Creamy, comforting, and made for holiday leftovers. This turkey tetrazzini is a baked pasta casserole with a Parmesan cream sauce and a crispy topping. Use leftover turkey from Thanksgiving—or swap in chicken for an easy dinner any time.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
- 🦃 Turkey Tetrazzini Ingredients
- 👨🍳Quick Overview: Making Turkey Tetrazzini
- 🦃 Meat Options and Variations
- 🫛 Pasta, Vegetables, and Toppings Options
- 📅 Make Ahead – Refrigerate or Freeze
- ⬇️ How to Make a Smaller Half or Quarter Recipe
- 📖 More Leftover Turkey Recipes
- ❄️ Storing Leftover Turkey Casserole
- ❓ FAQs
- 📖The Recipe Card
TL;DR (Quick-Answer Box)
What it is: A creamy pasta casserole with leftover turkey, peas, and Parmesan sauce, baked until golden brown with a crispy breadcrumb topping.
Why you'll love it: Uses holiday leftovers, no canned soup, from-scratch Parmesan sauce, pantry staples, and easy swaps with chicken or other meats.
How to make it: Cook pasta, make a roux-based sauce, stir in turkey, pasta, and peas, top with Parmesan breadcrumbs, and bake until bubbling and golden.
Jump to the Recipe Card or continue to read for details and options.
Featured Comment by CG:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
" I really enjoyed this easy recipe. It is a great way to use up leftover items and very family friendly."
🦃 Turkey Tetrazzini Ingredients
- Turkey (or chicken): Use cooked turkey breast, dark meat, or rotisserie chicken. Dice or shred into bite-size pieces. Leftover turkey is perfect.
- Pasta: Linguine is classic for tetrazzini, but spaghetti, egg noodles, or bow-ties all work. Cook al dente since the casserole bakes further.
- Vegetables: Onion, celery, garlic, and peas are the base. Mushrooms are optional but add flavor and texture.
- Pantry staples: Butter, flour, milk, broth, and Parmesan cheese build the creamy roux-based sauce. Salt and black pepper for seasoning.
- Topping: A mix of Italian Panko breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese gives the golden, crispy finish. Mozzarella is a common variation.
👨🍳Quick Overview: Making Turkey Tetrazzini
1. Prepare ingredients
- Cook the pasta al dente.
- Cube or shred leftover turkey or chicken.
- Prep veggies: dice onion and celery, crush garlic, slice mushrooms if using.
2. Cook veggies
- Cook the onion, celery, and mushrooms (optional) in butter.
- Add the crushed garlic, salt, and pepper, then cook for one more minute.
3. Make the sauce with a roux
- Add flour and cook 2–3 minutes.
- Whisk in broth, then milk and Parmesan; simmer until thickened.
4. Combine and transfer
- Remove from heat, add the cooked pasta, turkey, and frozen peas.
- Mix and pour into a baking dish coated with PAM or butter.
5. Make and apply the topping
Mix Italian Panko breadcrumbs with shredded or grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
6. Bake
Bake 35 minutes at 350°F convection (375°F conventional) until golden and bubbling.
👇 Scroll down for the printable recipe card and complete step-by-step photo instructions—or keep reading for tips and options.
🦃 Meat Options and Variations
- Turkey: Use cooked turkey breast or dark meat, cubed or shredded. Smoked or ground turkey also works.
- Chicken: Swap in cooked chicken, like rotisserie or baked breasts. The recipe doesn’t change.
- Other meats: Ham is an easy alternative. (Seafood versions exist, but they need more changes than just a swap.)
- No leftovers? Make fresh with oven-baked chicken breasts or roasted turkey breast.
🫛 Pasta, Vegetables, and Toppings Options
- Pasta: Linguine is classic, but spaghetti, egg noodles, or bow-ties all work. Cook just to al dente — it will bake more in the casserole.
- Vegetables: Onion, celery, garlic, and peas are the usual. Mushrooms add flavor if you like them. Spinach, green beans, broccoli, peppers, or olives are easy extras.
- Topping: Parmesan + Panko breadcrumbs is the standard. Use Italian-style Panko for more flavor, or swap in regular breadcrumbs.
