One-Pot Turkey Tetrazzini is pure, delicious comfort food. It's fast, easy, and the perfect way to use up turkey or chicken leftovers.
This tetrazzini recipe is a continuation of my recent addiction to one-pot meals.
These meals are crazy-fast and involve minimal cleanup—not to mention that they're great for using up leftovers, especially around Thanksgiving and/or Christmas.
One-pot meals can involve rice, like One-Pan Meyer Lemon Chicken & Rice or One-Pan Arroz con Pollo; meat and roasted vegetables, like One-Skillet Mustard-Herb-Crusted Roast Pork Tenderloin and Root Vegetables; or pasta, such as One-Pan Ground Beef Stroganoff, One-Skillet Taco Pasta, and, of course, this tetrazzini recipe.
One-Pot Turkey Tetrazzini: not just for turkey leftovers
Although I am writing this recipe with leftover turkey in mind. It's also a perfect application for rotisserie chicken.
The other wonderful thing about tetrazzini is that it's a great veggie-delivery strategy.
I love to use mushrooms, shallots, peas, and roasted bell pepper or pimento.
A lot of turkey tetrazzini recipes out there call for canned cream-of-nasty soup.
But this recipe achieves its creaminess with a Bechamel-like sauce containing butter, flour, milk, Parmesan cheese, and chicken broth. Sautéed shallots and Italian herbs really punch up the flavor of the dish.
Back to that hide-the-vegetable thing.
You could easily hide pureed cauliflower in this dish. The taste is undetectable, and it would only add to the creaminess.
In fact, if you choose this strategy, you can omit the roux because the purée will also act to thicken the sauce.
That ramps up the healthy factor considerably. SCORE!
One-pot Turkey Tetrazzini: to top or not to top?
Although it's completely optional, I like a crunchy breadcrumb topping for a bit of texture.
You can toast the breadcrumbs in the pot, remove them to a bowl, mix with some Romano cheese and herbs, and then sprinkle on top of each individual serving.
OR you can mix the breadcrumbs, Romano, and herbs with some melted butter, top individual servings of tetrazzini in ramekins with the breadcrumb mixture, and brown them up under the broiler, as I've done in the picture here.
One-pot Turkey Tetrazzini scored big with my husband, Phil, who emitted such noises as "oooooh" and "YUUUUMMM" as he enjoyed his meal...and then went back for more. Twice.
"You have to make this for the kids!" he exclaimed, which is a HUGE vote of confidence in this house.
Passing the Phil test is one thing, but the kids? AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT BALLGAME. I'm happy to report that they give this meal the thumbs up!
One-pot Turkey Tetrazzini is pure comfort-food goodness, easy to make, and easy to clean up.
I hope it's a hit with your family as well!
(If you love the one-pot dinner strategy, check out my how-to article, Mastering Easy One-Pot Meal Recipes)
—xoxo Michelle
P.S. Also check out Using up Leftovers for more inspiration on cooking your leftover food and Easy Pantry Meals – Living Out of Your Pantry (and refrigerator and freezer) for putting your pantry to work!
One-pot Turkey or Chicken Tetrazzini
This tasty, creamy one-pot meal is a great way to use up turkey or chicken leftovers—and get a healthy dose of vegetables in the bargain. The optional breadcrumb topping provides a nice textural counterpoint to the creamy pasta, and makes a fun presentation when served in individual ramekins.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 3 tablespoon flour
- 8 oz fideo pasta or broken up spaghetti
- 4 oz. cremini mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
- 2 large shallots, minced
- 1 large roasted pimento or red bell pepper, chopped (I use jarred peppers)
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups cooked turkey or chicken, cubed or shredded
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 1 tablespoon mixed dried Italian herbs
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped (for garnish; optional)
OPTIONAL BREADCRUMB TOPPING:
- 1 cup panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon melted butter
- 1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs
- ¼ cup grated Romano cheese
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the mushrooms. Sauté until their liquid is rendered and mostly evaporated. Add the shallots; sauté for 1 additional minute.
