Turkey Tetrazzini

This Turkey Tetrazzini is made with leftover turkey and spaghetti noodles, tossed in a homemade cream sauce and topped with melty mozzarella cheese! Make-ahead and freezer-friendly. 

Looking for easy, cozy, baked pasta dishes? Try this Chicken Alfredo Bake, Rigatoni Pasta Bake, and Baked Mostaccioli Pasta!

This Turkey Tetrazzini is similar to my Chicken Tetrazzini, but it’s made with cooked turkey, homemade cream sauce, spaghetti noodles, frozen peas, and melty mozzarella cheese!

This recipe uses leftover turkey (or chicken if you don’t have turkey) and is make-ahead and freezer-friendly!

The best part is that this recipe only takes 10 minutes to prep, and the oven does the rest, so it’s great for hectic days. 

Feel free to add more veggies, swap the pasta, make it gluten-free, or switch it up however you like.

Why we love this simple Turkey Tetrazzini:

• Make-ahead friendly: You can assemble the entire casserole dish and store it in the freezer or fridge and bake it later for a no-fuss dinner!
• Comfort food: The creamy sauce, tender pasta, chopped turkey, and melty cheese are a comforting combo the whole family will love. 
• Great way to use leftovers: Instead of heating up turkey leftovers from Thanksgiving, chop them up and use them in this recipe!

Turkey Tetrazzini Ingredients:

• Unsalted butter: Gives the sauce a rich, buttery base and helps soften the onions and garlic.
• Aromatics: Onion and garlic bring a cozy flavor base to the sauce. 
• Italian seasoning: A mix of herbs like oregano and basil that gives the sauce an herbal flavor. You can swap with fresh herbs if you like! Just use 3x more than dried herbs. 
• All-purpose flour: Thickens up the sauce so it’s nice and creamy.
• Low sodium chicken or turkey stock: This is the base for the sauce. Using low sodium helps keep things from getting too salty!
• Light cream: Adds a smooth, creamy feel without being too heavy. You can swap with heavy cream for a richer version!
• Spaghetti: Use whatever pasta you have on hand; just cook it until it’s less than al dente, as it will continue to cook as it bakes. 
• Cooked chopped turkey: If you have any leftover Thanksgiving turkey or Crockpot Turkey, now is the time to use it! If not, you can swap it with shredded rotisserie chicken, Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, or Instant Pot Shredded Chicken!
• Frozen peas: Frozen peas add a pop of green and a bit more nutrition!
• Shredded mozzarella cheese: Melts into a gooey, cheesy topping. You can swap this out for another type of melty cheese if you like.

How to make Turkey Tetrazzini:

The oven does most of the work for you in this recipe! Make sure to check the recipe card for the full list of instructions.

• Sauté onion, garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in flour until absorbed, then add the liquids to complete the sauce.

• Mix cooked spaghetti, cooked turkey, sauce and peas in a baking dish.
• Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and bake.

Variations and Substitutions

• Switch up the vegetables: Add in canned or sautéed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, finely chopped spinach, or something from your freezer vegetable stash.
• Gluten-free: Swap out the spaghetti for gluten-free pasta.
• Protein swap: If you don’t have any turkey or chicken on hand, this dish would be delicious with cooked salmon or diced ham.
• Crispy crust: If you like a little crunch, mix some melted butter and panko breadcrumbs and sprinkle it on top of the cheese before adding it to the oven. 
• Parmesan cheese: Sprinkle a little parmesan cheese on top of the casserole for a nutty finish. 

How to store leftover Turkey Tetrazzini:

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the oven at a low temperature covered in aluminum foil or in the microwave until warm. 

How to make it ahead:

Store it in the refrigerator:

If you want to prep ahead to serve in a few days, you can prep up to the point of baking, then cover and refrigerate up to 4 days before baking.

When you’re ready to cook, just continue with the baking instructions as listed, but add additional cooking time to compensate for the pasta being cold instead of hot.

Store it in the freezer:

If you want to prep this Turkey Tetrazzini ahead to serve later, you can prep it up to the point of baking, then wrap it tightly (I like to use a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil) and freeze it for up to 3 months.

To serve, I prefer to thaw overnight in the fridge before baking for the best results.

You can cook from frozen, though you will need to add additional time and it can be tricky to heat evenly — it will likely require a bake time of 60 minutes to heat through.

Serving suggestions:

Soak up that luscious cheesy sauce with chunks of crusty Artisan Bread or a slice of Garlic Bread! 

If you want to amp up the veggies, add a side salad or some Roasted Green Beans, or even Cheesy Baked Asparagus if you’re feeling fancy. 

More turkey recipes you’ll love:

• Baked Ziti with Italian Turkey Sausage — a family favorite!
• Baked Tortellini with Turkey & Vegetables — another good one for leftover turkey.
• One Pot Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe — who doesn’t love a one pan meal?!
• Leftover Turkey Soup — so hearty and comforting.

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Turkey Tetrazzini

written by Ashley Fehr

This Turkey Tetrazzini is a creamy baked pasta loaded with tender turkey, cheesy mozzarella, and peas, all smothered in a homemade sauce. Make-ahead and freezer-friendly!

5 from 16 votes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: 10 servings

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Ingredients 

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Tetrazzini Sauce

• ▢ ¼ cup unsalted butter
• ▢ ½ medium onion, finely diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ ¼ cup all purpose flour
• ▢ 2 cups low sodium chicken or turkey stock
• ▢ 2 cups light cream, (10%-18%)

To Assemble Turkey Tetrazzini:

• ▢ 375 grams spaghetti, (about 13oz)
• ▢ 2 cups cooked, chopped turkey
• ▢ 1½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• ▢ 1 cup frozen peas

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Instructions 

Tetrazzini Sauce

• In a large skillet, melt the butter.
• Add the onion and saute over medium heat until onion is softened.
• Add garlic, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper and cook 1 minute.
• Whisk in flour until completely absorbed by the butter.
• Add the stock and cream and whisk until smooth. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking often, until thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired. Set aside.

Turkey Tetrazzini

• Cook spaghetti just to al dente in a large pot of boiling salted water.
• Preheat the oven to 400℉ if baking immediately.
• Place spaghetti, cooked turkey, and peas in a lightly greased 9×13" baking dish. Pour the sauce over top and spread with a spatula over pasta so that it soaks down into the spaghetti.
• Sprinkle with cheese and bake for 20 minutes or until golden and bubbly.

Video

Notes

Ingredients and Substitutions:

• Vegetables: we keep it simple with onions and peas but you can add in a variety of vegetables — simply cook the firmer vegetables with the onion and add frozen or softer vegetables with the peas.
• Turkey: you can swap the turkey for cooked chicken (perfect if you meal prepped some Easy Crockpot Shredded Chicken!), or other cooked proteins. 
• Spaghetti: you can swap the spaghetti with any other cut of pasta — simply cook just to al dente or a minute less.

Nutrition

Calories: 432cal, Carbohydrates: 36g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 25g, Saturated Fat: 15g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 93mg, Sodium: 395mg, Potassium: 282mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 865IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 141mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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