Turkey Tetrazzini
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Got leftover turkey from the holidays? The best way to use it is in this delicious, creamy Turkey Tetrazzini. It’s an easy dinner recipe. Plus, your family won’t even realize you used leftovers to make it because it’s so good!

This cozy, comforting Turkey Tetrazzini is one of my favorite ways to use up leftover turkey from the holidays. It’s a pasta casserole with a creamy sauce, sweet peas, and cheese and it’s the best way to use up all the turkey!
We always get a huge turkey for Thanksgiving and there’s always a lot leftover – instead of repeating the leftover Thanksgiving meal, I love to come up with ways to make brand new meals. That way, no one gets tired of the leftovers. This easy tetrazzini is the answer!
Why This Recipe Works
- It’s easy! With the leftover Thanksgiving turkey all you have to do is cook some pasta and assemble the casserole. It goes in the oven until it’s bubbling hot!
- This recipe doesn’t have a complicated sauce – you don’t have to mess around with flour or making a roux or saute any ingredients first. A few shortcuts makes it really easy and everything for the creamy sauce is mixed in a bowl.
- It tastes like a brand new meal – perfect for those who hate leftovers! Don’t we all have at least one person like that in our families?!
- You don’t have to wait until you make a roast turkey to try it – you can make chicken tetrazzini, too, with shredded chicken.
- It’s a great comfort food dinner – perfect for those lazy days after the big holiday!
When you get your Thanksgiving shopping list together be sure to add the ingredients for this baked pasta dish. You’re going to love it!
Ingredients
- Pasta: I like to use linguine but you can also use cooked spaghetti, fettuccine, or egg noodles for this recipe.
- Sauce: It’s made with softened butter, cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup, sour cream, and chicken broth.
- Turkey: Dice or shred the leftover turkey. You can also use shredded chicken for this recipe.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and garlic powder add lots of flavor.
- Frozen Peas: They add a pop of color and sweetness. Frozen chopped green beans would also work! If you love mushrooms feel free to stir some cooked ones into the sauce, too.
- Cheese: I like to use shredded mozzarella cheese, but shredded cheddar cheese would be good, too. Or use a combination of both. You can also add some grated Parmesan cheese on top for extra flavor.
- Garnish: A sprinkle of chopped parsley adds a fresh taste and color when you serve it.
Helpful Tools
How To Make It
- First, boil the pasta following the package instructions. Once it’s done, drain it thoroughly.
- In a large bowl, mix the butter, cooked turkey, both kinds of soup, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic pepper, chicken broth, and peas in a large bowl.
- Add the cooked noodles to the sauce mixture and stir to combine. Transfer it to the baking dish coated with cooking spray and sprinkle the cheese over the top.
- Bake the turkey tetrazzini at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until it’s hot and the cheese is melted and golden in spots.
- Garnish the top with the chopped fresh parsley and serve the casserole while it’s bubbling hot!
Pro Tips
Make-Ahead Tip: You can assemble the turkey tetrazzini and leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake it. You can do this up to a day in advance, it just may need more time in the oven if it goes into the oven cold.
Freezer Tip: It’s also a good freezer meal! Assemble the pasta casserole and then cover the pan with plastic wrap. Top that with foil and freeze it for up to a month. Let it thaw before baking.
Leftovers Tip: Any leftovers will keep in the refrigerator for two days.
This turkey tetrazzini recipe is one of my favorite leftover over turkey pasta dishes. It’s always a hit with the family and it definitely doesn’t taste like leftovers! It such a great way to use up all the meat from the holiday. Enjoy!
More Leftover Turkey Recipes
- Shepherd’s Pie with Turkey is another cozy casserole your family will love!
- Craving soup? Use your leftovers to make Turkey Corn Chowder!
- Make a hearty Cheesy Hashbrown Casserole – just swap the shredded chicken with leftover shredded turkey.
Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag me on Instagram at @julieseatsandtreats or #julieseatsandtreats so I can see your yummy treat!
Turkey Tetrazzini
Video
Ingredients
- 16 ounces linguini cooked
- ½ cup butter softened
- 1 pound leftover turkey cooked and diced or shredded
- 1 can cream of chicken soup 10.5 oz
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup 10.5 oz
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups frozen green peas
- 2 cups shredded Mozzarella cheese
- Chopped parsley for garnish optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a 9×13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- Prepare linguine according to package directions.
- Meanwhile combine butter, cooked turkey, soups, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic powder, chicken broth and peas in a large bowl. Stir until combined.
- When noodles are done cooking, drain off water and add them to the soup mixture. Stir until combined.
- Pour noodle mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese on top.
- Place the baking dish in a preheated oven and cook at 350 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until warmed through and the cheese is melted and the cheese is turning slightly golden brown on top.
- Serve immediately.
Mary Kline says
Easy and good. It makes a lot so I made a half batch.
Julie Evink says
Thanks for sharing Mary! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed!
Noelle says
The Turkey Tet came out great, I added caramelized onions, mushrooms and some leftover cauliflower. I also used a fancy rotelli pasta so it would have more structure. I then topped it with instant mashed potatoes and sprinkled a bit of cheese on top. wish I could attach a picture. turned out beautiful.
Brooke Kill says
So happy to hear that Noelle! Thanks for sharing!
Mary says
This was a great use of leftover turkey from Thanksgiving! It was slightly crisp on top with a nice cheesy pull and it was a great comfort meal for a cold night.
Brooke Kill says
Yummy!
Connie says
I’m not a big lover of leftovers but I absolutely loved this recipe. I found it a touch dry when I reheated it the next day so the next time I made it I added an extra can of cream of mushroom soup and it was perfect!
Brooke Kill says
That’s a great idea, thanks for sharing! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe!!
June Louie says
Absolutely delicious, I’ve made this dish quite a few times, everyone enjoyed it! Thank you For Sharing! ♥️
Faye Buckner says
Delicious! Everyone loved it! I’ll be making this again!
Sarah Hill says
So glad to hear everyone loved it! Thank you so much for commenting and rating this recipe!
Patti says
I made this. Wow! I added cooked bacon. It was great I also made extra of soup, mixture to add to leftovers also will add fried onions..
Courtney says
Yum! Sounds great. Thank you!
Maura says
Dry and tasteless
Courtney says
Your turkey was? We’ve never had that issue with the tetrazzini!
Christina says
There is a typo in step 4 of the instructions. It says garlic pepper instead of garlic powder. Not a big deal but it confused me for a minute. The casserole turned out delicious!
Courtney says
Thanks for letting us know!
Janice Bahnman says
Lovely flavors, I added cooked carrots and broccoli. Was so good he first night. I made two more casseroles for my other two kids.
Courtney says
Yum! So glad it everyone enjoyed it!
Lexe says
I made this for dinner, so easy and quick! I will serve this again.
Courtney says
Awesome! Thank you for sharing!
Victoria says
Sooooo good! Will definitely be a staple for leftover Turkey.
Kristi says
Great recipe! Used for those Thanksgiving turkey leftovers, and the family LOVED it!!! Thanks for sharing.
Courtney says
Awesome! Thank you!
Susan Beauchamp says
Easy to navigate
Courtney says
Thank you!
Sherryl says
Very good recipie. Easy to make.
Courtney says
Thank you!