- Sprinkle in the flour and stir continuously for 1 minute. Slowly add the broth, whisking continuously to combine with the flour and avoid forming lumps. Add in the milk, pasta, herbs, ½ tsp. salt, and ⅛ tsp. of pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente (or soft, if that's how you like it). After 10 minutes of cooking, add in the chicken or turkey, peas, pimento, and parmesan cheese. Check seasoning, adding more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve topped with parsley, if desired. (See below for optional breadcrumb topping.) Enjoy!
OPTIONAL BREADCRUMB TOPPING:
- This step will add an additional ~5 minutes to the cook time. To toast the breadcrumbs first, melt the butter in the pot over medium heat; add the breadcrumbs, stirring until golden brown. Remove to a bowl and mix with herbs and Romano cheese, wiping out the pot before beginning step one above. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over each serving. OR, mix the breadcrumbs with melted butter, herbs, and cheese, and then top individual servings in oven-safe bowls or ramekins and place under a low broiler until golden brown.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 529Total Fat: 21gSaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 120mgSodium: 1161mgCarbohydrates: 46gFiber: 4gSugar: 6gProtein: 38g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate: if you are tracking this information for medical purposes, please consult a trusted external source. Thanks!
About Us
Hi there! We're Michelle and Phil, the blogging duo behind flipped out food. Our mission is to inspire you with our favorite strategies for delivering easy, healthy dishes—even at the busiest of times.
Debbie says
I typically cook for my parents once or twice a week and my dad can be fairly picky, especially where pasta is concerned. I decided to take a chance and made this for them on Friday night. I followed the recipe with no modifications, down to the bread crumb topping. Kudos to you! They loved it! Great comfort food! It’s like a pot pie with noodles instead of crust...oooooh, I may have to try it THAT way too. I’ll be back for this recipe again! Thanks!
Michelle says
That's so awesome, Debbie! You're so sweet to cook for the 'rents: I'm really glad that they loved it. And yes, a buttery, crunchy crust sounds yummy too! 😉
Eb Gargano | Easy Peasy Foodie says
Oooh - this looks fab! I am a huge fan of one pot meals AND leftovers meals so this is right up my street. Thanks for linking up to #CookBlogShare 😀 Eb x
Michelle says
Thank you, Eb! One-pot meal AND uses up leftovers = LIFESAVER.
Corina Blum says
Oh yummy! This looks amazing and would be a great recipe for us to make after our Christmas turkey as we don't have Thanksgiving here. Thanks so much for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice!
Michelle says
Thanks, Corina! We make turkey approximately quarterly in the Frank household because the hubster loves it. It's also very economical compared to other meats. I hope you enjoy it!
Platter Talk says
One of my very favorite dishes. I want to try this rendition out. You had me at toasted, buttered croutons. lol.
Michelle says
Haha, thanks Dan!
Veena Azmanov says
I love anything one pot!! and this looks like a perfect comfort food my family would love. you have such beautiful flavors going in this dish. Bet it was yum.
Michelle says
Thank you, Veena! It was!
Stephanie@ApplesforCJ says
I can tell by the combination of flavors you've used in this that it would taste amazing. Great comfort recipe for sure 🙂
Michelle says
Thanks, Stephanie!
karyn ryan says
love one pot meals. This looks so delicious !! I loved that you used a Bechamel sauce instead of soup, great idea
Michelle says
Thank you, Karyn! I go to great lengths to avoid canned soup! ;-P
Beth @ Binky's Culinary Carnival says
Such a wonderful comfort food! I hate the canned nasty soup in tetrazzini too! I love the addition of the cheesy breadcrumb crunch!
Michelle says
Thanks, Beth!
Shumaila says
Love one pot meals. Never made a tetrazzini, but inclined to make it now. Love that tip about hiding the veggies with this dish.
Michelle says
Thank you, Shumaila!