and turn them into a whole new meal! This recipe is a good change of pace from the traditional pasta and tomato sauce bake.
Ingredients Needed
You will find the complete measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card a the bottom of this post.
- Linguine – Use any type of pasta you prefer, or have on hand for this recipe. Penne pasta or elbow macaroni would be great choices, too. Whole wheat pasta can also be used.
- Turkey – I used 3 cups of leftover turkey, shredded. You can also use chicken if you like.
- Chicken soup – I used one can of cream of chicken soup, any brand is fine.
- Mushroom soup – I used one can of cream of mushroom soup, any brand is fine here too.
- Sour cream – you could substitute Greek yogurt in a pinch, or stir in a little cream cheese to make it extra rich!
- Mushrooms – I used freshly sliced mushrooms, but canned mushrooms would work just fine.
- Parsley – A touch of dry parsley adds some color and enhances the flavor but you could chop up fresh parsley if you have some in your fridge. Fresh basil would also taste good.
- Garlic cloves – I used two garlic cloves, minced. I prefer using fresh garlic but if you only have jarred garlic on hand that’s fine too.
- Chicken broth – I used chicken stock but you can use any kind of broth; beef or vegetable. I usually opt for the low-sodium option.
- Peas – Frozen peas add a nice color and texture to the pasta bake.
- Mozzarella cheese – I mixed some of the cheese into the casserole and topped it with more cheese. Though mozzarella is traditionally used in this recipe you can easily substitute it with another creamy white cheese if you don’t have any on hand. It’s also nice with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
- Parsley – I added a touch of fresh parsley as a garnish.
- Salt & Black Pepper – to taste
How to make this turkey pasta casserole recipe
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Boil pasta until it is al dente and drain it.
In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the linguine, and frozen peas. Remember to reserve some mozzarella cheese for the topping!
Mix until thoroughly combined.
Then stir the linguine into the sauce.
And the peas.
Transfer the mixture to a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
Top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
*Tip – prepare your pasta in a cast iron Dutch oven, remove it, mix up the sauce, and put the pasta bake in to bake. Fewer dishes!
Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown and hot throughout.
Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
This turkey pasta bake will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge in an airtight container. Or you can cover the baking pan tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
Freeze for up to 3 months.
Love it? Pin it!
If you love this turkey noodle casserole recipe, make sure you don’t lose it! Pin it to your favorite Pinterest recipe board before you go!
FAQ
Why is it called tetrazzini? A quick google search tells us tetrazzini was thought to have been named after an opera singer who was popular in the 1900s. Her name was Luisa Tettrazini. She performed at a hotel in San Francisco and the chef at the hotel named this pasta dish after her.
What is tetrazzini made of? Tetrazzini has come to mean a pasta dish prepared with a white sauce and cheese.
What should I serve with Tetrazzini? A simple salad on the side would be nice, but not necessary. You get lots of veggies in the turkey casserole itself.
SUBSTITUTIONS:
If you don’t have any leftover turkey you can always use leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken. Tuna Tetrazzini is also wonderful.
You can also change up the vegetables and use whatever you have on hand. Don’t want to use peas? You can use green beans, bell peppers, baby spinach, or even steamed broccoli cut into small pieces.
Want to spice it up a bit? Add some red pepper flakes to the sauce, or sprinkle on top when serving.
If you don’t have any fresh mushrooms you can always use canned ones instead.
Tips & Tricks
Make sure to cook the pasta al dente.
This leftover turkey pasta bake tastes great with canned soup so keep a few in the pantry so you have the ingredients on hand.
Leftover turkey is perfect for this recipe. If you are cooking for the holidays and have any leftovers this recipe is the ideal way to get a whole other meal.
All Sorts of ways to Repurpose Holiday Leftovers (and not just for the turkey!)
MORE DELICIOUS TURKEY RECIPES
I love turkey! Here are some more great turkey recipes:
- Turkey Reuben (aka The Rachel) pictured above
- Turkey Noodle Soup
- How to make Turkey Stock
- How to bake Turkey in the Oven (and make turkey gravy from scratch!)
- Smoked Turkey on the Traeger
- Spicy Sausage Ground Turkey Pasta Sauce
This leftover turkey pasta recipe is a must this holiday season. Why not give yourself a break and get two meals out of one dish? I know you are busy enough as it is so add this recipe for turkey tetrazzini to your holiday list and know your gang will be well-fed, not once but twice.
Turkey Pasta Bake (with Leftover Turkey)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 16 ounces linguine (1 pound package), cooked al dente
- 3 cups leftover turkey shredded
- 1 can cream of chicken soup
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 cup fresh white mushrooms sliced
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 3 cups mozzarella cheese divided
- Fresh Parsley for garnish, optional
- Salt & Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients except the peas, and linguine, reserving 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
- Mix until completely combined, then stir in the peas and linguine.
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes or until golden brown and heated through.
- Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
This is such a tasty way to use up leftover turkey!
This pasta bake sounds amazingly delicious. Thanks for sharing
What a great recipe idea! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks for sharing!
What a great idea for that leftover Thanksgiving turkey! A nice change from the usual day after sandwiches. 🙂
This is a fantastic use of leftover turkey. Love how easy it is to make and that I have everything in my pantry to make it.
One of my favourite ways to use up leftover turkey. Nothing goes to waste in our house.
This turned out so well! Thank you for the recipe!
What a great idea for using up all that leftover turkey after Thanksgiving is over! I’m definitely adding this to my list of post-Thanksgiving recipes to try!
This looks like such a tasty way to enjoy leftovers from Thanksgiving! Excited to give this a try; looks too good to pass up, indeed!
I try to buy a 20 pound turkey (or bigger) every Thanksgiving just so I can have a lot of leftovers. This will be the perfect recipe for using my leftovers and I know my pasta loving family will thank me for making it.
This Turkey Pasta Bake is my answer for all my leftover turkeys this year. So delicious.