Still have a bag of turkey in the fridge needing some creative recycling?
This is the Turkey Tetrazzini recipe from Peg Bracken’s “I Hate to Cook” book.
I’m not much of a chef, but I have a few recipes I really love. This is one of them.
Now, don’t get scared off when you read this through. It may sound a little complicated, but after you make it once, you’ll see that it really isn’t (especially if you already know how to make white sauce). I do have a lot of pans to wash afterwards, but mmm….I just made it last night and ate leftovers a few minutes ago. Yum.
Turkey Tetrazzini
Ingredients:
- 1/2 lb spaghetti
- 5 T butter (some of the butter is used to saute the mushrooms, and some is used to make the cream sauce; I substituted oil when making the cream sauce)
- 2 C turkey or chicken broth
- 2 T sherry
- 1/2 C grated Parmesan
- 1/4 lb fresh mushrooms(I always add lots more; and if you possibly can afford it, they’re really best fresh, not canned)
- 1/3 C flour
- 1 C light cream
- 2 C diced turkey
- Salt & pepper
Directions:
Slice and saute mushrooms in 1 T butter till light brown.
Cook spaghetti.
Make cream sauce: 4 T butter (I used part olive and part canola oil replacing the butter entirely) mixed with 1/3 C flour. Stir or whisk that until it makes a smooth base (or roux). Heat on medium until it cooks a little, then add broth and stir constantly (I use a whisk) on medium (or medium-high) heat until is smooth and thickens.
Add cream, salt & pepper, and sherry (you simply must add the sherry—it’s not much, but makes a huge difference in flavor). By the way, don’t boil the cream sauce after the cream is added. Just heat through.
Divide sauce in half—in one half, put turkey meat. In the other, put the mushrooms and spaghetti.
Put spaghetti-mushroom half in a greased casserole dish. Make a hole in it (easier said than done with sauce-coated, slithery spaghetti). Pour turkey half in the hole. Top with Parmesan.
Bake uncovered 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
Dish it up alongside a simple lettuce salad with vinaigrette and some french bread, you may not hate to cook anymore!
(By the way, I always double this recipe.)
Maybe you came looking for a recipe or food-related post and realized I’m a kitchen hack who’s actually a writing coach — I can help with your writing goals.
Though I no longer provide regular recipes, I do publish resources, encouragement and inspiration for people to learn, write, play and live more creative and productive lives.
Regular updates from Ann in your inbox? It’s like having a virtual writing coach … for free!
Sign up for free to receive the latest podcast episodes, articles, and creative nudges from Ann in a fun and friendly newsletter. Try it. You may find just what you need to take the next step in your writing life!
HA! This is EXACTLY what I am fixing tonight, too! We made a gigantic pot of turkey-barley soup and still had turkey left over, so I decided to make turkey tetrazzini so that we don’t overdose on soup. 🙂 My kids may rebel if they eat soup one more time.
I love recipes like this one. And I LOVE turkey leftovers!
Alas, they do not go much further than multiple turkey, stuffing, gravy, and cranberry sauce sandwiches, consumed the next day, and made for trips home on Sunday.
Tomorrow night we are having turkey soup, and then, that is farewell!
But, a few weeks ago, I tucked some turkey breast into the freezer, and I may get it out for something like this recipe!
This looks perfect…and I’ve got all the ingredients, including fresh mushrooms! Picked them up at Aldi since they were only 99 cents and I thought they’d be good in our breakfast eggs, but this is even better.
Thanks!!
Thank you for putting this recipe up. I really hate to cook. I love reading recipe books, but rarely cook anything out of them. My mother sent me the Peg Bracken I Hate To Cook Cookbook years ago when I was in my 20’s and the only thing I tried out of it was the Turkey (turned chicken using egg noodles) Tetrazzini. I loved it. Sometime along the way to my 30’s, I quit cooking again and have since lost the Peg Bracken Book. I am retired now and am trying my hand at saving money and cooking again. This means no more cookbook buying. I still love reading recipes, so thank God for the internet. When I came across your recipe I was amazed and extremely thankful. This is one recipe I know I will actually make again. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!
Barb T.