Turkey Tetrazzini

Turkey Tetrazzini is the classic creamy and cheesy pasta dish with mushrooms and leftover holiday turkey, but chicken works too for enjoying all year long.

Turkey Tetrazzini is one of those dishes that I have known since I was a little girl in abstract. I think my stepmom might have made it a time or two while I was growing up.

When my interest in cooking became to bloom, I use to cut the recipes that were provided with coupons in the Sunday paper. Well, only the ones that looked good to me. Chicken Tetrazzini was one of those clippings and I still have it.

What is Tetrazzini?

Tetrazzini is a long pasta dish in a cheesy creamy wine sauce with mushrooms, parsley, and a protein. The protein is usually chicken or turkey, but tuna is not unheard of. In fact, the eponymic tuna noodle casserole is a cousin to tuna tetrazzini.

Once the pasta has been mixed with the sauce, mushrooms, and meat, it’s often topped with cheese then baked. By this definition, this is a casserole, the most comforting of comfort foods.

Is Turkey or Chicken Tetrazzini Italian?

Despite its Italian sounding name, the dish is squarely American. But the dish is generally accepted to have been created by a chef in a San Francisco for a long-term resident, the Italian opera singer Luisa Tetrazzini.

However, there is a rival for the credit, and that comes from New York and Good Housekeeping Magazine. It’s not a rabbit hole I feel like going down.

In my own files, I have put this recipe under Italian. But I am not alone TV chef Giada De Laurentiis made the chicken version on her popular show Everyday Italian.

No Canned Cream Soup Tetrazzini Recipe

The recipe clipping I mentioned above, calls for 3 different cans of condensed cream of soups: chicken, mushroom, and celery. Over the years I have weaned myself from using those canned soups in my cooking. (Save my Grandma’s Green Bean Casserole, I will always use cream of mushroom for that.)

For this recipe, I didn’t go with the easy Béchamel sauce route. Oh no, I opted to keep the fat and calories high by making a base from cream cheese.

Turkey Tetrazzini

Course: Dinner/Pasta

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Tetrazzini

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 5

Calories: 629 kcal

Author: Michelle De La Cerda

Turkey Tetrazzini is the classic creamy and cheesy pasta dish with mushrooms and leftover holiday turkey, but chicken works too for enjoying all year long.

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Ingredients

• 10 oz angel hair pasta
• ⅓ cup butter divided; ¼ cup/ remaining tbsp
• 8 oz mushrooms sliced
• 1 cup onion diced
• 2 celery ribs diced
• ¼ cup flour
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup white wine (or broth)
• 2 oz cream cheese
• ¼ cup sour cream
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese grated
• ¼ tsp thyme
• ¼ tsp nutmeg
• ¼ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt +/-, to taste
• ½ tsp black pepper +/-, to taste
• 1 tsp garlic minced/grated
• 3½ cups cooked turkey cubed/chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley

US Standard – Metric

Instructions

1. Cook the pasta 1 minute shy of packaged directions; drain
2. While pasta is cooking, cook the vegetables and make the cheese sauce
3. In a large skillet over medium high heat, add 1/4 cup butter and cook the onions, mushrooms, and celery

4. Sauté for about 3 minutes or until the vegetables have begun to soften;

5. Add the flour and stir well, making sure all the flour has been thoroughly mixed into butter and vegetables.

6. Slowly pour in both the milk and the wine (broth); stir well

Cheese sauce

1. In a saucepan, melt the butter and cream cheese
2. Once smooth, add the sour cream and mozzarella cheese
3. After the cheese has completely melted and the sauce is smooth, add the thyme, nutmeg, paprika, salt, and pepper, stirring well to fully incorporate the seasonings into the cheese sauce

Assembly

1. In a large bowl combine the pasta, vegetables, turkey, and cheese sauce; toss well

2. Pour into a large baking or casserole dish, cover, and bake in a 375°F degree oven for 30 minutes.

3. At time, remove cover and bake an additional 5 minutes allowing the top to brown.

4. Garnish with freshly chopped parsley
5. Enjoy

Nutrition Facts

Turkey Tetrazzini

Amount Per Serving

Calories 629 Calories from Fat 252

% Daily Value*

Fat 28g43%

Saturated Fat 15g94%

Cholesterol 115mg38%

Sodium 567mg25%

Potassium 612mg17%

Carbohydrates 57g19%

Fiber 3g13%

Sugar 8g9%

Protein 30g60%

Vitamin A 913IU18%

Vitamin C 5mg6%

Calcium 170mg17%

Iron 2mg11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This post has been updated from its original November 24, 2014 publishing with new content, re-edited photos, an updated recipe card.

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