This easy recipe for turkey tetrazzini is great for turkey leftovers. Using an easy roux method to make the delicious creamy Parmesan sauce, it is ready in about an hour with common pantry ingredients. You can also make chicken tetrazzini at any time of the year.
🦃Ingredients
Turkey—or chicken, cooked and diced or shredded
Pasta—linguine or spaghetti preferred
Vegetables—celery, onion, garlic. frozen peas, mushrooms (optional)
Pantry—milk, turkey/chicken broth, Parmesan cheese, butter, flour, salt, black pepper
Topping—Italian panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan cheese
Jump To (scroll for more)
- 🦃Ingredients
- 👨🍳How to Make Turkey Tetrazzini—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
- 🦃Meat options and variations
- 🫛Pasta, vegetables, and toppings options
- 📅How to make turkey tetrazzini ahead
- ⬇️How to make a smaller half or quarter recipe
- 📖Leftover Turkey Recipes
- ❄️Storing leftover turkey casserole
- ❓FAQs
- 🤔What is Tetrazzini?
- 📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Featured Comment by CG:
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" I really enjoyed this easy recipe. It is a great way to use up leftover items and very family friendly."
Use that leftover Thanksgiving turkey with this classic turkey tetrazzini casserole recipe. The whole family will love this easy-to-make casserole.
Some tetrazzini recipes use cans of cream of mushroom soup or cream cheese, but I prefer the old-fashioned way, using a simple roux method for this classic dish. You will appreciate the "from scratch" taste difference.
👨🍳How to Make Turkey Tetrazzini—Step-by-Step Photo Instructions
1. Cook the pasta al denta. Cube or shred leftover turkey or chicken
2. Dice the onion and celery, crush the garlic, and slice mushrooms if using.
3. Cook the onion, celery, and mushrooms (optional) in butter until the celery is clearing. Add the crushed garlic, salt, and pepper, then cook one more minute.
4. Add sprinkle in the flour. Stir until browning some, about 2-3 minutes.
5. Add the broth while continuously stirring. When it starts to thicken, add the milk and some Parmesan cheese. Simmer and stir while thickening—about 3 more minutes.
6. Remove from heat, add the cooked pasta, turkey, and frozen peas. Mix and pour into a baking dish coated with PAM or butter.
7. Mix Italian Panko breadcrumbs with shredded or grated Parmesan cheese and sprinkle over the top of the casserole.
8. Bake at 350° convection or 375° conventional for about 35 minutes until golden brown and bubbling.
For more details, keep reading. See the Recipe Card below for complete instructions and to print.
🦃Meat options and variations
Turkey meat must be previously cooked and may be either turkey breast or dark meat cut into cubes or shredded. Browned ground turkey or smoked turkey may also be used.
To make Chicken Tetrazzini, use precooked chicken like a rotisserie chicken. Otherwise, the recipe is unchanged.
Other previously cooked meats, such as poultry or ham, are good substitutes. There are seafood versions, but I'm not going there with this recipe since it would involve more then just substituting for the best results.
If you don't have leftovers, make some with convection oven baked chicken breasts or roasted turkey breast.
🫛Pasta, vegetables, and toppings options
Pasta: Linguine is the perfect pasta for this turkey casserole, but spaghetti is also frequently used. Any other standard pasta like bow tie pasta or egg noodles cooked al denta will work well.
Vegetables: Celery, mushrooms, and peas are typical vegetables, and garlic and onion are the aromatics. The celery, mushrooms, and onion need some precooking since the casserole doesn't cook that long. The peas are better if added frozen. The garlic should be about a minute near the end of cooking the onion to "bloom" the flavor, but not much longer.
Other vegetables, such as fresh baby spinach, sliced green beans, black olives, broccoli, and red or green peppers, may be added.
Topping: The classic topping combines Parmesan cheese and Panko breadcrumbs. I suggest using Italian-flavored Panko breadcrumbs, but you can use whatever you like. Some recommend regular instead of Panko breadcrumbs.
Adding mozzarella cheese to the topping is also common.
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📅How to make turkey tetrazzini ahead
You can make this casserole ahead of time in an oven-safe pan. Assemble the casserole without the topping. Then, seal well and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for 3-4 months.
Be sure to defrost the frozen casserole overnight in the refrigerator before adding the topping and cooking.
⬇️How to make a smaller half or quarter recipe
The full recipe makes 12 servings in a 9 by 13 casserole pan. A half-size recipe for 6 servings fits in a 6 by 9 or an 8 by 8 baking dish. A quarter recipe will make 3 servings and need a 6-inch round, 5 by 5, or similar small baking dish.
- Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to 6 or 3.
- Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
- The cooking time will be less, but the amount will vary by thickness. Because all the ingredients are already cooked and safe before baking, you will cook to a nicely browned topping.
📖Leftover Turkey Recipes
While this Turkey Tetrazzini is my favorite, here are a few other choices. My Simple Chicken Pot Pie includes Turkey Pot Pie. You can also use leftover turkey meat in Three Bean Turkey Chili or Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice Casserole.
❄️Storing leftover turkey casserole
Once cooked, this pasta casserole is good refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 3 months.
To reheat, thaw overnight in the refrigerator if frozen. Then reheat in the microwave, covered in the oven, or air fryer.
❓FAQs
This sauce is made using the traditional roux method of thickening sauces or liquids. It mixes flour with fat, is cooked briefly, and then combined with liquid and whisked until thickened. There is no need for canned cream of mushroom soup or cream cheese.
See How to Make Gravy from Scratch for more information on the roux method of thickening.
To make tetrazzini gluten-free, use gluten-free panko breadcrumbs and pasta. Plus, an alternative thickener for the flour. Corn starch would be a good choice if not being frozen.
To make tetrazzini dairy-free, the turkey or other meat must be cooked without dairy. The butter and milk can be alternative dairy-free versions. The Parmesan is replaced with a goat version of Ramano cheese.
Like any dish, check each specific ingredient for gluten or dairy if you need them eliminated—they tend to creep in unexpectedly.
🤔What is Tetrazzini?
While Americans think of this as a classic Italian dish, it is all American. Named after Italian opera star Luisa Tetrazzini, it first appeared in San Francisco in the early 20th century, where Tetrazzini was a long-time resident.
There is no exact definition, so the recipes do vary a lot. Tetrazzini recipes usually have poultry or seafood and mushrooms with a Parmesan sauce, then served over linguine or spaghetti or as a baked casserole. Some wine can be involved in the cooking.
The sauce found in most versions of tetrazzini is very similar to Alfredo sauce.
SO... I'm still calling it Italian.
📖The Recipe Card with Step-by-Step Instructions
Easy Turkey Tetrazzini
Video Slideshow
Ingredients
- 4 cups diced or shredded cooked turkey - about
- 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 - one stick
- ½ cup 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
Topping
- 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 four cloves of garlic, and dice two ribs of celery.
- Melt one 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 the four cloves of crushed garlic and cook one more minute. Add one teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Add ½ cup flour by sprinkling over the pan. Stir until browning some, about 2 minutes.
- Add one 14 oz can of chicken or turkey broth while continuously stirring. Continue to stir, bring to a boil, and when it starts to thicken, 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
- 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.
- This recipe moves quickly. Please read and understand the recipe before starting, and have the ingredients out and ready to go.
- 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 as usual due to family food allergies. Cook about 1 cup with the celery if you wish.
- Good refrigerated for 4 days or frozen for 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.