- Cheese option: Mozzarella on top is common if you want a gooier casserole.
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📅 Make Ahead – Refrigerate or Freeze
- Assemble ahead: Prepare the casserole without baking and without the topping. Cover tightly.
- Refrigerate: Store unbaked for up to 2 days. When ready, add topping and then bake.
- Freeze: Wrap well and freeze up to 3–4 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. After thawing, add topping and then bake.
⬇️ How to Make a Smaller Half or Quarter Recipe
- Full recipe: Makes 12 servings in a 9×13 casserole pan.
- Half recipe: Makes 6 servings. Use a 6×9 or 8×8 baking dish.
- Quarter recipe: Makes 3 servings in a 6-inch round, 5×5, or similar small dish. A great size for two — either two large servings or a couple smaller servings with leftovers.
👉 How to adjust the size:
- In the recipe card, change the servings from 12 to 6 (half recipe) or 3 (quarter recipe).
- Follow the updated ingredient amounts — the instructions stay the same.
- Bake until the topping is lightly browned and the edges are bubbling. Smaller pans will finish faster.
📖 More Leftover Turkey Recipes
Looking for more ways to use Thanksgiving turkey? Try these reader favorites:
❄️ Storing Leftover Turkey Casserole
- Refrigerate: Store cooked casserole in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Wrap well and freeze for up to 3 months.
- Reheat: Thaw frozen portions in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat in the oven, microwave, or air fryer until hot — the edges should bubble again.
❓ FAQs
This sauce uses the traditional roux method. Flour is cooked briefly with butter, then combined with broth and milk and whisked until thickened. No canned soup or cream cheese is needed. (See How to Make Gravy from Scratch for more information on the roux method of thickening.)
Technically yes, but it requires several swaps. Use gluten-free pasta and breadcrumbs, along with a starch thickener, instead of flour. For dairy-free, use alternative butter, milk, and cheese. Check every ingredient carefully — they tend to sneak gluten or dairy in.
Despite the Italian name, tetrazzini is an American casserole. It was named after opera star Luisa Tetrazzini and first appeared in San Francisco in the early 1900s. Most versions include poultry or seafood, mushrooms, and a creamy Parmesan sauce over pasta. The sauce is similar to Alfredo, and some recipes add wine.
📖The Recipe Card
Turkey Tetrazzini (Creamy Baked Pasta Casserole)
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced or shredded cooked turkey - (flexable)
- 1 pound pasta - (spaghetti or linguine preferred)
- 1 small onion
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms - (optional)
- 4 cloves crushed or minced garlic
- ½ cup butter - (1 stick=⅓ cup)
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 14 oz chicken broth
- 3 cups milk
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese - (shredded or grated)
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1 cup Italian Panko bread crumbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese - (shredded or grated)
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° convection or 375° conventional.
- Cook 1 pound of linguine or spaghetti to al dente according to the package instructions. Cube or shred about 4 cups of leftover turkey.
- Dice 1 small onion, crush 4 cloves of garlic, and dice 2 ribs of celery.
- Melt 1 stick of butter (½ cup) over medium heat and add onion, celery, and mushrooms. Cook for about 3-4 minutes until the celery is clearing. Add 4 cloves of crushed garlic. Cook one more minute. Add 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper.
- Add ½ cup of flour by sprinkling it over the pan. Stir until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
- Add one 14 oz can of chicken or turkey broth while continuously stirring. Bring to a boil, and when it starts to thicken, slowly add three cups of milk and one cup of shredded or grated Parmesan cheese. Continue to simmer and stir while thickening—about three more minutes.
- Remove from heat, and add four cups of cubed or shredded cooked turkey, one pound of cooked pasta, and one cup of frozen peas. Mix well and pour into a 9 by 13 inch baking dish coated with PAM or butter.
- Mix one cup of Italian Panko breadcrumbs with ½ cup of shredded or grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
- Bake for about 35 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- This recipe moves quickly. Read through first and have ingredients prepped before starting.
- You can use light or dark meat. I prefer cubed, but shredded is OK. You can also use precooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, or even ham.
- Use pasta of your choice, but spaghetti or linguine are preferred.
