Turkey Tetrazzini

This Turkey Tetrazzini is a creamy baked pasta with a homemade sauce, shredded turkey, spaghetti and a golden cheesy crust! Make ahead and freezer friendly!

As weird as it is, the kids are heading back to school in one way or another and with this school year being as different as it is, we will need all the easy comfort foods!

This Turkey Tetrazzini is a creamy, cozy meal that is easy to make ahead and freezer friendly.

It’s also one of my kids favorite meals, and since it’s loaded with lean shredded turkey, high fibre pasta, and lighter on the cream than most, it ticks all of my boxes!

I like to grab a boneless turkey breast or turkey breast filet, and either simmer it in a covered skillet until tender or throw it in the slow cooker until it shreds (if I’ve got leftover Crockpot Turkey, even better!)

This way, I have an easy, ready-to-go protein that I can use in a variety of meals throughout the week.

Sometimes just having one piece of the dinner puzzle ready to go makes a world of difference in your day, and shredded turkey is a great source of protein that pairs well with so many flavors!

Looking for a quicker version? Try this One Pot Turkey Tetrazzini Recipe or this One Pot Turkey Tetrazzini Soup!

What’s in Turkey Tetrazzini?

Everyone has their own way to make this classic casserole, and I have a few preferences of my own 😉

Turkey Tetrazzini typically has cooked turkey (you can find my Chicken Tetrazzini recipe here), spaghetti noodles, mushrooms and a creamy sauce.

Some include white wine in the same, some throw in peas or celery or onions, and some top theirs with a crisp bread crumb topping before baking.

I like to find a balance when making creamy casseroles like this Turkey Tetrazzini. Instead of using heavy cream and cream cheese, I use half and half and turkey broth to make my sauce. I choose high fibre pasta and throw in some peas for good measure.

I skip the mushrooms because we are just not big mushrooms fans here, but you can easily add them back in if that’s your thing.

How to Make Turkey Tetrazzini:

1. Cook your turkey breast (or use leftover if you have some!): I like to do this in the slow cooker if I have time, or in a covered skillet with a bit of turkey broth if I want it ready a little sooner.
2. Cook your pasta: you want to pull it out a minute or two before it’s al dente so that it won’t be mush when it continues to cook in the casserole
3. Cook your sauce: I hear you. It’s a few different pots and pans but I promise you, homemade is better than any shortcut and you can make two and stick one in the freezer!
4. Stir it all together, and throw in some peas or other vegetables if you want, sprinkle with some cheese.
5. Cover and store it for later (more tips on that below), or pop it in the oven until golden and bubbly!

Variations on this Turkey Tetrazzini recipe:

• Switch up the vegetables: add in canned or sauteed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, finely chopped spinach, or something from your freezer vegetable stash
• Swap out the spaghetti for any other cut of pasta, cooked to the same doneness (a little less than al dente)
• Swap out the spaghetti for cooked rice or gluten-free pasta for a gluten-free option

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 cook 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 up to the point of baking, then wrap tightly (I like to use a layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil), and freeze up to 3 months.

To serve, either thaw overnight in the fridge before baking, or pop in the oven from frozen before starting the oven. This way, as your oven heats gradually, it will warm your pan gradually so there is no temperature shock.

To cook from frozen, you will need to add additional time — it will likely require a bake time of 60 minutes to heat through.

More turkey recipes you’ll love:

• Baked Ziti with Italian Turkey Sausage
• Turkey Chili Mac and Cheese
• Turkey Stuffed Peppers

*This post is generously sponsored by Turkey Farmers of Canada and I was compensated for my time in creating this recipe. Thank you for supporting the brands that make The Recipe Rebel possible!