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Meet your new favorite leftover turkey recipe! My Easy Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe is packed with flavor from shredded turkey, soft egg noodles, mushrooms, peas, and a creamy béchamel sauce. It’s a perfect make-ahead casserole dish for using up turkey leftovers!
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Turkey Tetrazzini
Turkey tetrazzini is a turkey casserole recipe made with pasta, mushrooms, peas, and a creamy béchamel sauce, all topped off with a crunchy bread crumb topping.
What is Turkey Tetrazzini?
It is a classic American pasta dish made with shredded cooked turkey meat, mushrooms, and a creamy sauce. It is a very popular leftover Thanksgiving turkey dish and a great freezer meal. The dish became known after an Italian opera singer, Luisa Tetrazzini, who was popular in the early 1900s.
It was typically made with cream of mushroom soup but trust me, it is so much better made with fresh ingredients.
My family absolutely loves this recipe. They want me to make turkey more often so I can make it. I have made it with rotisserie chicken and it is equally as good.
Alex on Pinterest
Easy Turkey Tetrazzini Ingredients
- Egg noodles or your favorite spaghetti noodles
- Unsalted Butter
- Onion
- All Purpose Flour
- Chicken Broth
- Whole Milk
- Italian Seasoning
- Nutmeg
- Turkey, cooked and shredded: use Thanksgiving turkey or Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Canned Sliced Mushrooms
- Frozen Peas
- Parmesan Cheese
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
- Panko Bread crumbs
- Fresh Parsley, chopped
How my guide on how to shred chicken. It works great with turkey meat too.It is so easy!
Recipe for Turkey Tetrazzini
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray and set it aside.
- Cook egg noodles in a large saucepan, following package instructions, then drain and set aside. Do not overcook the noodles, they should be al dente.
- Add half of your butter to a large skillet along with the diced onion. Cook on medium-high until the onions are translucent.
- Then, add flour and whisk until a thick paste forms a roux. Slowly add chicken broth and then milk, simmer while whisking until smooth and creamy, to form your béchamel.
- Mix in Italian seasoning and nutmeg, then shredded turkey, mushrooms, peas, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Finally, add in the cooked egg noodles and gently mix to combine.
- Add the mixture to the greased casserole dish and smooth it out into an even layer. In another pan, melt the remaining butter over medium-high heat and add panko breadcrumbs. Cook until golden, stirring constantly.
- Remove from the pan immediately and sprinkle them over the casserole evenly.
- Bake for 30 minutes, until bubbling and heated through. Top with parsley for garnish, and enjoy!
Other popular variations of this dish are tuna or chicken tetrazzini. Our favorite part about it is that it’s a perfect casserole recipe for using up turkey leftovers!
Turkey Tetrazzini Recipes Tips
- If you don’t have a turkey and still want to make this delicious dish, use a rotisserie chicken or boil chicken breasts. It will be just as delicious!
- Make sure to dice the onion very finely. This should be a smooth, decadent, and creamy cheese sauce.
I love serving this dish with leftover green beans casserole and broccoli salad.
Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can freeze this turkey casserole before baking it or after.
How to Freeze Turkey Tetrazzini before baking:
Assemble the dish as instructed, just up until baking.
Wrap tightly with aluminum foil. I like to wrap it with a layer of plastic wrap, as well.
Label with the freezing date then freezes for up to 6 months.
Bake frozen and covered in foil for 45 minutes to 1 hour at 375°F.
How to Freeze Turkey Tetrazzini After Baking:
Wrap the leftover casserole in a baking dish with aluminum foil. Wrap again with plastic wrap for best results.
Label with the freezing date then freeze for up to 6 months.
Allow to thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then bake for 30 minutes at 375°F.
Stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container, our turkey tetrazzini recipe lasts 3-4 days. In the freezer, it will last up to 6 months. It’s a perfect make-ahead casserole recipe!
Best Turkey Recipes
- Air Fryer Turkey
- Smoked Turkey
- Cajun Turkey
- Thanksgiving Turkey
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Grilled Turkey
- Spatchcock Turkey
- Sous Vide Turkey Breast
- Deep Fried Turkey Recipe
Check out all my best turkey recipes
f you enjoyed this leftovers recipe, try my Thanksgiving Leftovers Casserole!
Recipe
The Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe that Changed Leftovers Forever
Equipment
- Cooking spray
Ingredients
- 12 oz. egg noodles
- 8 Tbsp. butter divided
- 4 Tbsp. flour
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 tsp. italian seasoning
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- 3 cups turkey meat cooked and shredded
- 6 oz. canned sliced mushrooms
- ¾ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup mozzerella cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F, and prep a 9×13″ baking dish by spraying it with cooking spray.
- Cook the noodles following package instructions, then drain them and set them aside. Add a little butter or oil to make sure they don't start sticking.12 oz. egg noodles
- Saute the onion. Add half the butter to a large skillet alongside the finely diced onion, and cook on medium-high heat until the onions are translucent.1 small onion, 8 Tbsp. butter
- Add the flour and whisk until a thick paste forms. Let it bubble for 3-4 minutes, until it smells richly buttery and toasted, then slowly pour in the broth and milk, whisking continuously until smooth and creamy.4 Tbsp. flour, 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup chicken broth
- Add in the rest of the ingredients, starting with the nutmeg and Italian seasoning, then the mushrooms, turkey, peas, and both kinds of cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Then add in the egg noodles, stirring gently to combine. Don’t over-mix, you can easily break the noodles!1 tsp. italian seasoning, ¼ tsp. nutmeg, 3 cups turkey meat, 6 oz. canned sliced mushrooms, ¾ cup frozen peas, ½ cup parmesan cheese, ¼ cup mozzerella cheese, salt and pepper
- Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish and smooth it out into an even layer.
- Melt the remaining butter in a small pan or pot and add in the panko breadcrumbs. Stir until buttery and toasted, about 3 minutes. Then remove from the heat and top the casserole with the crumbs.1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- Bake the casserole for 30 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly and golden. Serve, and enjoy!
Notes
- Don’t overcook the pasta! The pasta should be el dente or even a little less cooked than that, as it’s going to be bathed in sauce and baked, which will keep cooking it.
- You can use other meats like shredded chicken! You can even use canned chicken in a pinch; it’ll taste delicious.
- Feel free to add more seasonings to the breadcrumbs, or make your own! I like adding garlic salt to the panko or crumbling up crackers to make a more flavorful topping.
Susan says
I look forward to making this. How much flour, please?
Em Beitel says
Hi Susan! Thank you for your question – and apologies for the confusion! You’ll need 4 Tbsp. flour. Please enjoy!
Andra Christie says
Great tasting. I replaced the peas to two stalks of celery (I don’t like peas) and turned out great
Em Beitel says
That’s awesome, Andra! Thanks so much for your feedback!