- This is an easy recipe to cut in half or even a quarter. See the post for details.
- I skipped the mushrooms due to family food allergies. Cook about 1 cup with the celery if you wish.
- Good refrigerated up to 4 days; frozen up to 3 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Adapted from Turkey Tetrazzini on Allrecipes.com.
Publisher's Note: Originally published November 29, 2015. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Susan Hamilton says
Great basic recipe! A few tweaks here and there due to what I had on hand, and came out with a fabulous dish. I did add a bit of poultry seasoning. Yums! Thanks!
P.S. Your website is the reason I can grill stuff so that we have a yummy dinner in the spring, summer & fall! Thanks! I hope your whole family is doing well.
Sincerely, Susan
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Susan,
Sorry the delayed response, life happens fast some times.
I love a good noodle casserole with great topping. And I'm so glad you find the grilling tips useful.
Thanks for the note and rating.
Dan
Nancy Malburg says
Hi, my name is Nancy and I live in northern Illinois. I found your recipe on the internet, it just looked better than all the rest. It is very good!! I used left over boneless turkey and stir fried the onions celery, carrots, and broccoli prior to adding the milk and the chicken broth, I used lower salt broth. I also added mozzarella shredded cheese when adding the linguine. I did use the panko crumbs and the Parmesan cheese in the top. It was very good and I will make this again. I would like to try this recipe with shredded chicken. I also like that no canned or awfully salty canned sauce was used in this recipe. Thank you and I will try your other recipes in the future. Have a good new year.
Melissa says
I love this recipe and have made it a couple times. I was wondering if I can just use the meat I cooked off the bone. Just a variety of shredded light and dark. I think it will be fine, ousted wanted some input .
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Melissa,
Welcome to the blog.
Yes, any turkey or chicken meat will be fine. But I want to point out that leftovers over 4 days of age should be discarded.
Dan
Ed says
Thank you for the perfect “Turkey-day” leftover recipe!
I halved the recipe because there are only three of us and we all enjoyed it very much BUT found it to be on the dry side. I have two “vegetable adverse” eaters so I omitted the peas and mushrooms but followed everything else as written. I’m pretty good at following a recipe but still a novice in the kitchen so I’m not that great at “tweaking” them yet. I’m thinking the missing moisture from the veggies might be the reason it came out dry? Maybe?? What would you suggest to adjust the recipe so it won’t be dry next time? Just up the broth and/or milk? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks again for the recipe... will definitely be making again!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Ed,
Welcome to the blog.
If it was too dry, another 1-2 oz of broth in the sauce will be fine. The real question is why? The veggies can release a bit of fluid but not that much. I suspect the turkey was a bit dryer and absorbed some liquid. Or the pasta... we will never know.
Thanks for the note, question, and the rating.
Dan
Ed says
So, yeah. Can I change my rating to 5 ⭐️‘s? Was my first turkey and now that you mention that it might have been ‘a bit dryer’ I’m pretty sure is was Cooker Error, lol.... I way over cooked that poor bird for fear of not cooking it enough! The ‘popping’ thingy in the turkey never did ‘Pop’ and it cooked waaaayyyyy longer then the times listed on the tag 🤦♂️ Cook and learn, lol.
Thanks again and Happy New Year!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Ed,
Rating fixed. I do have a turkey breast "how to" that gives excellent results. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/how-to-roast-a-turkey-breast-the-easy-way/ I don't have a full turkey recipe. Never trust those pop up timers.
Dan
Allen Arthurs says
All went Well until combining the liquid mixture with the turkey and spaghetti. I went to a large deep skillet, saw that it was not big enough so went a big chili pot. Made it early in the day so covered and refrigerated until supper time. Not sure how long to bake but will bake until bubbly and brown. May suggest to use a big pot to begin with to save having to wash so many dishes. Of course, I am a somewhat old and lazy man. Ask my wife. Lol
CG says
I really enjoyed this easy recipe. It is a great way to use up leftover items and very family friendly with the ingredient multiplier at the top that adjusts ingredient amounts automatically. Thanks for posting it !
