Hearty, creamy Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini is a baked pasta dinner with turkey, mushrooms, bacon and bread crumb topping that will please the whole family! Our family loves this quick casserole dish whenever it's made. Use your leftover oven roasted turkey, or chicken, for an easy weeknight family dinner.
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe
After all of our holiday cooking, we really love our fuss-free leftover turkey meals. This leftover turkey tetrazzini pasta bake is easy to assemble, and bakes up to perfection. A golden combination of creamy pasta and crispy topping!
Another big plus, like any casserole dinner, is that you can make it as is, or add whatever other fillings your family likes, or that you have on hand.
If you want peas and carrots, definitely add them. Don't like mushrooms? Simply omit them. We use bacon...because everything's better with bacon, right?!
What Pasta Do I Use For Tetrazzini?
Traditionally, tetrazzini dishes are made with spaghetti pasta however almost any pasta will work in this casserole dinner. Shorter noodles, like the farfalle (bowtie) noodles used here, work great as they are easier to eat especially for young children.
Whatever pasta you choose, follow the directions for cooking on the package except to reduce the cooking time by about 2 minutes.
TIP: The pasta should be slightly under-cooked as it will continue to cook when baking.
Can I Make My Tetrazzini In Advance?
Yes! If you are already cooking up pasta or cutting up your leftover turkey and would like to prepare your tetrazzini for a later dinner, simply follow these steps:
- Melt butter and saute mushrooms in a skillet or frying pan.
- Combine sauce ingredients in a large bowl, then add sauteed mushrooms and chopped turkey.
- Cook up pasta, cutting the cooking time short by about 2 minutes (from package instructions). Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process, and coat lightly with olive oil.
- Store sauce for tetrazzini in an air tight container, and cooked pasta in a separate container.
- Assemble and add mozzarella, bacon, and crumb topping when ready to bake.
What Do I Serve With Pasta Dinners?
We like to include some additional greens, with a side salad, or some extra vegetable like green beans that we may serve our pasta dinner over (this is especially helpful when you have picky eaters that may not want something incorporated into the main pasta dish).
I also like serve my leftover turkey tetrazzini with some breadsticks, garlic knots, or garlic bread.
If you’re looking for more leftover recipe ideas to use up your oven roasted turkey, check out my other tasty turkey leftover meals – classic leftover turkey noodle soup, flavorful leftover turkey curry and creamy leftover turkey a la king!
Leftover Turkey Meals
- Leftover Turkey Curry
- Leftover Turkey a la King
- Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini (this page)
- Leftover Turkey Noodle Soup
📖 Recipe Card
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini Pasta
- 12 oz farfalle pasta (bowtie pasta - cooked 2 minutes under package cooking instructions)
- 2 strips bacon (cooked, chopped)
- 3 tablespoon butter (divided - 1 tablespoon for sauce, reserve 2 tablespoon for bread crumb topping)
- 8 oz white mushrooms (washed and sliced)
- 1 cube bullion (I use Knorr brand cubes, or use 1 tablespoon Better Than Bullion)
- 1 10.5 oz can cream of chicken condensed soup
- 2 c chicken broth
- 2 c heavy cream
- 4 c turkey (chopped)
- 1 c mozzarella (shredded)
- ¼ c parsley (fresh, chopped)
- salt & pepper (to taste)
Bread Crumb Topping
- ½ c Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon Parmesan cheese (grated or shredded)
- ½ tablespoon Italian seasoning
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini Pasta
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly butter or spray a casserole dish or 9 x 13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- In a large skillet or frying pan, melt butter over medium high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and bullion cube, then saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add chicken broth, cream of chicken soup, and heavy cream. Stir until well combined.
- Add chopped turkey and parsley, then season with salt and pepper (to taste). Stir in mozzarella cheese and chopped bacon, then transfer to prepared baking dish.
Bread Crumb Topping
- Ina small microwave safe bowl, melt 2 tablespoon butter in microwave on high heat for 30 second increments until melted.
- Add Italian breadcrumbs, Italian seasoning and Parmesan cheese. Stir to combine then sprinkle the prepared pasta dish with seasoned breadcrumb topping.
- Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes or until the top of the pasta dish is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling around the sides.
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