Katherine Aust says
I made this recipe, but had to omit the mushrooms because my husband doesn't like them. I added a couple of tablespoons of dry sherry to the onion/celery/butter before stirring in the flour. Accidentally grabbed angel hair pasta and used shredded Swiss. The dish was fabulous and even better the next day. Thanks!
Dawn says
I am confused about the salt. You show a picture of kosher salt but don’t mention kosher salt in directions. Also, your pictures used to always show Morton’s kosher salt. This picture is a different brand and even when I enlarge the picture I can’t tell what it is. I have been reading lately that Morton’s and Diamond Crystal are the two major brands and they measure differently. What brand are you now using?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi Dawn,
Welcome to the blog.
Sorry for any confusion. Here is a link to my discussion about salts. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/abbreviations-salts-and-oven-temperature/
--------------------------
This is from that page:
All recipes on this blog have nutritional estimates. With salt, if it says “salt”, it is table salt. If it say Kosher salt, it will be Diamond Kosher salt or the equivalent of Morton Kosher salt.
If the recipe says “to taste” for the amount of salt, it is my estimate of average usage.
1 teaspoon table salt = 1 1/4 teaspoon Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
If a recipe called for Kosher or coarse salt, it is using Diamond Crystal as a reference. I usually buy Diamond Crystal and adjust accordingly.
Also, things like sea salt etc. usually are in the Morton salt range.
BUT since salt is mostly to taste, use what you want.
____________________
So this recipe is 1 teaspoon salt (table salt) or the equivalent in what you have. 1 1/4 teaspoon of Mortan Kosher or 2 teaspoon Diamond Crystal.
I frequently use less salt for my taste. And since Diamond Crystal is the least "salt" of the salts, it is what I usually buy but I now have to get 3 pound boxes. A real bummer.
Dan
Trish says
I dont know if it's just me and not feeling well, but I didnt care for the recipe and I love every ingredient.
DrDan says
Hi Trish,
Welcome to the blog.
Sorry, it didn't work well for you.
Dan
Jeanne Tomlin says
How is a dish that serves twelve 'servings for two'? Talk about deceptive advertising.
DrDan says
See https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/recipes-not-two-servings/
KJill says
Thank you for the timely reminder that milk, butter, flour and seasonings makes the perfect comfort food out of leftover meat, veg and starch. I didn't follow your recipe very closely other than the proportions for the 'gravy' and procedure - good basic technique is always a safe starting point. Leftover turkey, roast carrots, broccoli, brown rice, added finely chopped very mild chili to onion/garlic/celery, reduced the cheese to topping only. I always enjoy the dog pictures. Thanks
DrDan says
Hi KJill,
Welcome to the blog.
A recipe is just "guidelines" anyway (see https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/so-how-is-recipe-like-pirate-code/). It is always good to remind the readers that these things should be adjusted to your needs at the time.
Thanks for the note.
Dan
Kari says
Hi Dr Dan
If I have shredded turkey How can i measure it to be cubes?
DrDan says
Hi Kari,
Welcome to the blog.
Use about the same volume with shredded or cubed. With casseroles, soups, stews, and chili, I view the amount of meat as a bit variable, a little more or a little less is fine.
Dan
Debbie says
Why is your website called Cooking for Two when I have yet to find a recipe for just two people??? I'm confused....
DrDan says
Hi Debbie,
You are not the first to ask so I have it discussed in this page. https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/recipes-not-two-servings/ .
The recipes are generally for smaller households and most non-meat recipes will be for more than two with leftovers. Many are cut down for other massively big recipes.
Most of the meat recipes are for two or can be easily done with two servings and you will see that.
Also, the recipe card can adjust the quantities of ingredients to the number of servings you want. It does not adjust the instructions.
Hope that helps.
Dan
Jo says
Can you freeze the leftovers?
DrDan says
It should be good in a refrigerator for about 3 days and freezer for 2-3 months.
Dan
George says
Thanks for the great recipe.
It really made a large amount of food and we enjoyed the leftovers from this the rest of the week as well. The taste was fantastic!
Also fairly easy to make, even for a novice like me.
Ellise says
Best tettrazinni recipie I have made thus far!
Chris says
One of our holiday favorites! One of my relatives always served this at our family homecoming the Sunday after Thanksgiving each year and I loved it.